On January 4, a delegation from the Leadership of the Alliance of Palestinian Forces visited Hezbollah in Dahiyeh, the southern suburb of Beirut, to condemn the January 2 suicide bombing in Haret Hreik.
The delegation also visited Saida’s Ain al-Helweh refugee camp to meet the leadership of Islamist forces and the Ansar Allah Movement to discuss the developing security situation in Lebanon and the Palestinian camps, as well as ways to secure and neutralize the camps.
Among those who attended the meeting were Sheikh Jamal Khattab, the jihadi Islamist Movement chief; Tareq al-Saadi, a leader from Usbat al-Ansar; and Munir al-Maqdah, commander of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.
The delegation conveyed the mood of their visit with Hezbollah to forces in the camp, which was viewed with suspicion after the recent Dahiyeh blast and rumors that the car used in the blast came from Ain al-Helweh.
Ali Baraka, Hamas’ representative in Lebanon, was part of the delegation that met with Hezbollah. Baraka denied to Al-Akhbarthe possibility of Tawfiq Taha succeeding Majed al-Majed. Although Taha, who lives in Ain al-Helweh, is known to be Majed’s deputy and the leader of the Ziad Jarrah Battalion, Baraka said, “Majed’s group has no branch in the camp. Taha is one thing and Majed is quite another.”
In a statement, Khattab stressed that Majed “had not entered the camp in years and when he was in the camp in the past, he was in his 20s and not an important figure.”
Baraka emphasized that the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, which targeted the Iranian embassy in Beirut, “has no branch in or connection to Ain al-Helweh.” Does this mean Taha belongs to a different branch of the same group? The Hamas representative did not want to delve into how Taha is different from Majed.
Head of the the Palestinian National Security Forces, Sobhi Abu Arab, described Taha to Al-Akhbar as “an ordinary person secluded in his home who pretends to be more than what he is.” Baraka, on the other hand, described him as “a Palestinian citizen who upholds a certain Islamist ideology, and one of the residents of Ain al-Helweh who is keen on the camp’s security and stability.”
Islamist forces had met with Taha a few days earlier to discuss why his name had arisen in relation to recent security incidents. According to Baraka, Taha reiterated his promises not to do anything that would undermine the security of the camp or Lebanon.
Baraka said the Palestinian forces demonstrated concern for Lebanese security but also rejected incendiary rhetoric against the camp, which “is not a site for settling scores.”
Sources ruled out Taha’s and Islamist forces’ approval of assigning him a successor to Majed “because that would … perhaps cause a clash with the camp’s surroundings and Lebanese security agencies.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources from Ain al-Helweh reported that coordination meetings were held in the past few days between some Islamist forces and nationalist factions to address the danger that hardline groups pose. They unveiled suggestions to form popular committees inside neighborhoods to maintain security and prevent residents from acting in ways that would jeopardize the camp as a whole.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.