Israel kills 6 journalists, Hamas negotiators head to Egypt: Everything you need to know this Tuesday
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L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Finance minister announces funds for the Higher Relief Committee and contractors' debts amid 2026 budget planning
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber made several announcements related to public finance topics, according to a statement published Thursday by his ministry following a Cabinet meeting dedicated to various files. The minister also chaired a meeting with the relevant senior officials "to examine the latest measures related to preparing the 2026 budget, so that it can be presented within the constitutional deadlines." To remain on schedule, the finance minister must submit the draft budget for the following year before the end of August, so it can be reviewed by the Cabinet and then sent to Parliament. Among the other announcements, the minister first indicated that an initial release of LL 200 billion from the public treasury would be allocated to the Higher Relief Committee "to begin repairing the damage in the southern suburbs of Beirut." He also said he had been authorized by the government to "sign a loan agreement with the World Bank for an amount of $250 million intended for the reconstruction of infrastructure in areas affected by the Israeli aggression against Lebanon." Jaber also said that the Cabinet approved Wednesday "a draft law aimed at opening a credit line in the 2025 budget to pay LL 12 million ($134) per month to all public sector retirees." He stated that "this measure, which still needs to be ratified by Parliament, is part of a process aimed at correcting the salaries and compensation of all current and retired public employees, in order to adapt them to living conditions and the state's financial situation, while maintaining balance and ensuring the dignity of employees in this sector." The minister said that the government approved a plan to settle debts owed to contractors carrying out work for the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), an issue that regularly comes up for discussion. "These payments will be staggered annually in installments agreed upon financially and temporally, after years of freeze on this issue, which had blocked several vital projects," the minister said, specifying that this plan was "the result of an agreement between his ministry, the CDR, and the public works contractors' union."
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
US says stable West Bank in line with Trump goal for regional peace
The United States on Thursday responded to Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's announcement that work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank by saying that a stable West Bank is in line with the Trump administration's goal for peace in the region. Asked about Smotrich's statement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed to the revival of the so-called E1 development, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said the U.S. remained focused on ending the war in Gaza and ensuring Hamas will never govern that territory again. "A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region," the spokesperson said, while referring to the Israeli government for further information.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israeli attack on Evin prison 'amounts to a war crime,' HRW says
The Israeli airstrikes carried out on June 23, 2025, against Iran's Evin prison in Tehran "were unlawful, indiscriminate, and amount to a war crime," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday in a statement. The Israeli attack on the political prison, during the war with Iran, killed at least 80 people, according to official Iranian statements, including "prisoners, their family members and prison staff," in addition to the destruction of several buildings in the complex, the report notes. It stresses: "Under international humanitarian law, also known as the law of war, prisons are presumed to be civilian objects." "The Israeli strikes on Evin prison on June 23 killed and injured dozens of civilians with no apparent military target, in violation of the laws of war, and clearly constitute a war crime," said Michael Page, deputy director for the Middle East at HRW. "The Israeli attack endangered the already precarious lives of Evin's prisoners, many of whom are dissidents and activists wrongfully detained." Between June 24 and July 29, HRW interviewed 22 people about the attack, including victims' relatives and prisoners, former Evin detainees, and others with extensive knowledge of the prison. According to the report, the NGO's investigation "found no evidence of military targets in the Evin prison complex at the time of the Israeli strikes," stating that "none of the sources interviewed, including recently released prisoners, their family members, and lawyers who have repeatedly visited the prison, reported knowledge of the presence of military personnel, weapons or Iranian military equipment within the complex." The war between Iran and Israel, from June 13 to 25, was sparked by an initial series of "preventive strikes" carried out by Israel. During the 12 days, the Israeli army conducted, among other actions, airstrikes on Iranian soil targeting Tehran's nuclear program, while Iran fired numerous ballistic missiles at Israel until a cease-fire was reached.
