BEIRUT — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday rejected the idea that Palestinian refugees in Lebanon might be forced to stay there permanently, saying they should have the right to return home.
About 400,000 Palestinian refugees and their descendants live in a dozen refugee camps in Lebanon, which were set up for those who fled or were pushed out during fighting around Israel’s creation in 1948.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said this week that the “right of return” is incompatible with the creation of a Palestinian state.
On a visit to Beirut, Abbas said, “The refugees should have the right of return to their homeland and we are negotiating this with the Israelis. . . . We are against permanent resettlement.”
Israel has refused to accept the return of refugees, believing that they should be resettled in a future Palestinian state or the places where they now live.
![[prison 19] Caption: This is Cellhouse 1, Pod A, from ground level inside the Sterling Correctional Facility which is located outside of Sterling, Colorado Thursday afternoon. Photographer: LEW SHERMAN Title: FREELANCE Credit: SPECIAL TO THE POST City: Sterling State: CO Country: USA Date: 19990617 ObjectName: prison 19 Keyword: PUBDATE____1999_06_22](/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/20151207__denverpostp1.jpg?w=538 "20151207__denverpost~p1.jpg")
