Lebanon: Treatment by the Lebanese authorities of persons who travels or work in Israel
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LBN31512.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Lebanon: Treatment by the Lebanese authorities of persons who travels or work in Israel, 1 April 1999, LBN31512.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab9464.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to various reports, it is illegal for Lebanese citizens to travel to Israel (The Daily Star 22 Mar. 1999; Inter Press Service 17 July 1998; AFP 24 July 1998; AP 6 Nov. 1998). AFP reports that a Lebanese journalist for the Beirut-based newspaper An-Nahar, Pierre Atallah, was accused of "visiting an enemy country without permission as well as humiliating security and judicial authorities" and was sentenced, in absentia, by a military court "to three years in prison for visiting Israel" (ibid.). Atallah was also fined 500,000 Lebanese Pounds (or US $330) (ibid.). Another example of a penalty in absentia is Roger Tamraz. AP reported that he was accused of visiting Israel and conducting commercial activities there (ibid.). Tamraz
violated the rules on the Arab boycott of Israel when he entered Israel without permission from the Lebanese authorities and struck a commercial deal with the Jewish state. Lebanon is technically at war with Israel and forbids contacts with it (ibid.).
Inter Press Service also reported that a Lebanese
born in the Israeli town of Safed in 1978 to a Lebanese mother who had been allowed across the border to give birth, he's been laying bricks in Tel Aviv for two years. If Israel withdraws, he says, he'll just go back to Lebanon. "I'll live normally in my village," he predicts. "What else can I do?" (17 July 1998).
Two specialists on Lebanon also stated that it is illegal for Lebanese to travel to Israel and people who do travel to Israel would face a serious situation in Lebanon (7 Apr. 1999). The penalty is arrest and imprisonment. The two specialists added that one is penalized only if the travel to Israel is discovered. Unless there were an Israeli stamp in the Lebanese passport, it would be difficult for the security forces to identify people who have travelled to Israel.
As of February 1999, there were a reported 2,100 Lebanese working in Israel (ME News Items 17 Feb. 1999).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 24 July 1998. "Rights Group Demands Lifting of Lebanese Reporter's Sentence". (NEXIS)
Associated Press (AP). 6 November 1998. "Lebanese-American Businessman Indicted for Visiting Israel". (NEXIS)
The Daily Star [Beirut]. 22 March 1999. "Tribunal Sentences Collaborators". [Internet] < http://archive.dailystar.com.lb/cgi-local/AT-arch37arch37collection1search.cgi > [Accessed on 7 Apr. 1999]
Director, Centre For Lebanese Studies, Oxford, England. 7 April 1999. Telephone interview.
Inter Press Service. 17 July 1998. Deborah Horan. "Israel-Lebanon: Fear of Peace on Both Sides of the "Good Fence"". (NEXIS)
Middle East News Items. 17 February 1999. "Unemployment Down 1% in December 1998" (NEXIS)
Researcher, Centre d'études et de recherches sur le Moyen-Orient contemporain (CERMOC), Beirut, Lebanon. 7 April 1999. Telephone interview.
