First step of national plan: Lebanon to begin gradual disarmament of Palestinian camps in mid-June

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi    

Lebanon is set to begin implementing a plan to retrieve weapons from Palestinian factions and place them under the control of the Lebanese state, starting in mid-June. 

The first phase will target camps in and around Beirut, in what is being described as a largely symbolic start.

Initial efforts will focus on the camps of Shatila, Mar Elias, and Borj El Brajneh—areas that are not known to hold significant quantities of heavy or medium weaponry and have largely remained outside the scope of armed confrontations with the Lebanese state. These camps occasionally experience isolated clashes, often linked to drug trafficking, as seen in Shatila.

As part of the plan, some rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs) and ammunition are expected to be handed over. These steps are seen as paving the way for future phases covering more complex camps.
 
The second phase, beginning in early July, will extend to the Al-Jalil camp in Baalbek and Beddaoui camp in northern Lebanon. These camps, like those in Beirut and the southern suburbs, are under the influence of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), especially Fatah, along with factions from the Palestine Alliance such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command (PFLP-GC), and Fatah al-Intifada.

Beddawi camp already has a record of cooperation with Lebanese Army intelligence. A major disarmament process took place there in March 2022, when the PFLP-GC transferred its weapons and ammunition out of storage to the Bekaa Valley in coordination with the army to prevent them from falling into the hands of extremist groups.

Coordination has gone beyond the camps themselves. 

In August 2023, intensive meetings between army intelligence and the PFLP-GC led to the evacuation of properties near the Naameh tunnels, which were officially handed over in December. 
 
Additionally, under pressure from the army's intelligence directorate, Fatah al-Intifada and the PFLP-GC handed over several outposts, including those in Halwa, Hechmech, Loussi, Ain Al Beida, Maaysrah, and Qousaya—all of which were taken over by the Lebanese Army along with the weapons stored there.

With the disarmament of the Shatila, Borj El Brajneh, Mar Elias, Beddaoui, and Al-Jalil camps, and the existing weapon-free status of camps in Dbayeh and Nahr al-Bared, the main challenge remains in the southern city of Sidon. 

There, Ain al-Hilweh—the largest and best-armed Palestinian camp in Lebanon—presents a complex landscape with a wide range of factions. Other camps in the region, such as Miyeh w Miyeh and those in Tyre (Borj El Chmali, Rachidiyeh, and El-Buss), also remain part of the broader plan.