Parts of the Articles by Middle-East Monitor

The Lebanese authorities have begun constructing an isolation wall
around one of the country’s largest Palestinian refugee camps, as they
begin a process of securitising refugees who have been living in Lebanon
since the State of Israel forced them out of their homes in 1948.

Munir al-Maqdah, the head of the Joint Palestinian Security Forces, told
Sky News Arabia that “the wall is being built outside the camp and far
away from residential areas.” The military informed Palestinian
leaders in Lebanon that “the wall and [watchtowers] are being built for
security concerns, which we accepted,” Maqdah added.

He acknowledged, however, that the wall will have a bad effect on camp
residents. “The psychological implications of a wall will be negative
and difficult [to overcome],” he said, adding that the military agreed
to a number of Palestinian proposals to amend the wall’s path and the
watchtowers’ locations. Lebanese authorities say that Ain al-Hilweh has become a refuge for
terrorists who are planning to carry out attacks on Lebanese targets.

The security measures are also said to include watchtowers placed
around the camp in order to keep the Palestinian refugees under constant
surveillance. Lebanon claims that Palestinians living in the camps have been
involved in violent militancy, yet campaigners argue that such measures
amount to collective punishment for the actions of a few. Army officials
also claim that militants have sought refuge in the camp from
authorities.

Part of the security wall will be built a mere three metres away from
the homes of some of the camps inhabitants, causing anger and
frustration amongst Palestinians in Ain Al-Hilweh near the Lebanese city
of Sidon, according to the New Arab. Ain Al-Hilweh is home to 70,000 registered Palestinian refugees who
have been joined by thousands more in recent years due to the ongoing
Syrian civil war.