Beirut, May 23 2025
Lebanese and Palestinian leaders have reached an historic agreement to disarm Palestinian factions operating within Lebanon’s refugee camps and bring them under full state control, ending decades of autonomous armed presence in these camps while restoring Lebanese sovereignty over all its territory.This move marks a pivotal move that seeks to end decades of autonomous presence there and restore Lebanese sovereignty across its entirety.
(Xinhua News +8, AP News+8 and Financial Times +8).
Agreement was reached during Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ three-day visit to Beirut – his first since 2017 – wherein meetings with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam took place, in which both sides pledged to disarm weapons not under Lebanese state authority from Palestinian refugee camps and 12 Palestinian refugee camps within Lebanon, such as Anadolu Ajansi (+8), Xinhua News (+8), AP News +8 and Financial Times (+12). Anadolu Ajansi (+8); Xinhua News (+8) myMotherLode (12); Financial Times (+12); MyMotherLode +12
Financial Times +12.
A joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee will oversee the disarmament process, set to start mid-June in Beirut’s refugee camps. Plans also aim to enhance economic and social rights for Palestinian refugees who have long faced legal or employment restrictions in Lebanon. Anadolu Ajansi +4
Arab News +4 Financial Times =4, The National =2 and AP News =2 were among many outlets reporting the development.
+2 Lebanon’s refugee camps, home to around 200,000 Palestinians, have historically operated outside government control and often served as bases for various armed factions. This autonomy has often caused clashes and security issues, particularly at camps such as Ain al-Hilweh which is the largest one. MyMotherLode +2, AP News +2 and Wikipedia + 2 all offer coverage of Ain al Hilweh; MyMotherLode is also useful as are Time +2.
Disarmament agreements also address regional security concerns. Lebanese and Palestinian leaders agreed that Lebanon will no longer serve as a launchpad for attacks against Israel following incidents when rockets were allegedly fired from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory, according to Arab News (+1), The Times of Israel (+2), Xinhua News (+3), and AP News. (All three reports provided).
Although the agreement marks an important step toward stability, challenges remain. Notable among them is Hamas’ failure to comment on its disarmament plan and Lebanon’s army’s practice of not entering camps which complicate enforcement efforts. MyMotherLode +2 and The Washington Post for further coverage.
+2 This development has been widely welcomed as a step toward peace and stability in Lebanon by observers, who hope its successful implementation will result in improved living conditions for Palestinian refugees while decreasing regional tensions.
As the disarmament process unfolds, its primary aim will be ensuring its continuation is peaceful while meeting Palestinian refugee rights and needs. If successful, this initiative could serve as an example for other conflict resolution efforts in the region.
AP News