Netherlands Halts Lebanese Deportations for 6 Months
Asylum Minister Marjolein van den Brink announced the decision, stating the situation in Lebanon is currently too unstable to permit safe returns. No rulings will be issued on Lebanese asylum applications during the freeze period, and no deportations will be carried out.
Van den Brink noted the suspension could be extended by a further six months contingent on how conditions develop, with the Lebanese security situation to be kept under continuous review.
The minister clarified that the halt does not cover individuals suspected of war crimes, who remain eligible for return to protect domestic security in the Netherlands. Cases involving Lebanese nationals who sought asylum in another EU member state will continue to be processed under existing bilateral frameworks, the ministry confirmed.
An earlier moratorium on decisions and returns had been in place until last May. Since that suspension was lifted, the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service has not conducted any forced repatriations of Lebanese nationals.
The policy shift comes as Israel has pressed on with its military campaign in Lebanon since early March, despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and was extended for 45 days following US-mediated indirect talks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently ordered a deeper ground incursion, with forces seizing the strategically significant Beaufort Castle — marking the deepest Israeli advance into Lebanese territory since 2000.
Ending the fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, remains one of Iran's stated conditions for reaching a permanent deal to conclude hostilities with Washington.
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