Lebanese army disarms six Palestinian camps, Hamas and Islamic Jihad not included

According to the report the Lebanese Army received “a batch of light and medium weapons, B7 rockets, and medium-range surface-to-surface missiles from the camps of Tyre.”

The Lebanese Army has completed the disarmament of six Palestinian camps in Lebanon, according to reports at Arab News network in Saudi Arabia.

These are refugee camps established after the 1948 War of Independence and most of them are today dense urban areas home to tens of thousands of Palestinians. The Lebanese government is seeking to disarm all armed groups in Lebanon. It has begun with the Palestinians after a deal with Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.

If this disarmament goes well, it may pave the way for disarming Hezbollah. It could also be a model for disarming Hamas.

According to the report the Lebanese Army received “a batch of light and medium weapons, B7 rockets, and medium-range surface-to-surface missiles from the camps of Tyre.” The camps include Rashidieh, Burj Al-Shemali and Al-Bass, which are all near the city of Tyre. In addition the amry was able to disarm the Shatila camp and Mar Elias camp in Beirut, as well as the Burj Al-Barajneh camp in Beirut’s southern suburb.

“The Lebanese army on Friday received a new batch of heavy weapons from Palestinian Liberation Organization factions in refugee camps in Lebanon,” the report said.

The handover has happened in phases, with the army first seeking out the weapons in the camps near Tyre in southern Lebanon, and then proceeding to Beirut. “While Lebanese army vehicles did not enter the Burj Al-Barajneh camp, the handover took place in the courtyard where the first batch was delivered last week,” the report said.

This handover was among the first, and then the army received the weapons from three camps near Tyre and then returned to receive weapons from the Beirut camps. According to the report, a total of eight trucks of weapons were filled near Tyre. Most of the weapons in the south came from the Rashidieh camp.

Weapons handover did not include Hamas, Islamic Jihad

However, the report has a worrying postscript. “The weapons handover did not include Hamas and Islamic Jihad weapons, as these two organizations are not subject to the authority of the PLO,” the report said.

The Palestinian Authority has sought to help Lebanon disarm the camps, concentrating on its own supporters in groups such as Fatah. Meanwhile the US has banned members of the Palestinian Authority from attending the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting. This comes amid an increased push for recognition of a Palestinian State among some European countries.

There are a total of 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon. Arab News says that “Ain Al-Hilweh, the most densely populated, with the largest number of armed Palestinian factions. The Cairo Agreement with the PLO at the end of the 1960s legalized the weapons of factions affiliated with the PLO in Lebanon. The agreement fell apart after the civil war in Lebanon, when President Amin Gemayel signed a law revoking it in 1987. The law abolishing the agreement was approved by the Lebanese Parliament.”

The report notes that the weapons in the hands of Hamas and PIJ in Lebanon are “illegal,” however it remains to be seen if the army will clash with these groups. “Ramez Dimashkieh, head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, told Arab News that negotiations over the weapons of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other affiliated Palestinian forces are underway,” the report said.

He noted that “we are talking about the weapons of the PLO factions, with whom we negotiated and reached an agreement. As for the weapons of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Palestinian forces orbiting around them, the matter requires negotiations with them.” Hezbollah has not handed over its weapons and Hezbollah is closely allied to Hamas and PIJ. The groups are backed by Iran.

According to the reports, the third stage of the handover will now continue in camps in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, said that the “relevant Palestinian authorities in Lebanon have handed over the third batch of weapons belonging to the PLO that were present in the Palestinian camps in Beirut, to be placed in the custody of the Lebanese army.” He noted that this came after the Abbas agreement with Lebanon’s President in May.