The Middle East's latest refugee crisis demands action

Syrian and Lebanese refugees travel to the Massna border crossing with Syria on foot after Israeli strikes rendered the main road unusable. EPA

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Even if they are displaced by the same war, people’s experiences of fleeing death and destruction can differ greatly. Among the 1.2 million people the UN says have been forced from their homes by Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Lebanon, some are sleeping rough on Beirut’s streets, others taken in by fellow Lebanese. Some are fleeing to Syria and Iraq. Those who can afford it are paying up to $1,800 for one-way tickets on charter yachts to Cyprus.

Whatever their destination or manner of travel, the experiences of most of those fleeing have one thing in common: they are proof that this war is adding to the tragic mosaic of refugee and internally displaced populations across the Middle East.

Syrians who had already been displaced by war to eke out a precarious existence in neighbouring Lebanon have found themselves forced to swallow any reservations and go home, in some cases to areas of the country dominated by armed factions. Returning Syrians have also been required to exchange $100 into local currency at the central bank’s official rate, which is much lower than the black-market rate. Exhausted families have struggled to gather the sum.

The UNHCR says about 6,000 Lebanese – including many families – have fled to Iraq. Although some of them are staying with friends or family, others are being housed in temporary accommodation.

Unicef, the UN children’s fund, estimates that more than 400,000 children in Lebanon have been displaced from their homes. Lebanon is also home to about 200,000 Palestinian refugees who now face the prospect of another forced displacement, much like their compatriots in Gaza who have been repeatedly driven from pillar to post by successive Israeli attacks from 1948 onwards. In Israel itself, tens of thousands of civilians remain displaced from the country’s north by rocket fire from Iran-backed Hezbollah.

This compounding of the Middle East’s displacement crisis has several immediate consequences: families face impoverishment as salaries are cut off and savings run out. Their children’s education is also undermined. Bureaucratic obstacles regarding visas, residency and refugee status emerge. These kinds of challenges have prompted a swift response from some regional countries. On Monday, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed assigned $30 million in aid to support displaced Lebanese citizens in Syria. The UAE has also sent six planes with 205 tonnes of aid to assist civilians in Lebanon. Citizens and residents across the Emirates will take part in a major donation drive this weekend to deliver essential support to those caught up in the conflict.

Despite these efforts, however, the situation could get even worse. Less than a week ago, Marwan Muasher, Jordan's first ambassador to Israel, told The National that the escalation of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in tandem with the Israeli assault in Gaza could create a displacement crisis that would threaten Jordan’s stability. In Lebanon, the number of safe escape routes are shrinking – Israeli forces have already bombed the main road to Syria and on Monday they warned the Lebanese to avoid coastal areas in south of country amid coming maritime operations.

Managing this entirely preventable humanitarian crisis will take skill and resources. The scale of the challenge is immense: on October 1, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza launched a $426 million flash appeal to help support civilians. They should get the help they need. But more creative and flexible solutions to help refugees and displaced people must be quickly worked out, for example by ending currency requirements at the Syrian border or cutting back procedural red tape around visas and residency. Given the exceptional circumstances of the full-scale war taking place in Lebanon, Syrian returnees should be able to return home without fear of losing their refugee status in Lebanon.

That things have come to this is a tragedy. What would be worse, would be an inadequate response or effort to end this terrible war. It is time for the international community to step up.