Articles

From Dossier Research-Based Article

Investigating the Religious Land Endowments in Lebanon

Part 1 | An Overview of the Law and the Land Registry

Amid Lebanon’s economic crisis, religious authorities have been excluded from the discussion on sharing the losses, despite being among the largest landowners and benefiting from tax breaks. In this context, it was necessary to conduct an in-depth study of religious endowment lands (waqf), highlighting their social value, placing them at the center of the wider conversation on the economic collapse, as well as shedding light on the needed regulation and taxation, and making the related data accessible as a basis for any future advocacy.

Article Policy Watch

Evacuation and demolition of shops in Burj al-Barajneh: a struggle between Planning and Social Marginalization

In January 2025, the Burj al-Barajneh municipality, backed by the Lebanese army and security forces, evicted and demolished informal shops, sparking resident protests. While the municipality claimed it was reclaiming public land, its move suggests an attempt to control the area’s informal economy.

Investigation

Who moved the kitchen to the bedroom?

Today, the use of kitchenettes in low income housing and student accommodation in Beirut, raises a question as to whether this is a victory for housing rights, or a way to jeopardize the tenant’s comfort and raise the profits of landlords.

Article

A Ministry of Development, Planning and Housing: What We Need at This Stage

In the context of the ongoing debate around the need for a Ministry of Planning, this article provides an overview of the Ministry’s history, stressing the importance of establishing such a ministry, to produce a comprehensive vision of the political economic plan for the State and regions, especially at the level of land regulation.

Investigation

How Sound Builds New Walls: Warscapes and the Safe City Map

The damage of the war was not limited to the residents of the targeted areas; its brutality extended to most of the Lebanese territories. The echoes of these attacks reached areas far from the bombing, as a result of the violation of the Lebanese skies by hostile Israeli warplanes and drones. This text is an attempt to explore sound as a war tool, used by the Israeli killing machine to support its war against us.

From Dossier Investigation

Rent in times of Displacement: Draining people’s savings

Based on the current state of the rental market and an analysis of a sample of rental units, we question the possibility of completely abolishing rent at this stage, so that the displaced, who have lost their homes, livelihoods, and jobs due to the war, are not forced to exhaust their remaining savings to pay rent, but rather the state takes its responsibility to provide them with free shelter.

Investigation

 About Abd el Baqi building in Hamra:

squatting to reclaim the city’s social role

The right to the city is an application of the right to ​​access housing and city spaces, through the recognition of the importance of the space’s social role. Today, a number of displaced people are trying to apply the concepts of the right to the city and housing by taking possession of an abandoned building in Hamra. About a month ago, the owner of the building sent an eviction request to the public prosecutor. The eviction didn’t take place, but by narrating the threat and the building’s story, we hope to open a discussion about squatting, the priorities that drive such an issue, and the balance of power it reveals, especially since squatting has become a necessity and a reality during the war.

Investigation

May school in Tripoli: A Model of the Syrian Housing Tragedy during War

The emergency plan approved by the Lebanese government in response to the recent Israeli war on Lebanon excluded non-Lebanese displaced persons, especially Syrian refugees, from relief and shelter centers. In this report, we review the situation in May Public School in Tripoli as an example of the tragedy of Syrian housing in the war to highlight the urgent need for comprehensive shelter policies and protection for all displaced communities.

From Dossier Investigation

Eviction in the war: Protecting Private Property, the Case of Hildon Hotel

Once again, we document the story of an abandoned building, the “Hildon Hotel” in Raouche, where around 600 displaced people, fleeing the Israeli war, sought refuge. Though the hotel owner’s son initially allowed them to stay, he later demanded their eviction, forcing them to leave without alternative housing. This case highlights the urgent need for government intervention, calling for the use of vacant properties as temporary housing and ensuring evictions follow legal procedures with suitable alternatives provided.

From Dossier Investigation

The Right to Housing: Immediate Measures for Providing Equitable Shelter

By October 2024, over 1.3 million people had been displaced in Lebanon as a result of the Israeli war. Despite the urgent need for state-led relief, the government’s efforts have largely fallen short, …

Article From Dossier

How the Zionist colonization derives its tools from European colonization

هذا هو المقال الثاني من الملف المتدحرج الذي ننظر فيه إلى غزّة لا كشعب مقاوم فقط، بل كمكان مقاتلٌ بذاته، من خلال وجوده ومناطقه وتاريخه. بعد المقال الأول الذي تحدّثت فيه غَيَد عن أحياء غزّة ومعالمها والقيمة السياسية للإبادة المكانية، تغوص في معنى تعبير “أرض بلا شعب لشعب بلا أرض”.

Article Interview

The Council for South Lebanon: What role does it play in the midst of the current Israeli War?

After repeated Israeli attacks on Southern Lebanon and the israeli occupation of border towns, the Council for South Lebanon was established in 1970 by a legislative decree, based on the Prime Minister’s proposal. …