If at the beginning refugees in Lebanon met violence and control
at the hands of the Lebanese authorities, things changed dramatically
in 1969 when the Lebanese government and the Palestine
Liberation Organisation (PLO) signed the Cairo Agreements. These
accords gave the Palestinians the right to train in Lebanon for the
liberation of their homeland. But most important of all, they
permitted the Palestinians to self-administer their spaces. While in
the early years of their presence in Lebanon Palestinians were
prevented from expanding their camps and building what would
have created a sense of permanency, from 1969 on refugees began
constructing with concrete two or more storey buildings and
expanding the camp beyond its boundaries. This is the moment at
which the camp started meeting the informal settlements and the
ever expanding ‘misery belt