New Law Allows Lebanese who Fled to Israel Return Home

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kenaan stressed on Thursday that a law facilitating the return of Lebanese who fled to Israel will be implemented on all those who went to the Jewish state, including those who joined the South Lebanon Army militia or collaborated with it.

Parliament on Wednesday approved the draft law proposed by the bloc leader MP Michel Aoun to facilitate the return of Lebanese who went to Israel after its withdrawal from the South in May 2000.

“The law is implementable on all citizens who escaped to Israel,” Kenaan stressed in remarks to An Nahar daily.

He said those who had joined the SLA can now return and face a fair trial. “Their families can return without facing any prosecution.”

The law stipulates that Lebanese who joined the SLA or collaborated with it will be arrested by the authorities on the Lebanese-Israeli border upon their return and tried under the local law.

But their families and other Lebanese who hadn’t collaborated with the Jewish state could return under certain mechanisms and regulations to be stipulated in decrees issued by the cabinet later on.

The law also stipulates that the return should take place within one year of the issuance of the decrees.

Kenaan said however that there could be some controversy on Lebanese who have been recruited in the Israeli army or are married to Israeli women.

The cases of Lebanese who have lost their identification papers and have been given Israeli passports should also be resolved, he told An Nahar.

An estimated 4,000 Lebanese reside in Israel but Lebanese authorities don’t have any specific data as some have travelled to western countries such as the U.S. and Canada in the past 11 years.

Speaker Nabih Berri hailed the parliament’s accomplishments, telling As Safir newspaper that Wednesday’s session was “productive.”

“Most of the draft laws that were on the legislature’s agenda were adopted,” he said.

MPs agreed “in principle” on a draft law also proposed by the Change and Reform bloc to pay compensations for Lebanese who were held in Syrian prisons.

But the proposal was put on the agenda of the next parliamentary session after tasking the administrative and justice committee to tackle its details.

Comments 5
Thumb shab 03 November 2011, 10:01

Who wanna leave democracy and come back to this khomeni wannabe goverment?

Missing youssefhaddad 03 November 2011, 10:35

Those who served in the SLA where at war with those who currently occupy Lebanon, the Iranian Hezbollah. Coming back under this offer means that they will be arrested and judged under Hezbollah's watch! No way!
Either full amnesty and no arrests or no one should return.

Thumb cedar 03 November 2011, 15:53

According to minister on RLL (Radio Free Lebanon) this morning, SLA will be tried in court. Agree with @youssedhaddad, full amnisty is required.

In my opinion, if There is a peace agreement with the Arabs, there should be a peace agreement with Israel. If there is no peace with israel - there shouldnt be peace with the arabs either. Lebanon should remain completely nuteral.

Missing peace 03 November 2011, 18:13

good for the ones who were forced to enroll in the SLA and who fled to israel in fear of being jailed in lebanon. but those who willingfully joined the SLA and killed or tortured lebanese should not return.

Default-user-icon Abdallah A (Guest) 03 November 2011, 21:09

cedar, your an idiot. Youssefhaddad, why should murderers, rapists, traitors, torturers and thugs be given amnesty? The last thing lebanon needs is to give out more amnesty to criminals who comitted disgusting satanic crimes. Its such kind of amnesty that made sure that professional criminals and murderers such as berri, jumblatt, geagea, gemayel, aoun and many others continue to run the political scene when they should have been hanged a long time ago. Amnesty should never be given to those who comitt such serious crimes such as systematic rape, torture and massacres. And anyone who wants to see such criminals be excused come from the devil.