Palestinian factions in two refugee camps in Lebanon handed over truckloads of weapons to authorities on Saturday as part of a deal reached earlier this year to remove arms not under Lebanese state control.
The latest transfer of weapons, which has been slow since it began last month, took place in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp, the largest in Lebanon, near the southern port city of Sidon, and the Beddawi refugee camp near the northern city of Tripoli.
State-run National News Agency and a Palestinian spokesman said three trucks full of weapons from
the Beddawi camp were headed to a Lebanese army barracks inside Tripoli— a step toward lasting peace and regional stability.
The spokesman for the Palestinian National Security Forces in Lebanon, Abdul Hadi al-Assadi, said in a statement that five truckloads of weapons also were handed over at Ein el-Hilweh. He said the weapons belonged to factions that are part of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Over the past few weeks, weapons were handed over to Lebanese troops in camps in Beirut and the southern province of Tyre.
The 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are not controlled by the Lebanese state. Ein el-Hilweh, home to nearly 75,000 people, includes militant Islamic groups that are not part of the deal to hand over the weapons. Clashes between members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group and rival Islamist factions in 2023 left 30 people dead and hundreds wounded.
Palestinian refugees and their ancestors in Lebanon are not given citizenship, ostensibly to preserve their right to go back to the homes they fled or were forced from during the 1948 creation of the state of Israel, which now bans them from returning.
They are prohibited from working in most professions, from medicine to the banking sector. Because of restrictions on ownership, what little property they have is bought under Lebanese names, leaving them vulnerable to embezzlement and expropriation.
international financial architecture reform, where progress has been insufficient,” he said.
As regards to UN Security Council reforms, the “majority agree that the body should be reflective of the current geopolitical realities” and enhance the “Council’s credibility,” he said while emphasising the need to “resist efforts by those who seek to maintain the status quo.”
India has been at the forefront of the years-long efforts to reform the Security Council, saying it rightly deserves a place as a permanent member of the Council, which in its current form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st Century.
In his remarks, Harish said India remains committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the pact and its annexes. “India believes the 2028 review should be results-oriented and forward-looking,” he said while delivering remarks at the third interactive informal dialogue on the review of the Pact for the Future agreement.
Harish also presented a copy of the Hindi translation of the Pact for the Future to UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations posted on social media. The Pact for the Future covers a broad range of themes, including peace and security, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global Governance.