Palestinians were forced to flee or were expelled from their homes and lands at the time of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and again when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. Many of them took refuge in Lebanon, where they remain today, together with their descendents.

There are today about 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the majority of them live in overcrowded refugee camps. Until there is a recognized Palestinian state or until the Lebanese government amends its laws, Palestinians do not have the right to work or to receive social security. They do not have the right to own or inherit property.

Lebanon has repeatedly stated that it will not accept the permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and that their presence in the country is temporary. The Palestinians' “right to return” is clearly recognized and upheld in international law. However, over 50 years have already elapsed since the start of the Palestinian refugee problem and the right to return has yet to be realized.

To this day, the international community has failed to find an adequate, durable and sustainable solution to the problem of the millions of Palestinian refugees scattered around the world.

According to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have the highest rate of people living in "abject poverty" of all the Palestinian refugee communities they serve