Moussa Abu Marzouq questions from Ain al-Tina: "We gather fighters to fight with their backs to Palestine, but where are they facing?" Meanwhile, Azam al-Ahmad emphasized the urgent need to "immediately cease fire and adhere to it from any party, as there is a significant conspiracy against the Ain al-Hilweh camp and the future of the Palestinian cause."
Efforts made by Speaker of the House Nabih Berri throughout Thursday to stop the clashes in Ain al-Hilweh succeeded, as a ceasefire was reached, effective from 6:00 PM today. From Ain al-Tina, following his meeting with the Speaker of the House at the head of a delegational leadership from Hamas, member of the political bureau of the movement, Moussa Abu Marzouq, condemned "all firing operations targeting the Palestinian people in Ain al-Hilweh camp, considering them suspicious acts unrelated to the Palestinian cause, that bear no relation to establishing security, and in no way justify the displacement of the Palestinian people, nor the shelling of its children, nor the spilling of blood from any side. This is not a national act and it has nothing to do with security."
Abu Marzouq stated: "Our position is to condemn all clashes and to demand an immediate ceasefire, prohibiting Palestinian on Palestinian fighting. Any interaction concerning the Palestinian issue should be through dialogue, consensus, and understanding." He continued, questioning: "Today we gather fighters to fight with their backs to Palestine, but where are they facing? I do not know. This must stop immediately. We presented all of this to the President and we bet on him to end this farce unfolding in the camps. There must be a ceasefire, the withdrawal of armed men, and the ending of militarization within the camps in this humiliating way, allowing the Palestinian people to return to their places in the camp, reopening schools and withdrawing fighters from there, restoring the educational process anew."
He concluded: "We have presented all this to President Berri, who has a meeting with the concerned parties, whether it's with the member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Azam al-Ahmad and the embassy, or with the state's agencies. We are confident that the President will succeed in his efforts, and we pledged to do our utmost for security and justice, to hand over those wanted, and to be instruments of goodness for our people and for Lebanon. God willing, this situation will all come to an end and security will return to all of Lebanon."
The delegation included Hamas official in Lebanon Ahmed Abdul Hadi, member of the movement's leadership abroad Ali Baraka, and the official spokesperson for Hamas Jihad Taha, in the presence of the responsible for the Palestinian file in the Amal Movement, Mohammed Jabawi.
Azam al-Ahmad also discussed the situation in Ain al-Hilweh during his meeting with the member of both the Executive and Central Committees of the "Palestine Liberation Organization" and the supervisor of the Lebanese arena, Azam al-Ahmad, in the presence of Ambassador of Palestine Ashraf Dabbour and responsible for the Palestinian file in the Amal Movement, Mohammed Jabawi. After the meeting, al-Ahmad said: "Unfortunately, a month ago I was in Beirut, and also here at this same podium and other platforms discussing the developments in Ain al-Hilweh to put an end to the destabilization of conditions in Lebanon, which began with the assassination of Major General Abu Ashraf al-Aramoshi, and we are still talking today about the necessity of adhering to a ceasefire."
He pointed out that "there is a large conspiracy against Ain al-Hilweh camp and the future of the Palestinian cause, with international, Arab, and foreign involvement in this conspiracy targeting Ain al-Hilweh, the capital of the Palestinian diaspora. Unfortunately, agreements have been reached several times, quickly failing, and it has held strong for more than 20 days. A few days ago, the security situation exploded again, alongside the Islamist terrorists who carried out the assassination of al-Aramoshi and his companions. Other forces became involved in violating the ceasefire in Ain al-Hilweh, which raised our questions and concerns: for whom is this being done? Who stirred them? Who funded them? Who calls for a ceasefire and finances them while inciting in different forms?"
Al-Ahmad added: "We are fully ready to calm the situation and cease fire with those outside the law, and we are willing to bear this for the sake of the security and stability of the camp and the Lebanese neighborhoods in Sidon, Ghaziyeh, and other neighboring areas. We have the right to confront them so they do not succeed in their plan to expand their scope of conflict and corner the Palestinian forces that want to defend the camp. Those who perpetrate these acts are practically not Palestinians; even if some are Palestinians, you know and everyone knows, including the perpetrators of the assassination of Al-Aramoshi, where the investigation committee confirmed that half of them are not Palestinians. This confirms the nature of this existing conspiracy, which is to erase the camp and change its identity so that it does not serve as a symbol for practicing the right of return to Palestine and Resolution 194."
Al-Ahmad expressed hope that "a ceasefire is immediately respected and that schools are cleared so that the students from the camp, numbering six thousand, can resume their studies. We will assist UNRWA to quickly rebuild the schools and address the damage suffered."
Walid Jumblatt received al-Ahmad in Kelemenou, with Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour and the movement's secretary in Lebanon, Fathi Abu Al-Ardat, also present, along with former Minister Ghazi Al-Areedhi and the official of the Palestinian file in the Progressive Socialist Party, Bahaa Abu Karam. They reviewed the latest developments, specifically what is happening in Ain al-Hilweh.
After the meeting, Jumblatt confirmed that "what is happening is targeting all Palestinians in the diaspora to force them into displacement again," stating: "First, it is necessary to hand over those wanted for the assassination of the Palestinian official in the camp, and then we must return to the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue to embrace the Palestinian cause and contain the Lebanese-Palestinian and internal Palestinian issues." He pointed out that "he contacted Prime Minister Najib Mikati but received no response, so I will say this until he responds: it is necessary to dismiss Mr. Bassil Al-Hassan from the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee and appoint another trusted person so that we can return to serious dialogue in which all parties bear their responsibilities."
For his part, al-Ahmad said: "It is necessary to hand over the killers of al-Aramoshi to the Lebanese judiciary, and there must be a Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue to embrace the Palestinian cause." He added: "For long, the Lebanese people have been the warm embrace of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian revolution, and without them, we could not have achieved some successes."
Al-Ahmad also met with former General Security Chief Abbas Ibrahim, with Palestinian Ambassador Ashraf Dabbour present. They discussed the current situation in Ain al-Hilweh, emphasizing the necessity of reaching a ceasefire to spare Palestinian refugees a new crisis that could jeopardize their right to return.
