"Crackdown on undocumented workers provokes the ire of Palestinian refugees", 18th of July 2019

Hundreds of Palestinians have protested in the streets of Beirut and across 12 camps against Abousleiman's crackdown on businesses employing foreign workers without a permit, a move he says ensures equality among all. 

The issue can be traced back to the broader Lebanese labor law which does not grant Palestinian refugees a special legal status that is different from foreigners. To be eligible to obtain a job, Palestinians were required to obtain a work permit prior to employment and the principle of reciprocity of treatment in Lebanon, a condition virtually impossible to meet for Palestinians given the lack of a Palestinian State in the legal sense.

Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman vowed Thursday to facilitate the granting of work permits for Palestinian refugees, saying that the "Lebanese labor law protects Palestinian workers."