The Palestinian Factor

Palestinian refugees

• 1948; 150.000 Palestinian arrived in Lebanon• No serious effort to integrate the Palestinians– Nationalization sectarian imbalance

• Repatriation to Palestine/Israel made impossible by wave of Jewish immigrants

• Most of the refugees of rural background• 1950: UNRWA established to take care of the

Palestinian refugee camps• Poor living conditions and loss of hope for the future

Arab unity?

• Palestinians treated differently in various Arab countries– Severe restrictions on employment and freedom

in Egypt and Lebanon– Palestinians allowed to work and open businesses

in Syria, Iraq and Jordan– Granted citizenship in Jordan– Prohibited from forming political organizations

Palestinian identity

Palestinians restricted as

refugees

Did not integrate

Identity as Palestinians

strengthened

Return to Palestine only

option

• 1948-1967; Solution hoped to be created by Arab non-Palestinians; Nasser? Arab League?

• 1964: PLO created under auspices of Arab League – prevented from operating independently– Based in Cairo– Shuqayri chosen as leader; member of notable

families <-> camp life…

Effect of June war

• Palestine not liberated, but additional Palestinian territory lost to Israel

• Disillusionment with Arab leadership Palestinians would have to be in charge of own fate

• PLO transformed into an independent resistance organization devoted to armed struggle against Israel

Al Fatah

Yasir Arafat • Base moved from Kuwait to

Jordan after 1967• Recruited, trained and

deployed Palestinian youth • Formidable commando

organization• Arafat leader of al-Fatah• Chosen as PLO chairman in

1969

Goals and methods of al-Fatah/PLO

• Ideology: Palestinian nationalism• Goal: Recovery of Palestinian homeland• Methods: Armed resistance and refusal (until

1988) of Israel’s right to exist• Palestinian leadership changed; notables

exchanged with full-time activists• Other groups within PLO: PFLP, DFLP – more

committed to social revolution

Role of PLO

• Government in exile• Committees and agencies created which

provided social services to Palestinians• Manufacturing enterprises• 1974: Arab summit recognized PLO as sole

representative of the Palestinians• 1974: PLO granted observer status in UN’s

General Assembly• PLO offices opened in European capitals

Base for PLO

• Operating outside own territory need of base in state bordering Israel complicated issue for the various states…

• Palestinian guerrilla organizations a direct threat to King Husayn of Jordan

• Black September, 1970; Jordanian army attacked Palestinian camps and commando groups in Jordan

• PLO moved its headquarters to Lebanon

The Palestinian Factor

• 1970: 300.000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon• Guerrilla groups settled in and around refugee camps• 1969 Cairo Agreement

– PLO in charge of refugee camps – PLO required to seek Lebanon’s consent for any armed incursion largely unheeded

• Cycle of Palestinian raids Israeli retaliations (1968-74; 30.000 Israeli violations of Lebanese territory)

• Population in southern Lebanon seriously affected moved to Beirut; became poor suburbanists

• Arabists vs. Lebanists

Palestinian factor + sectarian tension

• Lebanese Muslims let down by the government tended to support the Palestinians

• Social and economic grievances against the what was seen as a favored Christian community

• Shi’a community largest sect, but underrepresented politically

Challenge to status quo supported by marginalized Lebanese and Palestinians

Jumblatt vs. Gemayel

• Kamal Jumblatt and LNM(Lebanese National Movement)– Administrative reform– Abolition of confessional politics– Freedom of action for Palestinian commandos

• Gemayel (and Chamoun)– Prospered under confessional system– Ready to defend system by force– Action needed against Palestinians took it into own

hands (militias)