Burj el-Shemali

Burj El Shimali
البرج الشمالي
Town
The Burj – "Tower" – of Burj El Shimali
The Burj – "Tower" – of Burj El Shimali
Burj El Shimali is located in Lebanon
Burj El Shimali
Burj El Shimali
Coordinates: 33°15′47″N 35°14′20″E / 33.26306°N 35.23889°E / 33.26306; 35.23889
Country Lebanon
GovernorateSouth Governorate
DistrictTyre District
MunicipalityTyre
Area
 • Town1,069 ha (2,642 acres)
 • Urban
6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi)
Elevation
62 m (203 ft)
Population
 (2016)
 • Town61,973
Time zoneEET

Burj el-Shemali (Arabic: البرج الشمالي) is a municipality located some 86 km south of Beirut and 3 km east of the Tyre/Sour peninsula, merging into its urban area. It is part of the Tyre Union of Municipalities within the Tyre District of the South Governorate of Lebanon.

It is particularly known for hosting the second-largest of the twelve Palestinian refugee camps in the country as a de facto autonomous exclave effectively out of the reach of Lebanese officials: The camp is ruled by Popular Committees of Palestinian parties under the leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) which is de facto recognised by the municipality through some degree of coordination and cooperation.[1] The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has the mandate to provide basic services, assisted by local and international NGOs. The Lebanese Armed Forces control entry and exit through the camp's main gate.[2]

  1. ^ Suleiman, Jaber (2017). "Lebanese- Palestinian Relations: Apolitical, Human Rights, and Security Perspective" (PDF). Policy Dialogue Series: Lebanese- Palestinian Relations. Beirut: Common Space Initiative for Shared Knowledge and Consensus Building: 27.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).