Lebanese Official: Disarmament of Palestinian Camps Could Lead to Improved Rights
Effort to remove weapons from Lebanese refugee camps seen as precursor to potential rights expansion for Palestinians.
As more Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon have handed over their caches of weapons to the Lebanese army this week, a government official has indicated that this disarmament effort could pave the way for granting Palestinian refugees improved legal rights.
Ramez Dimashkieh, head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, stated that his group is working on proposed legislation aimed at enhancing the situation of Lebanon's approximately 200,000 Palestinian refugees by the end of the year.
The proposal does not seek to grant Lebanese nationality but aims to strengthen labor and property rights for these refugees.
Dimashkieh emphasized that a sincere move towards disarmament would facilitate discussions around transforming the refugee camps into civilian communities rather than militarized bases.
The initiative began last week with Palestinian factions handing over some weapons from the Burj Al-Barajneh camp, despite skepticism surrounding the quantities delivered.
Additional camps followed suit on Thursday, including those in southern Lebanon.
This disarmament process is seen as a first step towards civil administration within the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, which are currently not under Lebanese authorities' control and have witnessed internal conflicts among Palestinian factions.
The long-term goal is to have these areas patrolled by Lebanese police and governed by civilian Palestinian officials.
While factions affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have shown support for this initiative, those opposed to him, such as Hamas, have been more cautious in their response.
Ramez Dimashkieh, head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, stated that his group is working on proposed legislation aimed at enhancing the situation of Lebanon's approximately 200,000 Palestinian refugees by the end of the year.
The proposal does not seek to grant Lebanese nationality but aims to strengthen labor and property rights for these refugees.
Dimashkieh emphasized that a sincere move towards disarmament would facilitate discussions around transforming the refugee camps into civilian communities rather than militarized bases.
The initiative began last week with Palestinian factions handing over some weapons from the Burj Al-Barajneh camp, despite skepticism surrounding the quantities delivered.
Additional camps followed suit on Thursday, including those in southern Lebanon.
This disarmament process is seen as a first step towards civil administration within the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, which are currently not under Lebanese authorities' control and have witnessed internal conflicts among Palestinian factions.
The long-term goal is to have these areas patrolled by Lebanese police and governed by civilian Palestinian officials.
While factions affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have shown support for this initiative, those opposed to him, such as Hamas, have been more cautious in their response.
