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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Abby Sewell

Identity is complex for Lebanon's Christian Palestinian camp

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Tucked away in the hills north of Beirut below a Maronite monastery, Lebanon’s only remaining Christian-majority Palestinian camp gives few outward clues to its identity. Unlike the country’s other Palestinian refugee camps, there are no flags or political slogans on display in Dbayeh camp.

Behind closed doors, it's a different story. At a recent community Christmas dinner for elderly residents, attendees wearing Santa hats danced the dabke to popular Palestinian songs like “Raise the Keffiyeh,” twirling the traditional Palestinian scarves, or using napkins to simulate them. A speaker who toasted his hope of celebrating next year’s Christmas in Jerusalem in a “free Palestine” prompted ululations.

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