Lebanon cannot apply the principle of “self-distancing,” which it adopted for the crisis in Syria, to the commitment it undertook to receive the hordes of displaced Syrians flooding into its territories. The number of refugees has been unofficially estimated at 300,000, while official figures put it at 150,000. The demographic and economic capability of Lebanon to take in Syrian refugees poses a problem less severe than that of Lebanon’s capacity to absorb the Palestinians among them. Beirut is uneasy with this displacement, which brings to mind the historical Lebanese division over receiving Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, one of the key reasons for the outbreak of the 1975 civil war.

Syria has witnessed infighting recently between Palestinians, who are divided into two political camps: those that are pro-Assad and those against the regime. The first comprises most notably the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Palestine's general command, while the second encompasses in particular the Islamic factions, including Hamas, however tacitly. The concern that displaced Palestinians from Syria might transfer their military conflict from the Yarmouk camp to Lebanese refugee camps — particularly the Ain al-Helweh camp, which is already in a tenuous security situation — is taking its toll on the political climate in Lebanon.

Last weekend, these concerns were realized when the father of a displaced Palestinian family from Syria physically assaulted a Lebanese soldier. At the entryway to the Ain al-Helweh camp, the soldier demanded to verify the identity of the man’s three veiled daughters. Due to his religious beliefs, the Palestinian man refused and lashed out. The incident created ripples and left tension in its wake within the camp between the Islamic factions that rushed to assist the displaced Salafist Palestinian and the Syrian regime supporters, who felt the battle cry of the Islamists was directed against them. The Lebanese army trod cautiously and dispelled the Palestinian fear of any possibility that the conflict could transfer from the Yarmouk camp to Ain al-Helweh as Lebanese intelligence expected, especially with the rapidly escalating number of refugees.

Just as this incident points to a potentially unstable security situation as a result of the new Palestinian displacement, it also highlights the dire human struggle taking place. This family — comprised of a father and three daughters — has rented a room in the camp for $200 per month. The room, which does not meet basic health standards, will need to accommodate two more family members once they arrive from the Yarmouk camp.