Lebanon announced on Thursday the initiation of a planned disarmament of Palestinian factions in refugee camps, as part of a broader effort to establish a state monopoly on arms.
The disarmament effort began with the handover of weapons on Thursday from the Burj Al Barajneh camp in Beirut to the Lebanese army, according to the Lebanese prime minister’s office.
This move is intended to mark the start of a wider disarmament initiative, with additional weapon deliveries expected in the coming weeks from Burj Al Barajneh and other camps across the country, as stated in an official release.
An official from Fatah mentioned to Reuters that only illegal arms that had entered the camp 24 hours earlier were being handed over. TV footage depicted army vehicles entering the camp in preparation for the handover. Reuters could not independently verify the specifics of the arms being handed over.
As part of a truce with Israel brokered in November and supported by the United States, Lebanon committed to restricting arms to six specific state security forces, challenging the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah.
The cabinet has assigned the army to develop a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.
The initiative to disarm Palestinian factions stems from an agreement reached during a May 21 summit between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which affirmed Lebanon’s sovereignty and the principle that only the state should bear arms, as per the prime minister’s office statement.
Two days later, Lebanese and Palestinian officials agreed on a timeline and mechanism for disarmament, according to the statement.
Palestinian factions have long operated with relative autonomy in several of Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps, which largely fall outside the jurisdiction of the Lebanese state. This latest handover represents the most serious attempt in years to address the issue of weapons held within the camps.
