Lebanese Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram in an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen on December 9, 2021

The changes in the economic situation "required us to issue decrees protecting local labor," Lebanese Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram told Al Mayadeen on Thursday.

"A minister does not amend law or decree, and what I did was within my authority and is the right of the labor minister," Bayram added.

Lebanese labor minister Mustafa Bayram issued Wednesday a ministerial decree allowing Palestinian refugees to practice professions previously exclusive to Lebanese nationals.

#المشهدية | وزير العمل اللبناني مصطفى بيرم لـ #الميادين: ما قمت به هو إلغاء قرارات لوزراء سابقين كانت تضيّق على الفلسطيني. #لبنان #فلسطين pic.twitter.com/7O0xgxfptR
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 9, 2021

Minister Bayram underscored that the decree said Lebanese nationals were prioritized and Palestinians were underrated despite the latter "suffering from what we are suffering."

#المشهدية | وزير العمل اللبناني مصطفى بيرم لـ #الميادين: قمنا بتعديلات في النسب الجديدة بحيث استفاد الفلسطيني بتوسعة النسب بعد اللبناني. #لبنان #فلسطين pic.twitter.com/SBqmfGYlfQ
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 9, 2021

"Everything prohibited by decrees, laws, and regulations is still prohibited by decrees, laws, and regulations," he asserted.

#المشهدية | وزير العمل اللبناني مصطفى بيرم لـ #الميادين: لا يمكن لأحد أن يزايد علينا في مسألة رفض التوطين. pic.twitter.com/8W9izv0IsQ
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 9, 2021

He explained to Al Mayadeen that all he did was cancel decisions made by predecessors that made the working situation harder for Palestinians. "We amended quotas," he revealed and went on to explain that now more Palestinians are allowed into the workforce than previously.

#المشهدية | وزير العمل اللبناني مصطفى بيرم لـ #الميادين: الفلسطيني الموجود في #لبنان يحرك الدورة الاقتصادية في البلد. #فلسطين pic.twitter.com/SlqPDKu6rq
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 9, 2021

Minister Bayram highlighted that what he did does not fall under nor contribute to resettlement, underlining his rejection of resettlement. "What I did falls under my legal powers, and I do not want to partake in an argument with any party," he asserted.

The minister underscored the importance of the Palestinian contributions to the Lebanese economic cycle. "The figures that reflect the situation of the Palestinian refugees are heart-shattering," he added.

#المشهدية | ما هو واقع اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في #لبنان؟ pic.twitter.com/HtdGQf6Qxs
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 9, 2021

"The issue of Palestinian refugees is tied to the political structure and divide," he declared, asserting that "we have offered our best youth so that the Palestinians would return to their land, and no one can outbid us in on the issue of resettlement."

The decision was taken based on the requirements of the public interest

The Lebanese labor law prohibits foreigners, including Palestinian refugees, from practicing over 70 professions, including medicine, pharmacy, engineering, law, editor-in-chief of newspapers, etc.

According to a ministry of labor statement, the decision was taken based on the requirements of the public interest, taking into account the economic situation that necessitated a review of the list of professions exclusive to the Lebanese.