Returning to Naher al Bared “As Symbolic As Returning To Palestine”

The reverse exodus back to the ravaged Naher al bared camp has begun. A serious debate should start on what’s to happen next.

Coming back home.

The first 100 families of those who live in undamaged neighborhoods have started returning. The camp is now a shadow of its old self with buildings devastated beyond recognitions. But that did not stop 60-year old Um Akram Awdeh to see the return as a symbolic triumph:

“I’m so happy about going back, even if it’s to just one inch of what’s left of my home. It’s as symbolic as returning to Palestine,”

As the dust settles on this crisis, the attention will be directed to a problem that has plagued Lebanon since 1948: That of the Palestinian refugees and the universal refusal of the Lebanese to allow them to stay permanently in Lebanon.

One of the factors that will push the problem to the limelights is the imminent shortage in reconstruction cash. Only $37 million of the 382.5$ million estimated for reconstruction and relief have been pledged.

Politics will make this very issue explosive. If too little money is available, the government will be criticized for being inhuman with the Palestinians. If on the other hand, any signs of generosity were shown, the government will be attacked for wanting to nationalize the Palestinians, or worse for preferring the Palestinians over the Lebanese citizens who still haven’t been compensated after the 2006 war.

But among the Lebanese, an important debate has to take place: To the kids in the bus in the picture above, what does “home” mean?