Nahr al-Bared: People Taking Charge

During a sit-in to support Nahr al-Bared residents, in Beirut 29 June 2012. Placard reads "You need a permit to enter your home?" (Photo: Haitham Moussawi)

By: Robert Abdallah

Published Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A new independent leadership is rising in the Palestinian refugee camps of northern Lebanon after the traditional leadership of political factions and popular committees failed to fulfill the demands of the camps’ residents.

The open-ended sit-in by the residents of Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp – which was destroyed in the summer of 2007 – has continued since June 15.

There are two adjacent tents in the middle of the road with a large panel in between. On it, there is a picture of the Dome of the Rock, the Palestinian flag, and the phrase “the martyrs of Nahr al-Bared camp” under the profiles of the two martyrs, Ahmad Qasem and Fouad Loubani.

In the background, you can see buildings under construction, and between the buildings, people and cars moving as residents make their way out of the ruins of the destroyed camp.

Next to the two tents, there is a table and a bunch of chairs. Above them is a giant awning covering an area of more than 200 square meters open to the entire camp. This area appears to be the decision-making center of Nahr al-Bared camp since the beginning of the sit-in.

“Before June 15 is not like after June 15.” This phrase has become like a chorus repeated by the camp’s residents, young and old.

• Nahr al-Bared: Five Years Later
• Palestinian Camps in Lebanon: Enough Humiliation!

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