Abbas visits Beirut as Lebanon moves to disarm Palestinian factions

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is visiting Lebanon to discuss disarming Palestinian factions present in the country.

MENA

3 min read

Rita El Jammal

Beirut

The New Arab Staff

21 May, 2025

Abbas will begin his trip with a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda with President Joseph Aoun [Getty]

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has arrived in Beirut on Wednesday for a three-day visit, during which the issue of Palestinian weapons in Lebanon is expected to dominate talks with senior Lebanese officials.

Abbas will begin his trip with a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda with President Joseph Aoun.

The visit comes amid renewed focus on the presence of armed Palestinian factions in Lebanon, following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in November 2023 and growing pressure to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Lebanese authorities have also recently warned Hamas over rocket launches from Lebanese territory into Israel.

Multiple official Lebanese sources told The New Arab that Abbas's schedule includes meetings on Thursday with Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

His visit will begin with a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace on Wednesday afternoon.

A key aim of the visit is to establish a framework for fully extending Lebanese state control over its territory, particularly within Palestinian refugee camps, and dismantling the armed infrastructure of Palestinian factions operating inside them, sources said.

The government also intends to reaffirm its commitment to safeguarding the rights of Palestinians residing in Lebanon.

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As of February 2025, there were just under 500,000 Palestinian refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Lebanon.

However, the actual number of Palestinians residing in the country is estimated at 222,000, including 195,000 Palestinians from Lebanon and 27,000 Palestinians from Syria.

About 248,000 Palestinian refugees and their family members regularly access UNRWA services in Lebanon, and of these, approximately 45 percent, around 112,000 people, live in the country's 12 official refugee camps.

Beirut pushes for full state control over arms

While the focus of the current visit is on disarming Palestinian factions, Lebanese officials have made clear that this policy applies primarily to Hezbollah.

In an exclusive interview with The New Arab's Arabic-language edition last month, President Aoun stated that 2025 must be the year in which all weapons are brought under state authority. He said that such ga oal would only be achieved through direct dialogue with Hezbollah, and not by force, to avoid internal conflict or civil war.

Similarly, with the Palestinians, Lebanese officials hope to resolve the issue of armed factions through cooperation, with sources describing the Palestinian side as "positive and respectful of Lebanese sovereignty".

In preparation for the visit, Abbas's son Yasser Abbas held a series of meetings with Lebanese political and security officials in recent days to discuss weapons in the camps and reinforce state authority.

The discussions follow a warning issued on 2 May by Lebanon's Supreme Defence Council to Hamas over the use of Lebanese territory for launching attacks that could endanger national security.

Lebanese authorities have detained several suspects linked to rocket fire on 22 and 28 March. Hamas reportedly cooperated by handing over individuals wanted in the investigations.

President Aoun has stressed Lebanon will not tolerate becoming a launchpad for instability, even as it continues to support the Palestinian cause.

Prime Minister Salam has echoed this message, calling for the handover of all weapons held by non-state actors in line with Lebanon's National Accord and the government’s policy statement.

He also reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination under international law and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Meanwhile, sources within Hamas told The New Arab that the movement was cooperating with Lebanese authorities and remains open to dialogue.

The group denied authorising any rocket attacks and said it had no prior knowledge of the incidents, even though the suspects are members of the organisation.