Lebanon begins disarming Palestinian groups in refugee camps

PM’s bureau says the weapons transportation to the Lebanese service marks the commencement of a wider disarmament campaign.

Lebanon has launched a plan to disarm Palestinian groups successful its exile camps, opening with the handover of weapons from Burj al-Barajneh campy successful Beirut.

The premier minister’s bureau announced connected Thursday that the weapons transportation to the Lebanese service marks the commencement of a wider disarmament campaign. More handovers are expected successful the coming weeks crossed Burj al-Barajneh and different camps nationwide.

A Fatah authoritative told the Reuters quality bureau the arms handed implicit truthful acold were lone amerciable weapons that had entered the campy wrong the erstwhile day. Television footage showed subject vehicles wrong the camp, though Reuters could not verify what benignant of weapons were being surrendered.

The inaugural follows Lebanon’s committedness nether a US-backed truce betwixt Israel and Hezbollah successful November, which restricted weapons to six authorities information forces. Since the November 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement, Israel has continued attacking Lebanon, often connected a play basis.

The authorities has tasked the service with producing a strategy by the extremity of the twelvemonth to consolidate each arms nether authorities authority.

According to the premier minister’s office, the determination to disarm Palestinian factions was reached successful a May gathering betwixt Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Both leaders affirmed Lebanon’s sovereignty and insisted that lone the authorities should clasp arms. Lebanese and Palestinian officials aboriginal agreed connected a timeline and mechanics for the handovers.

For decades, Palestinian groups person maintained power wrong Lebanon’s 12 exile camps, which mostly run extracurricular authorities jurisdiction. The latest inaugural is seen arsenic the astir superior effort successful years to curb the beingness of weapons wrong the camps.

Palestinian absorption movements grew retired of displacement and governmental exclusion aft the instauration of Israel successful 1948, erstwhile immoderate 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes.

Over the years, groups including Fatah, Hamas, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) established a beingness successful Lebanon’s camps to proceed equipped conflict against Israel.

Palestinian refugees successful Lebanon stay without cardinal civilian rights, specified arsenic entree to definite jobs and spot ownership. With constricted opportunities, galore person turned to equipped factions for extortion oregon representation.

The disarmament propulsion besides comes arsenic Hezbollah faces what analysts describe arsenic its top subject situation successful decades, pursuing Israeli strikes successful 2024 that decimated overmuch of its leadership.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies