During the first Arab Israeli war of 1948, the residents of the seven Shiite villages were forced into exile, and a majority fled to southern Lebanon. These residents were counted as Palestinian refugees when they were received in Lebanon, and were therefore prevented from acquiring Lebanese nationality, despite their claims, throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The Lebanese state feared that these refugees would settle permanently on its territory, thus endangering the confessional balance of the country, and guaranteed their "right to return" to their lands in Palestine. However, some of the former inhabitants of the seven villages have registered with UNRWA to obtain assistance from this UN organization.