South Lebanon's restive Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp was calm Friday when sand bags were removed in areas that saw heavy fighting, as the Hamas Movement launched an initiative to contain the fragile security situation. Fortifications used during the heavy clashes between the Fatah Movement and Jund al-Sham around de facto front lines were removed, as residents breathed a sigh of relief. Sources say political factions were keen to preserve the truce in the camp ahead of the school year set to start next week. A fragile truce was reached between the warring parties Tuesday, but was breached overnight Thursday leaving two dead. Radwan Abdel-Rahim, a member of the joint elite forces, and Fadi Khalil a member of the Taytaba neighborhood committee, were the two killed. On the political level, meetings between secular and Islamist factions were ongoing in an attempt to prevent the recurrence of violence. Part of peacekeeping measures required neighborhood committees to report any individual seeking to incite more violence to the Higher Palestinian Security Committee, rather than protecting them. The head of the Islamic Jihad Movement Sheikh Jamal Khattab told visitors more work needed to be done to arrest individuals who attempt to fire shots or toss grenades. Khattab said it was up to the neighborhood to break the silence if anyone was suspected of committing such acts. "Because of this cover-up and this silence, unfortunately things have reached a boiling point," he said. Palestinian Islamic factions in the camp were told by a senior security official that more needed to be done to calm tensions in Ain al-Hilweh. Meanwhile, in a move to help ease tensions in the camp, Hamas launched an eight-item initiative, according to Raafat Murra, the movement's political representative in Beirut. Hamas called on different factions to protect the camp from strife, adding there was a need to put an end to assassinations and kidnapping in Ain al-Hilweh. The initiative also stressed on the need to preserve stability in the camp. Hamas said the joint elite forces should be supported and deployed in designated "hot spots." After overcoming financial difficulties that threatened to delay the start of the school year, UNRWA's reopening of schools was threatened by the clashes in the camp. Political sources said the agency had informed top Palestinian leaders that if the situation in the camp wasn't remedied, it would refrain from opening schools this year to protect students, teachers and staff. Palestinian sources said UNRWA had been informed that some gunmen were hiding in UNRWA-affiliated schools and offices in the camp. The sources added that UNRWA had prepared an alternative plan to ensure that this year would start normally for school children, even if Ain al-Hilweh's security situation worsened in September. In the event of more violence in the camp, the agency would resort to holding its schools in Sidon. The camp's students would be taught according an evening schedule, with mornings reserved for Palestinians students in the southern city. By removing the sand bags and committing to the truce, the source said, Palestinian factions appeased UNRWA and enabled the school year to continue as planned.
