Lebanese PM, Palestinian President agree on steps to address weapons in refugee camps

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that he hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Grand Serail in what he described as a brotherly meeting, during which both leaders agreed to take concrete steps toward enhancing Lebanese-Palestinian cooperation.

In a post on X, Salam said the joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee will hold its first meeting on Friday to develop a clear agenda aimed at implementing a mechanism to ensure that all weapons are under the authority of the Lebanese state—including those inside Palestinian refugee camps.

Salam stressed that the presence of arms in the camps no longer serves the Palestinian cause. Instead, he warned that such weapons risk fueling internal Palestinian discord or triggering Lebanese-Palestinian tensions.

He added that the strength of the Palestinian cause now lies not in weapons within the camps but in the growing number of countries recognizing the State of Palestine, the hundreds of thousands of protesters rallying globally in support of Gaza, and the increasing international legal rulings condemning Israel's practices.