Back to Contents (Source: Kamel Doraï, “From Family Dispersion to Asylum-Seeking: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon and Syria”, 2021, p. 47) The author further reported that: “The conflict that began in 2011 pushed Palestinians in Syria back into a stateless situation and forced them to seek asylum abroad.   [...] In 2018, a total of 120,000 of them fled Syria, according to UNRWA figures, heading mainly to countries in the region (Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt) as well as Europe. However, in Lebanon, this number decreased from more than 50,000 in 2015 to 31,000 in 2018, due to re-emigration, mainly towards European countries or a return to Syria.” (Source: Kamel Doraï, “From Family Dispersion to Asylum-Seeking: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon and Syria”, The Syrian Conflict: Towards a New Exile for Palestinians, 2021, pp. 53-54) The same source stated: “Like their counterparts who had settled in Lebanon decades before, just over half of the recently arrived Palestinian refugees from Syria were concentrated in one of the 12 existing refugee camps. Others settled in neighborhoods or rural informal settlements where there was a strong Palestinian presence. The geography of the Palestinian presence in Lebanon was not significantly modified by the new arrivals, with the exception of new settlements in the Beqaa Valley, which is close to Syrian border and a first stopping point for those who left Damascus by the main road that connects it to Lebanon. There was a densification of populated areas by Palestinians and a polarization of migration towards the outskirts of the main Lebanese coastal cities. This geography of asylum is based on the existing family relationships between the two groups in Lebanon and Syria. When the conflict escalated, the first Palestinians who sought refuge in Lebanon were those who had relatives there.” (Source: Kamel Doraï, “From Family Dispersion to Asylum-Seeking: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon and Syria”, The Syrian Conflict: Towards a New Exile for Palestinians, 2021, p. 55) In its Protection brief, UNRWA analysed the situation of Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon: “• In 2011, at the onset of the Syrian conflict, the General Security Office (GSO) initially facilitated access of PRS to Lebanon. However, these measures were never formalised by the GSO and in August 2013 and May 2014 facilitating measures were removed and additional restrictions imposed. Restrictions on Syrian arrivals were in January 2015. Since then, entry visas are only granted at the border to PRS with either a verified embassy appointment in Lebanon or a flight ticket and visa to a third country. Most are issued with a 24-hour transit visa. In addition, a very limited number of PRS can secure a visa for Lebanon by obtaining prior approval from the GSO, which requires a sponsor in Lebanon and cannot be processed at border posts. • Some PRS have sought to enter Lebanon through irregular border crossings, placing them at additional risk of exploitation and abuse both during the crossing and once they arrive in Lebanon. • Irregular entry into Lebanon is an obstacle to later regularising one’s legal status and while several memoranda have been issued by the GSO since October 2015, allowing for a free-of charge renewal of residency documents, persons who have entered irregularly are exempted. A considerable number of PRS are therefore still unable to regularise their stay in Lebanon. In addition, lack of awareness has meant that some PRS have not renewed their documents and are therefore considered by the authorities as illegally staying in Lebanon. • PRS children who turned 15 years old in Lebanon and who do not have a passport or national identity card are granted a temporary residency document by the Lebanese authorities if they present an individual status record that was issued in the last two years by the Syrian authorities in Syria (GAPAR) and officially stamped by the Lebanese Embassy in Syria and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Syria and Lebanon. • The General Directorate of General Security announced on 17 July 2020 that Arab citizens and foreigners who entered Lebanon irregularly and those whose legal residency and work permit have expired are able to regularise their status between 31/07/2020 to 31/10/2020. However, regularisation is only possible by securing a sponsor and a work permit. Hence, the impact on PRS is expected to be minimal. 1. History of Palestinians's exile to Lebanon resulting in various legal statuses for Palestinians 18