May 9, 2005

Following the massacre in Sabra and Shatila and the Israeli invasion of Beirut, several Scandinavian countries expressed willingness to give asylum to Palestinian refugees from Lebanon.

Denmark, for example, took in several thousand Palestinian refugees looking to escape the horrors of Lebanon. In order to seek asylum in Denmark, Palestinian refugees had to show—in each individual case—that they were not receiving adequate protection in Lebanon. The Danish Refugee Board stated that if the Lebanese authorities prevent the return or deny legal residency to the individual, the court must grant asylum. If the authorities rule in the refugee’s favor, Denmark is then obliged to give protection and residence.