Rahi: Displaced Syrians, Palestinians Burdening Lebanon
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said on Friday that displaced Syrians and Palestinians have become a “great burden on Lebanon and must return home,” as he stressed “humanitarian solidarity with their causes.”
“It is our duty as Lebanese to preserve our country and its specifications for the benefit of all of us, and for Lebanon to carry out its mission in its Arab environment,” said Al-Rahi, adding “that is why all the displaced and refugees must return back to their land and country.”
“As for those who have taken refuge in Lebanon from Syria --and amount to more than 1.5 million-- adding to the Palestinians they have become as much as half the number of the Lebanese people. They have become a great burden on Lebanon. Even more they have become a demographic, economic, political, cultural and security threat, and their return back to safe places in Syria has become a necessity,” stressed al-Rahi.
However the Patriarch added that his calls do not mean that Lebanon would abandon its “humanitarian and social solidarity” with the refugees and their cause.
Rahi's remarks came during a pastoral visit in Detroit in the United States.
20 October 2017, 13:38
68
do you ever hear this character call for the return of the terror militia from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, etc.?
No !
20 October 2017, 15:37
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One Real Commenter troll spotted
tagged, logged and processed.
20 October 2017, 16:53
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What is a refugee? According to all the branches of the UN except one, someone who was removed from his home.
(Don't start quoting me UNWRA who have an agenda of their own)
As over 90% of the "Palestinians" the Lebanese keep holed up in camps were born in Lebanon (i.e. are less than 70 years old) they are not entitled to be called refugees.
20 October 2017, 17:46
02
I promise I will not be quoting UNWRA, wasn't she in Star Trek with Kirk and Spock? You cannot pick and chose which UN agency you like to quote and forbid the rest to quote other UN agencies just because you are sensitive to what they say. That's like our resident terrorists claiming that the UN is an American-Zionist entity then quoting it when it suits them. He's a statistic for ya: 100% of Palestinians that the Israelis hole up in holes were born in Israel. 100% of Jews who came and are still coming to Israel from all over the world were born outside Israel. They automatically become "Israelis". A baby born to American parents outside the US is still an America. Same with the Palestinians, no quote needed.
20 October 2017, 18:59
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"A baby born to American parents outside the US is still an America. Same with the Palestinians."
Completely agree with you on that point. However by no stretch of the imagination can they be regarded as refugees.
By the way, when the American baby travels abroad he uses an American Passport, what does the Palestinian born in Lebanon use?
20 October 2017, 19:39
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Palestinian born in Lebanon does not use a Lebanese passport. He/she uses a Palestinian refugee passport or more accurately a travel document for Palestinian refugees. There's that word refugee again this time on an official document, how about that. It's always wise to know the answer to a loaded question before you ask it.
20 October 2017, 22:03
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Now what would Prophet Christ say about Rahi and his opinions? Funny thing, 100 years ago, people would move freely in the Levant and settle around. There is halabi and shami etc families in Lebanon (syrian origin), and then nabulsi, ghazzaoui, akkawi, safadi, maqdissi rtc families in lebanon (palestinian origin) who are considered lebanese. Not to forget, the maronites were themselves refugees from syria at one point. Al rahi sounds like an amateur opportunist that does not fear God. Lebanon is not his property. Had he been a good leader, he would have looked for ways to improve the situation realistically instead of telling refugees to go home like a bad imitation of the worst of trump followers.
21 October 2017, 08:42
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Does the Patriarch know there are more than 250,000 shia iraqis, yemenis and bahrainis in Lebanon under refugee status?
