Latest news with #PalestinianWeapons
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Will Regional Tensions Stall Palestinian Arms Handover in Lebanon?
The escalation of the Israeli-Iranian conflict has disrupted Lebanon's internal agenda, pausing progress on several sensitive files, including the handover of Palestinian weapons inside refugee camps. The disarmament initiative, which was scheduled to begin this week in Beirut's camps, has now been delayed amid shifting regional dynamics. According to official Lebanese sources, Palestinian factions have not yet received any instructions - either from Ramallah or Lebanese security agencies - regarding weapons collection. While this has halted implementation, sources say the file is still active. 'The factions requested a grace period before the process begins in Beirut's camps,' the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that the plan will instead start in the South. The phased disarmament will begin in the southern camps under the jurisdiction of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, starting with Al-Buss camp near Tyre, followed by Rashidieh and Al-Burj Al-Shamali. No fixed timeline has been set, and implementation will proceed gradually. A senior Fatah official, Azzam al-Ahmad, is expected to return to Beirut soon at the head of a security delegation to continue discussions on the framework and logistics of the disarmament plan. Al-Ahmad had visited Lebanon prior to Eid al-Adha to mediate internal Fatah disagreements and met with senior Lebanese security officials during his stay. Palestinian analyst Hesham Debsi, director of the Tatwir Center for Studies, says the disarmament file has not been shelved. 'This is not just a local issue; it's closely tied to regional developments and international negotiations, particularly the US-Iran nuclear talks,' Debsi said. He noted that the broader Israeli-Iranian confrontation has forced stakeholders to reconsider the timing of major initiatives, including the Arab-French-international conference previously planned to support the Palestinian state and Lebanese sovereignty. Debsi emphasized that delays do not signal a reversal in political commitment. A joint statement in May between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed both parties' agreement on limiting weapons to the Lebanese state and preventing camps from becoming safe havens for extremist groups. While preparations are advancing, actual implementation will depend on Lebanon's political assessment of the right moment to proceed. Reports of internal dissent within Fatah over the arms file were acknowledged by Debsi but dismissed as resolved. 'Some members objected for political or organizational reasons, including feelings of exclusion. Others viewed the decision as hasty,' he said. These concerns, he added, were addressed by the delegation from Ramallah, which also introduced structural reforms in the PLO, the Palestinian embassy, and Fatah's leadership in Lebanon. Palestinian armed presence in Lebanon is concentrated across 12 major camps, largely outside state control. Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine dominate these areas. Historically active pro-Syrian factions outside the camps, such as the PFLP-General Command and As-Saiqa, have largely lost their influence, with the Lebanese Army dismantling their remaining bases.
LBCI
04-06-2025
- Business
- LBCI
Samir Geagea urges government to begin disarming Palestinian factions
Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday accused 'the axis of resistance' of actively obstructing a government plan to collect unauthorized Palestinian weapons, warning that any further delays would severely undermine the state's credibility and Lebanon's chances for recovery. "Day by day, it becomes increasingly clear that the so-called Axis of Resistance is pressuring Lebanese authorities to stall and dilute efforts to begin the process of collecting Palestinian arms, which was scheduled to start in mid-June," Geagea said in a statement. "At the same time, they are inciting minor Palestinian factions to reject the handover of weapons under various pretexts publicly." He urged the government to proceed "seriously, transparently, and decisively" with the disarmament of Palestinian groups, beginning in the Beirut camps this month. He called for the plan to be extended to camps in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, followed by the south. Geagea also demanded a parallel timeline for the collection of all illegal Lebanese weapons in the coming months. "Any delay or reluctance in this matter will portray the government as unserious, damage the momentum of the new presidential term, and risk dragging Lebanon back into the instability of the last two decades," he warned. Geagea emphasized that the failure to establish a functioning state would leave Lebanon isolated, particularly from its Arab allies, and would hinder its ability to secure the international aid necessary for reconstruction and economic revival. "It is unacceptable for anyone to hold the fate of the Lebanese people hostage to personal whims and ideologies that have repeatedly and catastrophically failed," he said. Geagea also noted that "The president and the government must act swiftly to establish Lebanon as a sovereign state that exclusively holds the right to bear arms and make decisions of war and peace—just like any normal, functioning country."
LBCI
23-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Sources to LBCI: Palestinian disarmament to begin in Beirut's three main camps
The process of withdrawing Palestinian weapons in Lebanon will start in three refugee camps in Beirut—Borj El Brajneh, Shatila, and Mar Elias—according to information obtained by LBCI.
Asharq Al-Awsat
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese Officials, Palestinian President Agree on State Monopoly over Arms
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas continued on Thursday his visit to Lebanon with agreements being reached that only the Lebanese state should have monopoly over the possession of weapons, effectively ending the proliferation of Palestinian arms in the country. Abbas held separate meetings with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday. The visit, his first to Lebanon since 2017, aims to resolve the issue of Palestinian weapons in refugee camps as the Lebanese state seeks to impose its authority throughout its territories. The hour-long meeting with Berri tackled the general situation in Lebanon and the region as 'Israel continues its aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank,' said a parliament statement. They also covered Lebanese-Palestinian relations. Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, right, shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of a meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP) At the government palace, Abbas held a bilateral meeting with Salam, and later a security meeting attended by Lebanese and Palestinian officials. A statement from Salam's office said discussions focused on 'ongoing efforts to bolster Lebanon's stability and security and ensure that the sovereignty of the Lebanese state is respected throughout its territories, including in the Palestinian refugee camps.' Salam and Abbas agreed that the Palestinians in Lebanon 'are guests and they should commit to the decisions of the Lebanese state.' They rejected attempts to naturalize the Palestinians, underlining their right to return to their homeland. They agreed 'to end all forms of armed presence outside the authority of the state and completely put an end to the issue of Palestinian weapons outside or inside the camps, so that the state can have monopoly over arms.' An agreement was reached to form a joint executive committee to implement these agreements, said the statement. Salam and Abbas also underscored 'the importance of joint work to address the rights and social issues related to the Palestinian refugees, so that their humanitarian conditions are improved while state sovereignty is respected.' On Gaza, they called for an end to Israel's war and rejected attempts to displace the Palestinian people. They reiterated support to the two-state solution, saying it would fairly and comprehensively resolve the conflict in the region. They urged the implementation of relevant international resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative that would ensure the establishment of a Palestinian state. Lebanese sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat the formation of the joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee that would handle the issue of Palestinian weapons in Lebanon. It will hold its first meeting on Friday. The sources said it will be comprised of Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee chief Ramez Dimechkie, Lebanese General Security chief Hassan Choucair, Lebanese Army Intelligence chief Brigadier General Tony Kahwaji, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization Azzam al-Ahmed, Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour, and Secretary of Fatah and PLO factions in Lebanon Fathi Abu al-Ardat. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) signs a guest book as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun looks on at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon, 21 May 2025. (EPA) Salam confirmed Friday's meeting in a post on the X platform. He said it will discuss 'setting a clear timeframe for the implementation of the mechanism to limit the possession of weapons to the state, including arms inside the camps. It will also discuss the civil rights of Palestinians in Lebanon.' 'These weapons no longer help achieve the rights of the Palestinian people, but they are a danger because they could be used to stir intra-Palestinian or Palestinian-Lebanese strife,' he warned. 'The strength of the Palestinian cause does not lie in the weapons inside the Palestinian camps in Lebanon, but in the rising number of countries that recognize a Palestinian state and hundreds of thousands of people demonstrating across the world in solidarity with the Palestinians and Gaza,' Salam stressed. Abbas had kicked of his three-day visit to Lebanon on Wednesday with a meeting with President Joseph Aoun. He had declared to Aoun that the Palestinians in Lebanon 'will not operate outside of Lebanese law. They are temporary guests and have no desire, opinion or stance that supports the carrying of weapons.' Leading member of the Progressive Socialist Party Toufic Sultan described Abbas and Aoun's meeting as 'historic'. Speaking at a press conference, he added: 'We have waited long for the Palestinian presence and their weapons to be put on the table. It has long been a dream for Lebanon to be devoid of weapons. Gone are the days of a state within a state.'
LBCI
20-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Abbas to discuss weapons in Lebanon's Palestinian camps during Beirut visit: AFP
A member of Mahmoud Abbas' delegation to Beirut told AFP on Tuesday that the Palestinian president will discuss the issue of weapons in Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps during his three-day visit to the country. "The issue of Palestinian weapons in the camps will be one of the topics on the agenda for discussion between President Abbas, the Lebanese President, and the Lebanese government," said Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee who is accompanying Abbas on the visit. AFP
