Battle Resumes Between Lebanese Military and Fatah al Islam

Under the cover of artillery barrages, dozens of Lebanese army tanks and armored carriers moved toward a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon Friday in pursuit of Islamic militants holed up inside.

The artillery bombardment sent white clouds rising above the Nahr el-Bared camp where Fatah Islam militants have been hanging on in a 13-day siege by the Lebanese army. The shelling also ignited fires in the camp that spewed black smoke. The militants have barricaded themselves in residential neighborhoods of narrow, winding streets and apartment buildings.

About 50 armored carriers, battle tanks and military vehicles from elite units massed at the northern edge of the camp and drove toward the forward-most positions, according to AP Television News crew at the scene.

There was no confirmation that the army units were making a final push to take over the camp, or were just advancing to grab territory and isolate the militants in pockets. But a significant decrease in shelling, accompanied by a rise in machine gun fire from armored carriers and exchanges of automatic rifle fire, suggested the troops were already engaging the militants.

None of this would have been necessary had the United Nations been doing its job all along and prevented the establishment of armed terrorists in their UN administered refugee camps.

And therein lies the solution to the refugee problem. Disband the UNRWA. This organization, a part of the UN, has failed the Palestinian people. It's enabled terrorists such as Fatah, Fatah al Islam, Hamas, and even al Qaeda to make inroads into the 'refugee camps.'

Therefore, the budget for the UNRWA should be eliminated and the nations who are hosting such camps should be given the money instead and told that they are to integrate the refugees into their populations. After nearly 60 years, it should be evident to everyone that these people are not going back to their homes and that Israel is not going to cease to exist. The nations, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt have avoided their own culpability in the 'refugee' issue, instead foisting the blame solely on Israel.

That too must come to an end. Israel's neighbors repeatedly sought to eliminate Israel from the map, and the refugees were initially promised that they would be able to return once Israel was defeated.

Lebanon should go one step further in its ongoing battle with Fatah al Islam. Once they've eliminated the terror cells operating in the Nahr el-Bared camp, they should disband the camp and tell the UNRWA that they should pack their bags and are no longer needed. Tell the Palestinians living in the camps that they are now Lebanese citizens and entitled to all the rights and responsibilities that citizenship entails, but that they cannot engage in terrorism, or face the might of the Lebanese military.

Lebanon, if it is successful at Nah el-Bared, should then do the same at the other UNRWA camps in Lebanon, until all the camps have been disbanded and the UNRWA is no longer operating in Lebanon at all. To further encourage the Lebanese and Palestinians in Lebanon to accept this new state of affairs, the UN and world community could provide direct economic aid to the families affected to help them integrate into the Lebanese society. Such efforts would also undermine the Syrian and Iranian influence and improve the situation in a once prosperous nation