Palestinian President to demand disarmament of factions
The President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, is scheduled to go to Lebanon on May 19th to declare that his country’s resistance factions have laid down arms, and would force this desired outcome if needed, Middle East Eye reported on May 4th.
Sources from Lebanon and Palestine told Middle East Eye that Abbas will go to Lebanon’s capital of Beirut on a formal trip to meet with Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese President as well as other high-level officials.
In the visit, Abbas and the government of Lebanon will declare the demilitarisation of the Lebanon division of his Fatah group as well as wider Palestinian factions.
Sources revealed Abbas has already accepted a proposal to eliminate Fatah’s arms from the camps. The President also plans to directly demand other Palestinian groups battling Israel to disarm.
A Palestinian insider informed Middle East Eye that Abbas plans to create a security panel. This body will supervise the disarmament and establish a fixed schedule for the surrender of weapons. Should the groups ignore Lebanon’s orders and Abbas’ ruling, they will forfeit all political and group support. If the factions reject this, authorities will also enforce their disarmament.
Sources revealed, Abbas decided to strip Fatah and other factions of their arms after receiving a request from Saudi Arabia. Reports state the disarmament is part of a wider attempt to reshape Lebanon’s political system, following Hezbollah’s military decline.
The visit follows multiple attempts by the Palestinian President to disarm factions and restore peace in Gaza.
Mahmoud Abbas previously embraced Egypt’s initiative to restore Gaza without displacing Palestinians, Middle East Monitor via Reuters reported on March 5th. He emphasized that securing the ceasefire remained the top priority. He said urgent needs include aid and Israel’s full withdrawal.
Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor via Reuters
