Lebanon: 1) Information on attempts by Druze and Lebanese Forces to dominate the area around Iqlim al Kharroub during the Israeli invasion in 1982. 2) Any information on the Beit el Dein jail in the same area. Is it being used as a military centre for the Druze?
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LBN4644 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Lebanon: 1) Information on attempts by Druze and Lebanese Forces to dominate the area around Iqlim al Kharroub during the Israeli invasion in 1982. 2) Any information on the Beit el Dein jail in the same area. Is it being used as a military centre for the Druze?, 1 March 1990, LBN4644, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abe573.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
1) Please find attached various sources, including a copy of a previous IRBDC information request, which describe in more detail the relationship between a number of groups relevant to this question and the conflict between Christian and Druze forces during the period in question.
According to the Europa Year Book 1989, a "full-scale war" broke out between Druze and Phalangist militias after Israel redeployed its forces in Lebanon in September 1983. [ The Europa World Year Book 1989 (London: Europa Publications Ltd., 1989),
p. 1610.] A 1987 reference source by George Thomas Kurian states that Druze forces gained the upper hand and have subsequently established, "a Druze mini-state" in Lebanon. That study adds, that, "Some militias presume to enforce law and order in regions under their control." The Progressive Socialist Party, which is the political wing of the Druze militia, was in 1987, one group that was reportedly executing "individuals for criminal offenses." [ George Thomas Kurian, Encyclopedia of the Third World (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1987), pp. 1153-4.]
According to Badri Hamadi, an knowledgeable source on the Druze contacted through the auspices of the National Council on Canada-Arab relations, the Iqlim El Kharroub is a region in the southwest of a larger region known as the Shuf Mountains (also known just as "the Shuf"). He emphasizes that not all Druze are members of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), but that the latter currently controls most of the Shuf. According to Mr. Hamadi, the PSP has set up a Civil Council which is running everything that the federal government used to run, including the judicial system. [ Information received by telephone from Badri Hamadi, 7 March 1989.]
2) Mr. Hamadi states that there is a jail/military centre in the town of Beit el Dein. No other information on this question is available to the IRBDC at this time.