The Lebanese army has completed the disarmament of six Palestinian camps in Lebanon, according to reports at Arab News network in Saudi Arabia.
The Lebanese government is seeking to disarm all armed groups in the country and has begun with the Palestinians after a deal with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. If this disarmament goes well, it may pave the way for disarming Hezbollah. It could also be a model for disarming Hamas.
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.
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 el-Shamali, and Al-Bass, which are all near the southern city.
In addition, the army 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.
“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 afterward returned to receive weapons from the Beirut camps.
Weapons handover did not include Hamas, Islamic Jihad
According to the report, eight trucks of weapons were filled near Tyre. Most of the weapons in the south came from the Rashidieh camp.
The report has a worrying postscript, however. “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. There are 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon.
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.”
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 it is closely allied to Hamas and PIJ. All of 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 Abbas’s agreement with Lebanon’s president in May.