The PM office indicates that the transfer of weapons to the Lebanese army marks the start of a broader disarmament campaign.
Lebanon has launched a plan to disarm the Palestinian groups in its refugee camps, starting with the transfer of weapons from the Burj al-Barajneh camp to Beirut.
The Prime Minister’s office announced Thursday that the transfer of arms to the Lebanese army marks the start of a broader disarmament campaign. Other transfers are expected in the coming weeks through Burj al-Barajneh and other camps on a national scale.
A Fatah official told the reuters news agency that weapons so far was only illegal weapons that had entered the camp during the day before. TV images have shown military vehicles inside the camp, although Reuters cannot verify what type of weapons was rendered.
The initiative follows Lebanon’s commitment under a truce supported by the United States between Israel and Hezbollah in November, which restricted weapons to six state security forces. Since the ceasefire agreement of November 27, 2024, Israel has continued to attack Lebanon, often on a weekly basis.
The government has instructed the army to produce a strategy by the end of the year to consolidate all weapons under the authority of the State.
According to the Prime Minister’s office, the decision to disarm the Palestinian factions was reached at a May meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The two leaders confirmed Lebanon’s sovereignty and insisted that only the State has weapons. Lebanese and Palestinian officials then agreed with a calendar and a mechanism for transfers.
For decades, Palestinian groups have maintained control in the 12 refugee camps in Lebanon, which largely operate the jurisdiction of the state outside. The latest initiative is considered the most serious effort for years to slow down the presence of weapons inside the camps.
Palestinian resistance movements became displacement and political exclusion after the creation of Israel in 1948, when some 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their home.
Over the years, groups such as Fatah, Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have established a presence in Lebanon camps to pursue an armed struggle against Israel.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon remain without key civil rights, such as access to certain jobs and property. With limited opportunities, many have turned to armed factions for protection or representation.
The thrust of disarmament also occurs while Hezbollah faces what analysts have described as its greatest military challenge for decades, after Israeli strikes in 2024 which decimated a large part of its direction.
