Lebanese Civil War

The Lebanese Civil War (April 1975 – October 1990)^[1] was a conflict that was significantly worsened by Lebanon's changing demographics. Fighting was between the Islamic movements Sunnis and Shias, as well as Christians and Muslims. Involvement from external actors, such as Syria, Israel, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), worsened and made the existing conflict more complicated, with the additional impact of the Palestinian-Israeli tensions slowly intertwining with the Lebanese Civil War. This was triggered by about 300,000 Palestinian individuals living in refugee camps at the Lebanese border.^[2] After a short break in the fighting in 1976 due to Arab League mediation and Syrian intervention, fighting continued in South Lebanon, first occupied by the PLO and after that by Israel.

Violent events increased from the end of the 1960s and the first half of 1970s. Several armed movements were created, with different political views. The Lebanese National Movement, led by Kamal Jumblatt, wanted to end the religious class society system.^[3] Sunni and Shi'i struggled for more representation and supported the Palestinian refugees. Many Palestinians joined the struggles.^[4]

1. ↑ Collier, Paul; Sambanis, Nicholas (2005-01-01). Understanding Civil War: Europe, Central Asia, and other regions. World Bank Publications. ISBN 978-0-8213-6050-7.
2. ↑ Khater, Akram Fouad (2011). Sources in the history of the modern Middle East (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. p. 233. ISBN 978-0-618-95853-5.
3. ↑ al-Khazen, Farid (1988). "Kamal Jumblatt, the Uncrowned Druze Prince of the Left". Middle Eastern Studies. 24 (2): 178–205. doi:10.1080/00263208808700737. JSTOR 4283235 – via JSTOR.
4. ↑ "Sabra and Shatila, 1982". Palestinian Journeys. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-05-15.