Lebanese citizenship can only be claimed if
one of the parents is a Lebanese citizen. The acquisition of
Lebanese citizenship is dependent on the parent's citizenship
(particularly the father's), not on where the child is born. [
External Affairs Canada, 30 June 1989.] Therefore, although a
Palestinian child born in Lebanon is automatically eligible for
Lebanese travel documents and residence, their status is that of a
Palestinian refugee, not a Lebanese Citizen. [ External Affairs
Canada, 11 July 1989. ]
A Lebanese national can hold dual
citizenship if it is not acquired to avoid the fulfilment of civic
duties (e.g. paying taxes). [ M. Mohammed Bukry, HCR in
Genève, (February 1989); confirmed by Dr. Nassif Hitti of
the office of the Arab League in Ottawa. ] The U.S. Department of
State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988
corroborates the existence of dual citizenship. [ U.S. Department
of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for
1988, (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, February
1989), p. 1414.] The citizenship laws of the second country would
also have to be considered.