CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 19

LILIT HARUTUNYAN
them in the 2006 war by welcoming those displaced (from the south) to Ayn
al-Hilweh. People here gave them blankets and food. We even sent blankets
to Sidon. We didn’t participate with Hizballah in the war because it was
fought with rockets and not fighters. We only have light arms which would
have been useless anyway. We have a very good relationship with some
Lebanese Islamist groups”. 59
Ayn al-Hilweh cannot be considered a hideout for al-Qaida fighters,
nor does al-Qaida’s “global jihad” find support among the camp population.
Its influence among the residents is also insignificant, as the findings from
the International Information survey demonstrate. They asked respondents
(youth from the four camps) whether murdering civilians was justified in
order to solve grievances with their government. The large majority, about73
%, answered that such actions were “never justified” and only about 5%
answered that they were “always justified”. 60
Conclusion
The paper has aimed to challenge the misunderstanding that the
Palestinian refugee camps are “islands of insecurity”. As we have noted, the
everyday violence prevalent in the camps is not the result of a militant
ideology, but rather of discrimination, urban segregation and state violence.
Both political and everyday violence are found in the camps.
The paper has demonstrated that internal camp governance in
Lebanon is in a deep crisis. The popular committees have been delegitimized
by both the Lebanese authorities and the camp population. This governance
crisis may be aggravated in the near future. The recent uprising and crisis in
Syria has resulted in refugees flowing across the border into Lebanon, and
these new regional developments threaten the uneasy truce between the PLO
and the many pro-Syrian regime factions in the camps. Weakened Syrian
influence in Lebanon, likely a result of the “Arab spring” uprisings, could
provoke conflict over power and authority within the camps, as opposing
factions, including the PLO, seek greater influence at Syria’s expense.
Islamism has emerged during the past decade and has become a new
and powerful force in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. On the one
hand it has compelled the people to behave in “sound” and “Islamic” ways,
abating violence, delinquency and moral degeneration while simultaneously
encouraging increased cooperation among neighbors, as well as improved
health and social services. On the other hand, the Islamist factions have
brought new problems with them, especially the inability to engage with
existing or historical modes of governance, both Lebanese and Palestinian.
59
Knudsen, Lebanon after the Cedar revolution, 119.
International Information Survey of Media and Communication Channels, Actors and
Messages in Palestinian Camps.
60
19