Palestinians in Lebanon are affected by Lebanon's economic meltdown more than others, because as non-citizens they are not eligible for Lebanese social safety net services.
UNRWA decided to help a little planning a payment of $50 to every Palestinian "refugee" in Lebanon under 18 years old at the end of April.
However, the payments will not be made available to children of Palestinian mothers and Lebanese fathers, because they are full Lebanese citizens and the payments are specifically for stateless Palestinians.
The parents who want the $50 are angry. They prompted a "refugee rights" NGO to demand that they get these payments as well, even though their children are Lebanese citizens.
The NGO claims that by only giving funds to children of Palestinian fathers and not mothers, UNRWA is engaging in discrimination against women. Which is really funny, because if they care about refugee rights, they should be complaining about Lebanese law that only gives citizenship to children of Lebanese fathers and not Lebanese mothers!
Apparently, being considered a refugee isn't so bad when it comes with a $50 bonus.
Incidentally, the children who are Lebanese citizens are still eligible for UNRWA schooling and medical care, meaning UNRWA is paying benefits for people who aren't even refugees by their own definition.
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