Al-Ahmed: Islamists to blame for Lebanon unrest

Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad on Thursday blamed unrest in Lebanon's refugee camps on Arab Islamist groups, not Palestinians. Al-Ahmad made the comments while visiting Lebanon, where he met with the head of the Lebanese army and a number of government officials. "What the PLO is seeking is to stop all those who try to benefit from the chaos in the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, especially in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp. What’s happening in Syria isn’t far away from what’s happening in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon," al-Ahmad said. Fatah leaders and PLO factions have been speaking to Lebanese officials in a bid to control the security situation in Palestinian refugee camps, notably Nahr al-Bared and Ain el-Hilweh, al-Ahmad said. At least two Palestinians were killed in Nahr al-Bared camp on Monday as clashes broke out between the Lebanese army and residents. A camp resident was also killed last Friday in clashes which erupted after the Lebanese military tried to stop a fight between two Palestinians at the camp, residents said. Tensions have not subsided around the coastal shantytown since 2007, when the army moved in to fight the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam group. More than 400 people were killed, 170 of them soldiers, and 6,000 homes were flattened. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have long suffered discrimination and are deprived of basic rights.