Lebanon Begins Disarmament of Palestinian Factions in Refugee Camps

A joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee held its first meeting on Friday to establish a timetable for disarming Palestinian factions in Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps, Al Jazeera reported. The move follows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit, where he stated that weapons in the camps “hurt Lebanon and the Palestinian cause.”

Under the agreement, weapons will be consolidated under Lebanese state authority, with disarmament potentially starting in mid-June. The camps, currently controlled by Palestinian factions like Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, have long operated outside Lebanese jurisdiction under a decades-old accord.

The initiative aligns with broader Lebanese efforts to centralize arms control, including dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in the south. However, some factions oppose disarmament, viewing armed resistance as essential against Israel.

The committee also aims to improve socio-economic conditions for Palestinian refugees. The process comes amid international pressure on Lebanon to address non-state armed groups.