Likewise, the issue of Syrian refugees should not be a political football; it shouldn’t be exploited or bargained over, or used in domestic strife. It’s an issue that affects the interests of all Lebanese. We should agree on a treatment that avoids polarization.»
«It’s a national issue,» Derbas says, «that requires declaring a state of political emergency – all national energies should be mobilized, whatever their affiliation may be. This issue is sufficient to unite Lebanon’s national will.»
These are fine, significant comments, and Derbas might have played a large role in the government’s decision to limit refugee entries; it wouldn’t have been possible for a minister from another sect to adopt such a project, because of the confessional dimensions as well as the humanitarian dimensions, which should be respected in any case. The laws and measures should not be implemented when it comes to the lives of people exposed to murder. Laws are enacted for people, and not vice versa.
However, the minister’s proposal might be a dead letter if a party doesn’t step forward to begin adopting the treatments, or at least producing an approximate statement of vision for them.
There’s a need for a draft document to become a plan after an exhaustive debate takes place, before the issue of Syrian displacement comes to resemble its Palestinian counterpart – simultaneously temporary and permanent. Syria is facing a massive catastrophe with no solution on the horizon or vision for a road map that could involve partition, as some are promoting, which will eliminate the possibility of the return of many people to areas or states where life will not be livable.
Thus, the social affairs minister’s call for the declaration of a state of political emergency in dealing with this complicated issue is an urgent one, despite all of the other crises that are buffeting Lebanon, because the refugee situation is, in essence, a time bomb. Derbas might be required to take the initiative for convening workshops, with possible Syrian participation, to set down clear frameworks for dealing with the issue, so that Lebanon is treated justly and Syrians retain their dignity and human rights.