The Palestinians in Lebanon are owed for having torn down the political barricades between the remnants of the March 8 and March 14 teams. They are also owed for the sudden unity among the Christian parties, or so to speak, following the day of sectarian alignment at the Lebanese parliament where the camp of "the civilized face of Lebanon" seemed to be facing a very delayed awakening in regard to the human-civilian rights of the Palestinians in Lebanon. This confrontation was seen between what was referred to by the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt as being "the stupid right wing" and what some symbols in the Phalange Party, the Lebanese Forces and the Change and Reform Movement (Michel Aoun's team) like to call the Muslim left-wing, thus bringing back the dark pages of Lebanon's history which burned the Palestinians in the fire of sectarianism. While we hoped that Jumblatt's initiative in proposing laws, legislating for the first time the recognition of the human rights of half a million Palestinians in camps that are blockading their humanity is not just a reaction dissipated by the "wisdom" of those calling for patience in ratifying these proposals, the question raised by Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri who wondered: "Is it logical for delegations to come to us to lift the blockade imposed on the Beirut camps while Lebanese citizens are contributing to the lifting of the Israeli blockade on Gaza?" burdens him with keeping the legislations related to the human rights of the Palestinians among his government's priorities. However, this is not an easy task, as it was proven by the day of sectarian alignment in a parliament in which the virus of the naturalization ghost reached some of its young faces. So what has changed and made the Lebanese stop using the fate of half a million Palestinians as a weapon to fuel sectarianism despite its verbal rejection? To those who have been terrified by it for over six decades, naturalization only means the prevalence of Muslims over the Christians in terms of their number, and consequently the changing of the political "formula" of the regime. It is clear in this context that the "stupidity" which Jumblatt talked about aims at stressing the insistence of those concerned by it on ignoring the fact that the Palestinians in the camps are fiercely against their naturalization in a big prison, even if it is Lebanese. It would certainly not do any good to stir the wounds of civil war in Lebanon or the chapters of the wars of the camps and the Sabra and Shatila "holocaust" in which Palestinian blood was spilled on Lebanese soil and in which people were lost without anyone knowing their fate. It would also not do any good to look into the ways to divide the responsibility for the sin, as the Lebanese need courage to recognize all that was perpetrated against the Palestinians - in their names - and become aware of the fact that upholding the poverty "ghettos" is turning the Palestinians into protection barriers for extremism and terrorism, thus transforming them into human shields and some even into time bombs. It was said in the Lebanese parliament that what was happening was "shameful" and that no one asked about the Palestinians' right to housing after the war with Fatah al-Islam destroyed the Nahr al-Bared camp, let alone their right to education, work and medical services. How many times were the Palestinians taken hostage by certain organizations in Ain al-Helweh camp and with Lebanese "guards"? The parties engaged in the Lebanese dialogue should also be asked: For how long will their consensus over the removal of the Palestinian arms outside the camps remain one on paper? Are these arms not among the pretexts used by the anti-naturalization "wise men"? During the parliamentary marathon day, the Israeli non-governmental B'Tselem organization investigated the impact of Jewish settlements on the human rights of the Palestinians, condemning the fact that the Israeli troops were eluding the "sanctions" following each attack on the civilians. Over there, the Palestinians are the victims of racism, while over here, they are the victims of sectarianism which is always brandished by use of the fear of naturalization, without any real fear over "the civilized face of Lebanon." Although the recognition of the human dimension of the proximity between sectarianism and racism is like crossing half the way toward getting rid of the camps' sin and what is being committed against their population, this recognition itself may mark the beginning of the road toward the salvation of all the Lebanese from the plague of sectarianism and a sound start for stopping to hold the "demons" of the world responsible for its catastrophes. As for seeing an apology for what was perpetrated against the Palestinians of the "ghetto" camps, this is a far-fetched ambition, as wide as the distance between Lebanon and Britain, i.e. between civilized Lebanon and the Britain of democracy, freedoms and human rights which found no embarrassment in apologizing for the killing of 14 demonstrators in Northern Ireland 38 years ago. The time has come for some in Lebanon to stop taking pleasure in the game of lies and deceit. Is the killing of the dreams and rights of the Palestinians in the camps less hideous than their imprisonment in an Israeli jail?
