Lebanon: Hamas fills a public service void for Palestinian communities
A small neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, also known as Saida, is a utopia when compared to the communities surrounding it.
The neighbourhood’s nearly 3,000 residents, most of whom are Palestinian, have access to a broad array of amenities now seldom seen in Lebanon, a country where public services have mostly dried up after years of economic crisis.
Credit for the services in this Palestinian community goes to the armed group and political movement, Hamas.
Residents can fill up gallons of fresh drinking water four days a week. The streets are clean and well-lit at night. The community’s youth even have access to a recreation centre, equipped with football tables, punching bags, and a treadmill they can use free of charge.
Lebanon’s economic meltdown has hit Palestinian refugees in the country especially hard.
Before the crisis, the community faced systemic discrimination and legal barriers that left them unable to escape poverty. So, the help from Hamas is welcomed with open arms.
The movement has historically done well to provide basic social services on a small budget.
Their social welfare networks in Gaza and the West Bank were a huge contributor to their election victory in Palestine in 2006. In Lebanon, Hamas’s popularity is now surging as the group fights the Israeli army in Gaza.