Foreign powers inciting clashes in Lebanon camps

Regional powers are exploiting the hardship of Palestinian refugees in the country in order to spark violence in refugee camps and push their agendas in Lebanon, a top Palestinian official said Thursday. “[Some regional powers] exploited the sufferings of the people of Nahr al-Bared and the fact that they are outraged by the unfinished construction of the camp and strict security measures imposed by the Army,” Azzam al-Ahmad told The Daily Star. “I read Lebanese reports that Lebanese as well as Palestinian fundamentalist groups have played a role in incitement [in the run-up to the camps’ clashes],” he said. “Are those related to the Palestine Liberation Organization or the opposition [Alliance of Palestinian Forces]? No they are not. So who gives them orders? Who funds them?” Ahmad did not specify the powers he said are fueling unrest, but rejected reports that Syria currently has a hand in generating violence, though he did not rule out that the regime could do so in the future. “The Syrian regime is a major player in Lebanon and the Arab region ... but I believe its role has dwindled, given the events in Syria,” he said. “If it needs to extend the conflict into external areas, it can, but so far I do not believe this is happening.”Pro-Syrian Palestinian factions, including the powerful Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), are present in some camps in Lebanon. One Palestinian refugee was killed by the Lebanese Army in clashes in the Nahr al-Bared camp Sunday, sparking protests in Ain al-Hilweh camp the same day. The Ain al-Hilweh protests quickly degenerated into clashes with the Army, claiming the life of a refugee in circumstances that remain unclear. Last week, a 15-year-old was also killed during clashes between the Army and refugees in Nahr al-Bared. As for the protests that erupted in Ain al-Hilweh hours after the shooting in Nahr al-Bared, Ahmad said this was a “natural” reaction by refugees who sympathized with the Palestinian who was shot dead “by mistake” by the Army in the northern camp. “Tension will reign in any camp when such news circulates,” he added. In the country on a short visit, Ahmad, who is tasked by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority with managing the affairs of refugee camps in Lebanon, urged the Lebanese government to improve the humanitarian conditions of refugees in Nahr al-Bared and other camps across the country to prevent further exploitation of their situation. He cited a report by the American Near East Refugee Aid organization released on World Refugee Day stating that the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are the worst in the region. “Steps to reduce the suffering of the [Nahr al-Bared] camp’s residents should have been taken a long time ago. Their [suffering] has been ongoing for five years,” he said. “There is a need for bold, responsible and humanitarian steps on behalf of the Lebanese state ... to improve the conditions of Palestinians.” Nahr al-Bared was reduced to rubble in armed clashes between the Lebanese Army and the Al-Qaeda-inspired group, Fatah al-Islam, in summer 2007. The reconstruction process is progressing at a slow pace. Entry to the camp by refugees who are not residents of Nahr al-Bared is subject to restrictions. More than 400,000 Palestinian refugees are registered in Lebanon, most living in 12 camps across the country. They are effectively barred from many professions and cannot own or inherit land or real estate. Ahmad said that PLO had intensified efforts to contain the repercussions of events in Nahr al-Bared and Ain al-Hilweh this week, highlighting ongoing coordination with the Army. “PLO factions are working hour by hour to defuse the detonator and are coordinating with relevant Lebanese groups, especially the Lebanese Army and communicating with Palestinians in Nahr al-Bared and Ain al-Hilweh,” he said. Ahmad is set to hold talks with Lebanese officials over the situation in the camps. He discussed developments with Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi and Speaker Nabih Berri Thursday. The senior Fatah official will head to Sidon Friday for talks with the city’s MP Bahia Hariri and other local officials and could also visit Ain al-Hilweh. While not entirely dismissing the possibility of a repeat of violence in the camps, Ahmad said such incidents in the camps would not spark nationwide violence. “There are no Palestinians in either Bab al-Tabbaneh or Jabal Mohsen,” he said, in reference to the May clashes between supporters and opponents of Syria’s President Bashar Assad in the restive neighborhoods of Tripoli. While acknowledging that the PLO does not control Lebanon’s camps 100 percent, as its leadership has left Lebanon in 1982, Ahmad said it is doing its best to distance camps from the repercussions of regional turmoil in cooperation with the Alliance of Palestinian Forces which includes pro-Syrian groups. “We agree with the Alliance of Palestinian Forces on the need to distance Palestinian camps from Lebanese bickering and attempts to spread the fires in Syria to Lebanon.” Asked about what is hindering the implementation of Lebanese National Dialogue decisions to disarm Palestinian groups outside camps, Ahmad cited regional obstacles. PFLP-GC has military bases in the coastal Chouf village of Naameh and in Bekaa Valley region Qousaya. “There are even Lebanese groups that will oppose this,” he said. “It is unjust to say that there are Palestinian arms outside the camps, these are not even Palestinian,” he said. “If we are treated like humans, we will be ready to be under the control of the Lebanese authority, even inside the camps.”