The Lebnese Army is trying to root out a radical Palestinian, Al-Qaeda 'inspired' group in a 'refugee camp' (see below). This is more a proxy fight between the government and the Syrians, who are supposedly supporting the group to destabilize the country. Even the Palestinians in charge and Hezbollah (who consider them a threat, the whole Sunni v Shia thing) don't like them......
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070521/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_violence
Quick overview of the group:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6676369.stm
The 'Refugee Camp' saga- A large number of the Palestinans who fled and were ejected from Israel during and after the fighting in 1948 settled in camps in adjacent countries, with the bulk ending up in Jordan and Lebanon. Almost all of the countries that took Palestinian refugees have refused to integrate them into their societies to incude giving them citizenship. The big exception is Jordan, but that is more to do with sheer numbers than anything else since half of the population of Jordan is Palestinian (though there are still a lot of refugee camps there). The continued existence of the refugee camps ,which look more like cities and towns with permanant structures, after so long serves several purposes including keeping the claim that Palestinian refugees have the 'right of return', fertile ground for recruiting fighters and supporters of Palestinian causes and the simple fact that their numbers could disrupt the current political balance in many countries.
But most importantly they are a reminder to their populations, both the host countries and the refugee camps, that Israel is still occupied territory in their eyes. This has served to deflect attention from many of the pressing domestic issues by pointing out the great injustice that is the existence of Israel. Now, after years of being controlled by the big Palestinian factions, they are reaping what they sow. Because of the continued failure to deliver on promises that they would defeat Israel and return to Palestine, radical groups that promise quicker and more meaningful results, like Hamas and Hezbollah, have gained a lot of power and support in recent years (they also throw in religion, the Palestinians have historically not been very religous). Now you are seeing a further out growth of this with more radical groups, like Fatah al-Islam.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070521/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_violence
Quick overview of the group:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6676369.stm
The 'Refugee Camp' saga- A large number of the Palestinans who fled and were ejected from Israel during and after the fighting in 1948 settled in camps in adjacent countries, with the bulk ending up in Jordan and Lebanon. Almost all of the countries that took Palestinian refugees have refused to integrate them into their societies to incude giving them citizenship. The big exception is Jordan, but that is more to do with sheer numbers than anything else since half of the population of Jordan is Palestinian (though there are still a lot of refugee camps there). The continued existence of the refugee camps ,which look more like cities and towns with permanant structures, after so long serves several purposes including keeping the claim that Palestinian refugees have the 'right of return', fertile ground for recruiting fighters and supporters of Palestinian causes and the simple fact that their numbers could disrupt the current political balance in many countries.
But most importantly they are a reminder to their populations, both the host countries and the refugee camps, that Israel is still occupied territory in their eyes. This has served to deflect attention from many of the pressing domestic issues by pointing out the great injustice that is the existence of Israel. Now, after years of being controlled by the big Palestinian factions, they are reaping what they sow. Because of the continued failure to deliver on promises that they would defeat Israel and return to Palestine, radical groups that promise quicker and more meaningful results, like Hamas and Hezbollah, have gained a lot of power and support in recent years (they also throw in religion, the Palestinians have historically not been very religous). Now you are seeing a further out growth of this with more radical groups, like Fatah al-Islam.
