Palestinian sources cited on Saturday by Houna Loubnan say there appears to be no change in the decision to hand over weapons to the Lebanese authorities.
Recent objections raised by certain Palestinian factions are reportedly aimed solely at increasing leverage in negotiations with the Lebanese state to gain further rights for camp residents.
Claims that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had backtracked on his position are mere rumors, the same sources insist. They attribute such reports to “certain parties attempting to delay the handover of weapons or obstruct Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue.” During his visit to Beirut on May 21, President Abbas reiterated his support for Lebanon’s sovereignty.
In a meeting held on May 23, the joint Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee – formed following Abbas’s visit – agreed on a timeline for the gradual withdrawal of Palestinian weapons, with implementation scheduled to begin after Eid al-Adha. The process is to start in the camps of Beirut and later expand to the South.
According to the same sources, the weapons still present in the camps are mostly light arms. Heavy weapons had already been handed over to the Lebanese Army after the dismantling of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s camps, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria. These remaining light arms will be the subject of discussions with Lebanese security services.
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