The disarmament of Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps is likely to be delayed beyond a mid-June deadline, a Palestinian source told The National.
An official within the Fatah movement in Lebanon said the plan will not be put into effect until after a Palestinian delegation headed by Azaam Al Ahmad returns to Beirut to meet representatives of all Palestinian factions.
“The discussion [of disarmament] has been postponed until after Azaam Al Ahmad arrives in Lebanon,” the source said, adding that Mr Al Ahmad was not expected until “after June 15”.
He is the deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), second to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who devised the agreement with Lebanese leaders.
“When Azaam al Ahmad was here, he was supposed to also meet with the coalition which includes Hamas, but their leaders were traveling,” the source said.
He declined to provide an exact date.
Mid-June was given as a start date for the beginning of the disarmament process for Palestinian factions in Lebanon. Lebanese political sources and officials within the Fatah movement, the dominant political party within the PLO, had said the disarmament would begin with Beirut camps Shatila, Burj Al Barajneh, and Mar Elias.
Hamas in Lebanon has dismissed the disarmament plan agreed upon by Mr Abbas and Lebanese leaders as “unilateral”, saying they had been left out of the agreement between Palestinian officials and Lebanese leaders. The disarmament plan represents only Hamas's main opponent, the Palestinian Authority, the movement has said.
Hamas also said it was never formally informed of a decision to disarm the camps, insisting on a dialogue of representatives from all Palestinian factions – including a coalition of factions that includes Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other Islamist groups not under the authority of the PLO.
The disarmament decision has also stirred controversy within Palestinian factions in Lebanon that also hold membership in the PLO, which contains representatives of a diverse array of Palestinian factions with varying ideologies.
On Friday, a statement by the Lebanese branch of the Popular Struggle Front, a PLO member, was critical of the unilateral nature of the disarmament decision, saying the agreement was never presented to all Palestinian factions in Lebanon.
“It would have been more appropriate for the owner of the vision and ideas to present them” to representatives of the joint factions in Lebanon, said Tamer Aziz Abu Al Abed, a representative of the Struggle Front.
He added that the plan had not achieved a majority of Palestinian confidence or approval in Lebanon.
“We hope in the coming days to put all the papers up for discussion with the presidential delegation coming to Lebanon,” he said.
The issue of disarming Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps, which are not under Lebanese state control, has long been contentious. Groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, dedicated to armed resistance against Israel and allied with Hezbollah, have frequently used Lebanon as a base to launch rockets at Israel.
Disarming the camps comes under a broader initiative by Lebanese leaders to limit and disarm non-state forces.But the memory of Lebanon's 1975–1990 civil war – during which Palestinian militias were among the main participants, alongside a series of Lebanese factions and international proxies – still lingers for many Palestinians, who view weapons as essential for self-defence.
Weaponry also holds deep symbolic value for Palestinians in Lebanon, many of whom were expelled from their land in 1948 during the Nakba, which marked the creation of what is now Israel. For them, arms represent not only protection but a continuing struggle to return to their homeland.
Lebanon hosts about 222,000 Palestinian refugees, many of whom live in the 12 overcrowded camps, according to the UN agency UNRWA.
Most are direct refugees or descendants of Palestinians who were expelled from their land during a violent mass removal that led to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. They face a variety of legal restrictions in Lebanon, including on employment.
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
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Star rating: 2/5
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Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
