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The Forgotten Refugees

Nobody really knows how many Palestinians are in the country. Registration with UNRWA, the agency set up in 1949 in response to the mass exodus of Palestinians across the region in 1948, doesn’t give the whole story as many remain registered but have left the country whilst others are unable to register. Population surveys in Lebanon are an incredibly sensitive issue and the country famously has not had a census since 1932. A Lebanese Government survey in 2017 did manage to settle on their being 174,000 Palestinian refugees in the country, but other Rights organisations predict a larger range of between 260,000 to 400,000.
Many, perhaps 50% of this population, live in twelve refugee camps scattered across the country. As ever it takes tragedy and violence for the presence of the Palestinians in Lebanon to make the headlines and for a wider awareness of their continued hardships in the country. Over the weekend four members of Hamas were killed in armed clashes in the Burj al-Shemali Palestinian refugee camp in Sur. The clashes followed a funeral of another Hamas member killed in an explosion whose origins are not clear.
The Lebanese army has no jurisdiction over the camps which have almost become isolated islands of Palestinian identity in the complex sea of Lebanese politics. Whilst the camps in Beirut blend into the city and would perhaps not even be distinguished by the casual observer from the surrounding housing, those in the south are more demarcated and often visitors have to pass a Lebanese military checkpoint before passing a checkpoint manned by lightly armed Palestinians.
Islands of Palestinian sovereignty have become contested political spaces with strong links to the Palestinian politics as played out in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians in Lebanon used to be the home of the PLO and its famous leadership of the 1980s. Today the legacy of the Civil War has seen the Palestinians marginalised, isolated and largely forgotten. As Lebanon’s economy has deteriorated, they have been joined in poverty by other Lebanese but with the wider peace process paralysed, talk of rights of return or even a more formal naturalisation in Lebanon are not on the table.
With ‘big’ politics not in play, smaller far more localised issues become what dominates the camps and the Palestinian politic in Lebanon. Patronage, links to diaspora factions or sources or other sources of funding become major issues. Likewise, whilst there are not supposed to be any heavy weapons left in the camps, access to what weapons there are and recruitment to militia groups who operate in the camps are again traditional devices of power that can also be at the roots of violence disagreements.
Popular Committees are responsible for the day to day running of the camps, but whilst some have a more uniform political identity (Hamas or Fatah for example) in the larger camps they may be split resulting in territoriality within the camps themselves and regular use of violence to resolve disputes. In the past these disputes have taken the form of running battles in the densely populated urban sprawls, posing huge risks for civilian populations trapped nearby.
Ultimately resolutions and ceasefires put out the large fires but rarely address the underlying issues that are products of the fundamental political cycle that Palestinians in the country are trapped in. With few advocates on the global stage and living against the backdrop of chaos both in Lebanon and further afield, Palestinians in the country remain forgotten and isolated.

BY: James Denselow
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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