Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati considered, on Sunday, that the timing of the Palestinian clashes in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, in the current regional and international situation, is “suspicious.”
Mikati said in statements published by the Presidency of the Government: “The events of Ain al-Hilweh fall within the context of repeated attempts to use the Lebanese arena to settle foreign scores at the expense of Lebanon and the Lebanese.”
He added, “These clashes coincide with the efforts made by Egypt to stop the Palestinian-Palestinian differences, in the context of the messages that use the Lebanese arena as a starting point for it.”
And the Lebanese Prime Minister continued: “These clashes are unacceptable for several reasons, the first of which is that they perpetuate that the camp is an outpost outside the control of the state, and this is absolutely unacceptable, and requires a strict decision from the Palestinian leaders to respect Lebanese sovereignty, relevant laws, and the principles of hospitality.”
“These clashes also constitute a blow to the core of the Palestinian cause, for which thousands of martyrs fell, and for which the Palestinian people made great sacrifices at home and in the diaspora,” according to Mikati.
And he continued, “We call on the Palestinian leaders to cooperate with the army to control the security situation and hand over those who tamper with security to the Lebanese authorities. This is the natural way to restore security and stability inside and around the camp, as in other Palestinian camps in Lebanon.”
Mikati called on the army and security services in Lebanon to “adjust the situation in the camp for the benefit of Lebanon and the Palestinian refugees alike.”
He concluded, “The government is striving to improve the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon by approving the national strategy for Palestinian refugees, but all concerned Palestinian parties must end the phenomenon of repeated clashes.”
What is happening in the camp?
At least six people have been killed in ongoing clashes since Saturday in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, security sources said on Sunday, where the Fatah movement is battling rival groups that support militants. On Sunday, a Fatah leader was killed and several of his aides were injured in an ambush in the crowded refugee camp. A security source said that 4 of his aides later died of their injuries, adding that sporadic clashes in the camp intensified later in the day. The clashes began Saturday with a failed assassination attempt on the leader of a group sympathetic to militants that left one dead, followed by gunfire and attacks by gunmen on Fatah headquarters. A witness said that some shops closed their doors on Sunday, and some fled the camp as fighting between rival groups escalated.
UNRWA redesigns an environmentally friendly school in Gaza
The Lebanese army said that a mortar shell landed inside a military center, wounding a soldier. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which provides basic services to some 50,000 people living in Ain al-Hilweh, has announced the suspension of all operations in the camp. Dorothy Klaus, Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, said on the “X” platform, “Twitter”, previously, that the agency “calls on all armed parties to ensure the safety of civilians and the sanctity of United Nations buildings,” adding that the clashes damaged two UNRWA schools. The camp often witnesses conflicts between Palestinian factions, which turn into acts of violence, during which people are killed. Some 400,000 refugees live in 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon, dating back to the 1948 war between Israel and Arab states. These camps are largely outside the control of the Lebanese security services.
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2023-07-30 15:44:42
