“You can barely find a job here,” he says. “No one will hire you because you are Palestinian. You cannot work in a company because you are Palestinian. No health insurance, no life at all. I have a boy in university. I pulled him out because even if he graduates, he cannot find a job.”

During the weekend, thousands of activists marched to the Lebanese capital to demand rights for Palestinians. Under the watchful eye of Lebanese security forces, they urged the country's politicians to approve a draft law that would give them employment and property ownership guarantees.

Although some Lebanese politicians are considering giving Palestinians more rights, opponents argue that could pave the way to their naturalization.

Since a vast majority of the refugees are Sunni Muslims, Christian leaders fear such a large influx of citizens could tilt the sectarian balance, as well as increase competition in the job market and strain Lebanon's economic resources.

Manal Kassab, who is half Lebanese, half Palestinian, was among them. She says Palestinians do not want citizenship, just dignity. "There is no need for the Palestinians to be naturalized and they do not want to be naturalized,” she said. “They wanted to be treated as a special category in Lebanon and to abide by all the international conventions; having the right to work, right to ownership, but the nationality is not a need."

That is because most Palestinians still hope they will return to their lives, families and properties in what is now modern-day Israel. In the mean time, activists have presented a draft law to members of Parliament outlining their requests. Requests they say would allow Palestinians access to a normal life.