Palestinian Factions Shock Lebanon with Major Weapons Surrender

Palestinian factions in Lebanon’s Ein el-Hilweh and Beddawi refugee camps relinquished significant quantities of weapons to Lebanese authorities on Saturday, advancing a deal initiated earlier this year to curb arms outside state control. The transfer, reported by the state-run National News Agency, involved three trucks of weapons from Beddawi camp near Tripoli and five truckloads from Ein el-Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest refugee camp near Sidon, home to nearly 75,000 people.

Abdul Hadi al-Assadi, spokesman for the Palestinian National Security Forces in Lebanon, confirmed that the weapons from Ein el-Hilweh belonged to factions affiliated with the Palestine Organization (PLO). This handover follows similar efforts in recent weeks at Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut and Tyre, where additional weapons were surrendered to Lebanese troops.

Lebanon hosts 12 Palestinian refugee camps, which operate outside direct state authority. Ein el-Hilweh, in particular, has been a hotspot for violence, with clashes in 2023 between Fatah, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and rival Islamist factions resulting in 30 deaths and hundreds injured. Notably, militant Islamic groups in Ein el-Hilweh are not part of this disarmament agreement.

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Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, descendants of those displaced during the 1948 creation of Israel, face severe restrictions. Denied citizenship to preserve their right of return, which Israel prohibits, they are also barred from most professions, including medicine and banking. Property ownership limitations force them to register assets under Lebanese names, exposing them to risks of embezzlement and expropriation.

The ongoing weapons handover represents a significant step toward enhancing Lebanese state authority in these camps, though challenges remain due to the complex socio-political dynamics and the presence of non-compliant armed groups.

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