Lebanese authorities have installed the first blocks of a wall which will isolate the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, called Ein Al-Hilweh.
The camp, which is located southeast of Sidon city and sits on one square kilometer, is overcrowded with 80,000 refugees, according to the PNN. The wall is scheduled to be completed within the next 15 months, according to a report by Lebanon-based al-Modon news site.
The wall has sparked anger with Palestinians and the refugee communities, calling it the “Apartheid Wall” and “the wall of shame,” saying it will turn the camp into a big prison. It is being compared to the Israeli apartheid wall in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Authorities in Lebanon maintain that the security watchtower will enable the army to better control the camp amid claims that militants seek refugee there.