Lebanon

Coordinates: 33°50′N 35°50′E / 33.833°N 35.833°E / 33.833; 35.833

Lebanon (ⁱ/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبنان‎ Libnān or Lubnān; Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn]; Aramaic: לבנאן‎; French: Liban), officially the Lebanese Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنانية‎ al-Jumhūrīyah al-Lubnānīyah; Lebanese Arabic: [elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjje l.ˈlɪbneːnɪjje]; French: République libanaise), is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.

The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdom, a maritime culture that flourished for over a thousand years (c. 1550–539 BC). In 64 BC, the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire, and eventually became one of the Empire's leading centers of Christianity. In the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established. As the Arab Muslims conquered the region, the Maronites held onto their religion and identity. However, a new religious group, the Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries. During the Crusades, the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church and asserted their communion with Rome. The ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era.

Refugees of the Syrian Civil War

More than four million refugees of the Syrian Civil War have left the country during the course of the war. Most of them fled to neighboring Turkey,Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, while thousands also ended up in more distant countries of the Caucasus, the Persian Gulf, North Africa and Europe. As of December 2015, Turkey was the world's biggest refugee hosting country with close to 2.5 million Syrian refugees; the nation had spent more than 8 billion Euros since 2011 on direct assistance to them according to estimates by Turkish Ministry of Education deputy secretary Yusuf Büyük.

The refugee crisis began in 2011, when thousands of Syrian citizens fled across the border to neighboring Turkey and Lebanon. By early July 2011, 15,000 Syrian citizens had taken shelter in tent cities, set up in the Yayladağı, Reyhanlı and Altınözü districts of Hatay Province, near Turkey's border with Syria. By the end of that month, 5,000 of the refugees had returned to Syria. However, by late June 2011, the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon had reached around 10,000 people. By mid-July 2011, the first Syrian refugees found sanctuary in Jordan, with their numbers reaching 1,500 by December. On 21 September the European Union approved a plan committing itself to taking in 120,000 refugees. The newly elected Liberal Government announced that it would bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of 2015 and struck a cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Minister of Health, Jane Philpott, to fast track their resettlement.

Syrians in Lebanon

Syrians in Lebanon refers to the Syrian migrant workers and more recently to the Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon during the Syrian Civil War.

Background

Following the end of the twenty-nine years of Syrian occupation of Lebanon in 2005, many Syrians have been immigrating to Lebanon in search of work. These workers were treated with respect from both the Lebanese people and the country’s government. However, as a result of the civil war in Syria between the government of President Bashar al‑Assad and rebel groups, refugees have been entering Lebanon by the thousands. This influx of refugees has resulted in the overpopulation of the camps and cities and rising tensions between the Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees.

Numbers of Syrian refugees

Since 2011 Arab Spring, the Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has attempted to gain control of all of Syria’s political and religious groups by force, resulting in the killing of Syrian civilians. Al-Assad’s actions resulted in an uprising of rebel groups (sponsored by many foreign powers) within Syria which attempted to overthrow his government. This has led to a civil war resulting in Syrians moving into Lebanon seeking asylum. Exact numbers are hard to determine; however, there are about 10,000 Syrians crossing the border into Lebanon every year. According to the UNHCR, there were over 700,000 Syrian refugees who have been registered or were awaiting registration in Lebanon in the year 2013. The number is predicted to rise to as much as 1.5 million by the end of 2015 which would constitute one quarter of Lebanon’s population. On October 22, 2014 Lebanon has closed off its borders to Syrian refugees, with the exception of special cases, in an attempt to deal with the issue of overcrowding.