Democratic Palestine : 45 (ص 28)

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عنوان

Democratic Palestine : 45 (ص 28)

المحتوى

Palestinian
Resistance Jeopardized
On July Ist, the Lebanese Army
deployed in Sidon and _ began its
offensive against Palestinian freedom
fighters in the area. The Palestinians’
position was that they would not impede
the deployment; nor would they
withdraw or surrender their arms.
However, the Palestinian resistance was
drawn into a battle it had not wanted.
Four days of fighting left about 50
persons dead and 170 injured. The bulk
-of the casualties were Palestinians; the
majority of the dead were freedom
fighters, while among the injured, a large
number were civilians hit by the
Lebanese Army’s tank—mounted
cannons. Over 300 Palestinians were
arrested in the Sidon area and many are
still detained.
The fighting was stopped with an
agreement whereby Palestinian freedom
fighters withdrew into the two camps in
the area (Ain Al Hilweh and Mieh Mieh),
retaining their light weapons, but
relinguishing medium and __ heavy
weapons to be transported out of
Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Lebanese
government pledged to negotiate the civil
and social rights of the Palestinian
community in Lebanon.
It is noteworthy that the Palestinian
28
resistance’s positions outside the camps
were in the hills east of Sidon — precisely
on the frontlines with Israel’s proxy, the
SLA, in Kfar Falous. All through the
eighties, this was a main point of
confrontation between the joint
Lebanese — Palestinian resistance and
the Lebanese fascists. Behind Kfar
Falous. lies Jezzine, the main
SLA — Israeli outpost in South Lebanon,
controlling passage between the Bekaa
Valley and the Israeli— occupied
«security zone».
Soon after the clashes ended in the
Sidon area, the Lebanese Army repeated
its operation in Tyre, surrounding the
three Palestinian refugee camps there
(Rashidiyeh, Burj Al Shemali and Al
Buss). Though heavy and medium
weapons have been handed over, the
Lebanese Army maintains its siege on
these camps. Palestinians are checked
and sometimes harassed upon entry and
‘exit, reminding of the sixties, when
Palestinians in Lebanon lived under the
constant surveillance of the intelligence
service, and more recent times when
Amal militiamen blockaded the camps in
the wake of Israeli withdrawal.
Talks have begun between two
Lebanese ministers and the PLO/Palesti-
nian resistance organizations, but as yet
no definite guarantees have been ex-
tended to the 500,000 Palestinians in
Lebanon, who over the years have been
subject to attack not only from Israel,
but from the Lebanese right as well.
Their civil and social rights have yet to be
defined, while any talk of political rights
— which encompasses their right to fight
to return to their homeland — has been
ruled out by Lebanese Defense Minister
Murr, who glorified the Lebanese
Army’s operation in Sidon.
And now Jezzine?
The Lebanese government presented
the army deployment in Sidon and Tyre
as the prelude to its march on Jezzine. As
the siege began on the camps near Tyre,
Lebanese Transport Minister Fakhouri
stated: «The army’s move into Jezzine is
expected to be accomplished within
weeks rather than months» (Associated
Press, July 9th).
However, as of this writing a month
later, the Lebanese Army — which
mustered 11,000 troops to confront
Palestinian freedom fighters — has not
Democratic Palestine, August 1991

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Democratic Palestine : 45

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