Palestinian arms handover begins in Lebanon: Borj el-Brajneh marks first step

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Has the disarmament of Palestinian factions in Lebanese camps officially begun, or was the recent operation in Borj el-Brajneh only a partial step?

On Thursday, the Lebanese army received a shipment of Palestinian weapons from the Borj el-Brajneh camp, prompting debate between critics who denounced the move and others who described it as the start of implementing the weapons handover agreement in Lebanon’s Palestinian camps.

Yasser Abbas, son of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, was reportedly in Lebanon to oversee the implementation of the arms handover agreement concluded in May. 

This followed key internal Palestinian leadership changes, including the replacement of Ambassador Ashraf Dabbour, who had obstructed the agreement’s execution along with others.

The changes also included replacing Shadi Al-Far, the Palestinian embassy security official aligned with Dabbour, who had controlled weapons in Borj el-Brajneh and refused to hand them over. 

Al-Far was lured to Phoenicia Hotel on Thursday morning, where he was detained by the army’s intelligence directorate as part of a negotiated settlement. Later that afternoon, Palestinian authorities handed over the weapons under his control in the camp, marking the start of the agreement’s implementation.

What Ramez Dimashkieh revealed aligns with statements from Palestinian authorities in Ramallah. Brigadier General Anwar Rajab, spokesperson of the Palestinian security forces, told LBCI that the handover marks the beginning of the agreed plan and will continue until the process is complete.

The Palestinian Authority believes that the continued presence of weapons is no longer compatible with current conditions. Rajab emphasized, however, that weapons outside the control of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) are the responsibility of the Lebanese state.

Weapons outside the PLO include those held by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other coalition factions in Rashidieh camp, as well as weapons held by Islamist and militant groups in Ain al-Hilweh camp. 

The Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee has engaged with coalition factions, which have expressed openness and cooperation, according to the committee.

Given these developments, attention is focused on Ain al-Hilweh and Rashidieh, whose complex situations will determine the seriousness and progress of disarmament in the coming weeks and months.