The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Lebanon called for an immediate halt to measures approved by the Ministry of Labor in the country against Palestinian institutions in the framework of a local plan to combat irregular labor.
On June 6, the Lebanese government launched a plan to combat irregular labor in the country, to curb the rise in unemployment rates locally.
Among the measures approved by the plan are the closure of owned or rented enterprises from non-working foreigners, and obligating foreign-owned enterprises to have 75% of their employees Lebanese.
Hamas said in a statement it rejected "any decision and any action leading to the closure of institutions owned by Palestinian refugees, and we refuse to prosecute Palestinian workers and prevent them from working."
"Those who carry out these arbitrary and unjust measures are fully responsible for their decisions that affect the dignity and rights of the Palestinian refugees, which will lead to social tensions."
"We will not accept the threat of life and future of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and we will drop the policy of slow murder."
The movement considered that this decision "does not serve the Lebanese-Palestinian relationship and dialogue, but is in the service of the contents and objectives of the deal of the century, which seeks to write off the issue of Palestinian refugees."
Hamas demanded the reopening of closed institutions and a halt to the hunt for Palestinian workers, without further details on the number of institutions closed.
The leadership of the factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Lebanon said on Sunday that the Lebanese authorities began to prosecute the Palestinian workers in their workplaces, and the release of legal and financial controls against their operators under the slogan "combating illegal foreign workers."
The Lebanese and Palestinian media said that during the past few days, the inspectors of the Ministry of Labor to implement the decisions to close Palestinian-owned businesses, under the pretext of the need for the Palestinian employer and worker leave, and raised these measures, widespread Palestinian protests in Lebanon.
The government responds
On the other hand, the Lebanese Ministry of Labor said in response to these reports that "statements are being issued and protests are being carried out on the basis of false information about the targeting of Palestinians as part of the implementation of the plan to combat illegal foreign labor."
The ministry added that "the plan must be reviewed before the launch of positions, and the language of treachery, resettlement and conspiracies have nothing to do with the plan to implement the law, and is not directed against anyone and does not exclude any nationality."
"Palestinian refugees have the right to work in all occupations, except for the professions and other professions regulated by law, and non-Lebanese are prohibited from practicing them."
The ministry confirmed that "the Palestinian get a work permit guarantees him the right to receive severance pay from the National Social Security Fund."
For its part, said the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee that it follows the strategy of the Ministry of Labor to combat irregular foreign workers, which include Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians more than others.
She added that the ministry ignored the legal amendments 128 and 129 approved by the House of Representatives in 2010, which provide for the need to preserve the privacy of the Palestinian worker and not treated similarly.