Tires set on fire by Palestinian activists in the Beddawi camp (northern Lebanon) on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Photo sent to our northern correspondent, Michel Hallak.
Following the closure on Saturday by the Lebanese Army of a new entrance to the Palestinian refugee camp of Beddawi, on the outskirts of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, Palestinian activists organized a sit-in, burning tires on the camp’s main road and calling on the army to reverse its decision, reports our northern correspondent, Michel Hallak. Military reinforcements were deployed around the camp.
The Lebanese Army closed an access point from the camp to the nearby Jabal Mohsen area. According to our correspondent, this decision is part of a plan to shut down unofficial entrances to the camp, implemented by the army in coordination with the Palestinian Embassy in Beirut, Palestinian factions and local popular committees in the North. The measure had been decided two years ago but was postponed due to the local and regional context since the start of the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Its implementation has accelerated in recent months.
Many residents view these closures as direct threats to their livelihoods. In a statement, the collective organizing the protest said it was “closely and with concern following these repeated measures that have led to the closure of several vital passages and entrances within the camp, including access to health facilities, shops, and places of worship frequented by camp residents as well as by Lebanese and Syrians living nearby.” According to the group, “these closures paralyze activity and disrupt the daily lives of residents, affecting their ability to reach schools, workplaces, and medical centers.”
“These measures do not concern only the Beddawi camp, but affect the entire Palestinian presence in Lebanon, which has long suffered from closures, marginalization and restrictions. Palestinian camps are not security zones or centers of instability, as some try to portray them, but rather vibrant civilian communities inhabited by people who aspire to a dignified life, stability, and security like any other citizen,” the statement added.
Palestinians in Lebanon are barred from more than 70 professions in the country, including liberal professions such as doctor, engineer, and lawyer, and are confined to a few sectors such as agriculture and construction. They are also excluded from coverage by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), even though a percentage of their salaries is deducted for that purpose. Since 2001, they have also been prohibited from acquiring property in Lebanon.
“The continuation of these closures only worsens social and economic crises and deepens the isolation of the camps from their natural surroundings, at a time when cooperation, not further withdrawal, is what is needed,” concluded the youth collective behind the protest.
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