Uncertain future for Syrians as EU-Lebanon migration deal looms
Increasingly harsh conditions for Syrian refugees in Lebanon may present new problems for a prospective deal with the European Union.
BEIRUT — Many Syrians caught up in increasingly hostile surroundings in Lebanon believe the country is becoming a harder place to live, an existence dictated by expensive residency renewals, curfews and incitement.
“We are being regulated more and more,” Fathy, a Syrian in his 40s originally from Idlib’s Jisr al-Shughur, told Al-Monitor. “I feel like I’m fighting to stay safe.”
Fathy, who refused to reveal his full name, was one of several Syrians beaten by local men in the Mount Lebanon village of Hrajel in late June, immediately after a multiple suicide bombing attack on al-Qaa, a predominantly Christian village close to Lebanon's northeast border with Syria. The Syrians say they had no recourse to the municipality police or hospital, partly because they were not carrying valid residency papers — although a local official in Hrajel later told Al-Monitor that the men responsible for the beating had been given a “verbal warning.”
But increasingly harsh conditions for Syrian refugees in Lebanon may also present new problems for a prospective deal with the European Union, designed to bolster Lebanon’s economy while effectively keeping Syrians away from Europe.
