A plan to disarm Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps is to move a step further as a senior Palestinian delegation visits Beirut to arrange "practical steps", The National has been told.
Despite the absence of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad from the decision-making process, the delegation led by deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Azzam Al Ahmad is in Beirut to discuss the next steps for implementing a multiphase plan to disarm Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps in the coming weeks, a Palestinian source close to the Palestinian Authority told The National on Monday.
“We aim to establish and agree on the operational steps for implementing the camp disarmament plan in line with the agreement between Presidents Aoun and Abbas,” the source said. “This visit is meant to organise those practical steps from both the Lebanese and Palestinian sides.”
However, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has not held any formal talks with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad regarding the disarmament of the refugee camps, the source confirmed.
“We have not held talks with Hamas or Islamic Jihad, though we did discuss the developments with some factions during President Abbas’s visit,” the source added.
The National previously reported that Hamas in Lebanon has criticised the Palestinian Authority’s decision to disarm the camps in co-ordination with Lebanese authorities, saying it was made without their input.
“We call on the Lebanese government to open a responsible dialogue with the Joint Palestinian Action Committee, which includes all Palestinian factions and forces, to discuss the Palestinian situation in all its aspects,” Hamas’s representative in Lebanon, Ali Baraka, told The National in late May.
“Limiting the discussion to the security framework alone could open the door to the trap of resettlement or displacement, which is what [Israel] seeks,” he said.
Hamas spokesperson Jihad Taha also criticised the initiative, describing the decision as “representing only the Palestinian Authority”.
According to the source close to the PA, the disarmament plan will begin in the three Beirut-area camps of Shatila, Bourj Al Barajneh, and Mar Elias, before expanding into the Bekaa and northern Lebanon. The final phase would see the camps in the south disarmed, ending with Ain Al Hilweh – the largest and most heavily armed of the 12 camps and the most likely challenge.
The issue of disarming Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, which fall outside Lebanese state control, has long been a contentious one. Armed groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad – aligned with Hezbollah and committed to armed resistance against Israel – have previously used Lebanon as a launch pad for attacks across the border.
The Palestinian Authority is internationally recognised as the governing body of parts of the Palestinian territories, but its legitimacy is contested by many Palestinians. In Lebanon, Palestinian refugee camps are not governed by the PA, but by inter-factional committees – some of whom do not pledge loyalty to the PA.
While some Palestinians view weapons as essential for self-defence, citing memories of the 1975–1990 Lebanese Civil War, others say arms have become tools of internal strife and criminal activity.
Under a long-standing understanding, the Lebanese army does not enter the Palestinian camps, leaving security to be handled by the factions themselves. That agreement, however, may be coming to an end.
Lebanese security sources and Fatah officials previously told The National that the plan to disarm the camps will involve lifting the army’s non-intervention policy.
“The discussions during the visit are focused on camp security and preventing the camps from becoming havens for fugitives,” the Palestinian source said. “The Palestinian Authority does not want Palestinians to form a ‘state within a state,’ and we are ready to co-operate with any proposal put forward by the Lebanese authorities.”
Serhan Serhan, deputy secretary of Fatah in Lebanon, echoed that position.
“We believe and trust that the Lebanese army will stabilise Lebanon, and we are part of Lebanon,” he said. “We are ready to co-operate.”
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Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Company%20profile
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Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
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