Yesterday [May 15] the Lebanese army refused to grant permits to about 150 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon to travel today to the village of Maroun al-Ras on the Israeli border to demonstrate in commemoration of Nakba Day and to demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees in accordance with UN Resolution 194.

Informed sources told Al-Monitor that at the beginning of this month, Hezbollah and several Lebanon-based Palestinian factions requested that the Lebanese army allow demonstrators to go to Maroun al-Ras. The town falls within the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL)’s area of ​​operations under UN Resolution 1701, which ended hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. The request would have put the number of Palestinians to attend the demonstration at 150.

Although the Lebanese army refused to allow the Palestinians access to the area, it did not object to a similar request by Hezbollah.

Sources in the Lebanese army told Al-Monitor that the Lebanese military leadership was afraid of losing control of the Palestinian demonstrators.