Director of the Strategic Consultation Center for Studies in Lebanon, Dania Koleilat Al-Khatib, said: “The escalation of hate speech against Syrian refugees in Lebanon could lead to an explosion.”
Al-khatib’s statement came in an article published in Arab News newspaper, in which I called on the Lebanese government to wake up and set a new, clear and transparent policy towards the refugee crisis.
Al-khatib added: “Successive Lebanese governments chose not to formulate a policy regarding refugees. Instead, the problem was used depending on the need, and the refugee issue was a card used locally.”
Al-khatib pointed out: “The prevailing hate speech will not succeed. Although it creates a momentary distraction, its security repercussions are serious.”
Al-khatib called on the international community to pressure on the Lebanese government to count the Syrians in the region in order to be able to judge who are real refugees and who are not.
The current Lebanese government in agreement with the Assad regime continues to pressure the Syrian refugees in the region, with the aim of forcibly returning them to Syria.