The two communities have a long history of inter-marriage and economic trade. That most Palestinians are Sunni Muslims has been a thorny issue for Lebanon's Christians who have long feared a shift in sectarian demography. Spatial containment was an attempt to produce and sharpen communal distinctions. During the war and the current reconstruction process, once fairly in distinct borders once again have become strikingly demarcated. In fixing a relationship between nationality and place, Lebanese authorities and militias have crafted and imposed boundaries where a fluidity of space and so cial relations once prevailed.
Refugees describe their lives in terms of abnormality.
Narratives of the homeland are less focused on nostalgia and more on an image of well-being and security. Aside from shortages of shelter, food, safety and access to medi cal care and education, there are constant doubts about the security of residence. The nearly 50-year period of exile has been marked by continual displacement. The sense of crisis is commonly expressed through the notion of erasure. Not only were Palestinians landscaped out of Palestine, but the erasure continues in exile.