PLO officials in Lebanon as push to disarm Palestinian camps gains steam
The effort to disarm Palestinian armed groups in Lebanon’s refugee camps will require outside support, according to one expert, as pressure to disarm Hezbollah grows.
A Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) delegation is currently in Beirut to move forward a plan to disarm Palestinian groups in Lebanon, according to recent reports, though the process of seizing weapons in the country’s refugee camps continues to face challenges.
The Emirati news outlet the National reported on Monday that PLO Secretary-General Azzam Ahmad is leading a delegation in Beirut to discuss implementing a plan to disarm Palestinian refugee camps in the country. The outlet reported that the plan is in line with recent agreements between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun but noted that the Palestinian Authority has not held talks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the matter.
Ahmad's visit was reported by several Arabic-language media outlets on Sunday and Monday. The Palestinian news site Quds Press reported that the trip came in response to objections from Fatah officials, as well as other Palestinian groups in Lebanon, to Abbas' willingness to cooperate with Aoun.
The PLO did not immediately respond to Al-Monitor's request for comment.
