Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: The 13 Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon are Mini-States and Hotbeds for Terrorist Organizations, Islamists, and Fugitives from Justice
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: The 13 Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon are Mini-States and Hotbeds for Terrorist Organizations, Islamists, and Fugitives from Justice Elias Bejjani/March 30/2025
Refugee Camps or Armed Strongholds?
No country in the world—especially within Arab and Islamic nations—permits refugee camps to transform into armed mini-states beyond the authority of the state. However, in Lebanon, the 13 refugee Palestinian camps have been a glaring exception since the 1970s. These camps have become lawless zones, controlled by armed groups that operate beyond state control. They serve as hotbeds for terrorism, extremism, fugitives from justice, smuggling networks, and illicit drug trafficking.
A Historical Attempt to Occupy Lebanon
Since the eruption of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, armed Palestinian factions allied with leftist and Arab nationalist forces attempted to impose their control over Lebanon, seeking to replace the Lebanese state with a Palestinian entity. These groups waged brutal wars against state institutions, security forces, and particularly Christian areas, turning Lebanon into a regional battlefield. Despite the official end of the war, the Taif Agreement, and the forced disbanding of Christian, Druze, and Sunni militias, Palestinian camps remained militarized strongholds. Similarly, terrorist factions such as Hezbollah, Amal Movement,, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, the Ba’ath Party, and radical Islamist organizations never surrendered their arms. This was due to the influence of the Syrian Assad regime, which occupied Lebanon until 2005. After Assad’s withdrawal, Hezbollah—an Iranian armed terrorist proxy—took over, ensuring that Palestinian camps remained armed and outside state authority, perpetuating the same destabilizing agenda. What were supposed to be humanitarian refugee settlements instead became closed military zones.
Palestinian Camps: Epicenters of Terrorism and Crime
The Palestinian camps—most notably Ain al-Hilweh in Sidon and Rashidieh in Tyre—have become safe havens for terrorist groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, ISIS, and Al-Nusra Front. These factions stockpile weapons inside the camps, turning them into direct threats to Lebanese security and regional stability.
The 13 Palestinian Camps and the Armed Organizations that controls them.
Lebanon’s Palestinian camps are distributed across various regions:
Sidon: Ain al-Hilweh, Mieh Mieh
Tyre: Rashidieh, Burj al-Shamali, Al-Bass
North Lebanon: Nahr al-Bared, Beddawi
Beirut: Burj al-Barajneh, Shatila, Mar Elias
Metn: Dbayeh
Baalbek: Al-Jalil, Wavel Several armed organizations operate within these camps, including:
Hamas
Islamic Jihad Movement
Abdullah Azzam Brigades
ISIS
Al-Nusra Front
Jamaat Ansar Allah
Fatah Movement (armed factions)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command
Fatah al-Islam (eliminated after the Battle of Nahr al-Bared but left a dangerous security legacy)
The Battle of Nahr al-Bared: A Case Study in Armed Anarchy
In 2007, a fierce battle erupted between the Lebanese army and the terrorist group Fatah al-Islam, which had entrenched itself inside the Nahr al-Bared camp. Hundreds of Lebanese soldiers were martyred, and numerous civilians lost their lives. The Syrian regime, which was still exerting control over Lebanon, provided political cover, weapons, and funding to the militants, obstructing state efforts to restore sovereignty.
The Taif Agreement and the Failure to Disarm the Camps
The Taif Agreement, which ended the Lebanese Civil War, stipulated the disarmament of all militias and the extension of state control over all Lebanese territory. However, under Syrian occupation, this was selectively enforced—only Christian and Druze militias were disarmed, while Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, the Ba’ath Party, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, and Islamist factions were allowed to keep their weapons. Palestinian camps also remained outside state control, despite national consensus on the need to disarm them.
The Lebanese National Dialogue: A Useless Exercise
In 2006, the Lebanese National Dialogue, chaired by Nabih Berri and attended by Hassan Nasrallah and other political leaders, agreed on the necessity of disarming the camps. However, Hezbollah deliberately obstructed any implementation, as it benefits from the continued existence of these armed enclaves, which serve as rear bases for its fundamentalist allies.
UN Resolutions Ignored
United Nations Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680, as well as the Lebanese Armistice Agreement, mandate the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon. However, Hezbollah’s dominance, along with continued chaos in the camps, has prevented any enforcement. As a result, these camps remain breeding grounds for extremism and organized crime, endangering Lebanon and its people.
Palestinian Authority’s Calls for Disarmament Ignored
For years, the Palestinian Authority has urged Lebanon to disarm the camps and reassert full state control. However, Lebanon—whose political and military decisions are controlled by Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy—has failed to act. Iran, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime have exploited these camps for decades to serve their expansionist and terrorist agendas, at the expense of Lebanon’s security and sovereignty.
The Only Path Forward: Restoring Lebanese Sovereignty
Lebanon cannot achieve stability and sovereignty unless it decisively disarms Palestinian camps—just as Christian and Druze militias were forcibly disarmed after the war. The continued existence of these lawless enclaves ensures that Lebanon remains a hostage to armed chaos, foreign interference, and perpetual instability. The Lebanese people must demand an end to this dangerous anomaly. The state must reclaim its authority and enforce a monopoly on arms to build a sovereign, independent nation capable of protecting its citizens and ensuring lasting peace.
