Summary
A Palestinian refugee camp in Sur, in a predominantly Shi’i urban neighbourhood, which was the only camp to openly declare military neutrality during the War of the Camps while building a clandestine supply and advocacy apparatus supporting besieged Rashidiyeh (Beyond the Lines — Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon, PDF p.161, p.170-171).
Details
- Its residents’ collective framing primarily referenced the 1982 invasion and occupation — the catastrophe of 1982, the Nadi al-Houli massacre and the camp’s location adjacent to a Lebanese Shi’i neighbourhood — rather than the Sabra and Shatila massacre (Beyond the Lines — Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon, PDF p.161).
- Abdullah 2008, 56, as quoted, gives the reasons for non-entry into the war as an agreement with neighbours to preserve the relationship and the modest military capacities of the camp’s factions; its location made it incredibly difficult to defend (Beyond the Lines — Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon, PDF p.170).
- The camp developed the Committee for the Defense of Palestinian Prisoners, issuing statements supporting Amal’s Palestinian prisoners and criticizing Amal arrest campaigns targeting the camp (Beyond the Lines — Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon, PDF p.170).
- Its residents collectively mobilized food and cash (for bribes) for Rashidiyeh, organized secret nautical supply routes by fishing dinghies and inflatable skiffs, and created “[military] operations rooms” and underground emergency rooms (Beyond the Lines — Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon, PDF p.171).
- Fighters from Burj al-Shamali had earlier transferred the camp-defence model developed against the IDF in 1982 to Shatila and Burj al-Barajneh during the War of the Camps (Beyond the Lines — Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon, PDF p.83); former cadres from Shatila described the specific network of Burj al-Shamali fighters who designed Shatila’s 1985 defensive front (Beyond the Lines — Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon, PDF p.198).
Related pages
Beyond the Lines — Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon, Rashidiyeh, War of the Camps