Palestinian arms under review: Abbas backs Lebanon as talks begin on disarming Palestinian camps

Report by Petra Abou Haidar, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Beirut on Wednesday for a three-day visit focused on a sensitive and long-standing issue: the disarmament of Palestinian factions inside Lebanon's refugee camps. 

His visit comes as Lebanese authorities, after dismantling Palestinian military outposts in Qousaya and Naameh, begin serious efforts to remove weapons from the twelve refugee camps located in the South, Beirut, Tripoli, and the Bekaa Valley.

The Palestinian leader's first stop was at Baabda Palace, where he held a private meeting with President Joseph Aoun, followed by an expanded session that brought together Lebanese and Palestinian delegations. 

At the top of the agenda was the issue of disarming the camps, improving their deteriorating social conditions amid waning UNRWA assistance, and ensuring they are not exploited as safe havens for fugitives.

The two sides agreed to form a joint committee to oversee the following steps, with details to be announced soon.

According to LBCI's sources, Abbas reiterated during the meeting that Palestinians live under the sovereignty of the Lebanese state and that the Palestinian Authority will support any measures the government deems necessary. 

"We are temporary guests in your country," Abbas reportedly said more than once, acknowledging the burden Lebanon has borne due to the decades-long Palestinian presence.

Abbas emphasized that all factions under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) umbrella are ready to comply with the Lebanese state's authority. 

However, sources noted that the issue of weapons held by non-PLO factions—particularly Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Islamist groups—remains subject to ongoing intra-Palestinian dialogue extending beyond Lebanon to discussions in Doha and Cairo.

This Lebanese-led initiative comes amid international momentum surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

A major international conference is set to take place in New York in mid-June, with the stated aim of reviving the two-state solution and addressing the conditions of Palestinian refugees living in diaspora, particularly in host countries like Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.

Whether Lebanon's camps and their residents will ultimately be part of a broader political solution remains to be seen.