Lebanon's President Aoun urges Hezbollah to give up arms
"It is the duty of all political parties... to seize this historic opportunity without hesitation and push for the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the army and security forces and no one else," Aoun said in a televised speech in the defence ministry's headquarters.
Hezbollah, which emerged badly damaged from its war with Israel last year, has said calls for the Iran-aligned group to disarm only serve Israel.
"Those who call for submitting arms practically demand submitting them to Israel ... We will not submit to Israel," the group's chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Wednesday.
The U.S. has been pushing Lebanon to issue a formal cabinet decision committing to disarm Hezbollah before talks can resume on a halt to Israeli military operations in the country, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Aoun said a proposal to Washington that will be presented to the cabinet next week stated that Israel should stop its attacks on Lebanon and withdraw from the posts it occupies in the south of the country, along with Hezbollah handing over its weaponry to the Lebanese army.
The proposal seeks to secure $1 billion annually for 10 years to support the army and the security forces and includes plans for an international conference to take place later in the year to support reconstruction efforts in Lebanon.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Erin Molan Stellar magazine cover sparks furious backlash over her views about Israel's war in Gaza: 'Never reading this publication again'
A magazine cover featuring Erin Molan has sparked a ferocious backlash over the TV presenter's strong stance supporting Israel in its conflict with Gaza. This weekend's edition of Stellar, which is published in News Corp's Sunday newspapers, is being promoted on Instagram and some readers are furious that Molan appears on the front. The former Sky News Australia host has publicly condemned Hamas since its raids on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, and in recent months has been reporting from Israel on the Middle East war. While some fans - including model and influencer Bec Judd - were quick to congratulate Molan on taking out the cover position, others could not see past her pro-Israel views. 'No thanks Stella... No one I would support,' wrote one. 'So tone deaf,' said another. A third posted: 'Free Palestine ps never reading this publication again.' Several other users threatened to boycott Stellar. Some of the comments are too inflammatory to publish. The Times of Israel ran a profile piece on Molan in May under the headline 'Erin Molan vs. the world: From Australian news anchor to pro-Israel firebrand.' 'Molan has found herself increasingly recognized in Israel, where people on the street often flock to her, eager to thank her for her support,' it reported. The story quoted Molan, who is Catholic, describing her reaction to the October 7 outrages. 'It was never complex to me or grey or fuzzy,' she said. 'It was black and white as to who evil was in this scenario.' Molan has maintained that stance amid Israel's retaliation and the ongoing human crisis in Gaza. Former Sky News Australia colleague Sharri Markson moved quickly last year to quash a conspiracy theory that Molan had been sacked from the network for her pro-Israel views. In December, Markson wished Molan her well in her future pursuits and wrote on X that it was 'categorically untrue' the 41-year-old had been booted off Sky 'because of her Zionism'. in their reporting of the onetime Footy Show presenter's removal by Sky. Daily newspaper Israel Hayom referred to Molan's response to the October 7 massacre in which more than 1,200 Israelis - mostly citizens - were killed and 254 taken hostage. 'Molan has been a vocal supporter of Israel on her Sky News Australia program,' the newspaper stated. 'Strongly condemning both Hamas' actions against Israeli civilians and the pro-Hamas demonstrations that have erupted worldwide, repeatedly using her platform to address the ongoing war.' Israel National News covered the presenter's axing under the headline: 'Sky News Australia fires pro-Israel host Erin Molan.' 'Australian news anchor Erin Molan, who repeatedly defended Israel in the year since the October 7 massacre, has been fired by Sky News Australia,' its story began. Molan posted an impassioned nine-minute video to X in December, repeatedly mentioning the Middle East conflict and thanking everyone who had supported her. 'So that's done now,' she said of her Sky job. 'But I am not. In fact, I'm just getting started. 'So I'm sorry to those who had hoped otherwise. I'm somewhat surprisingly much harder to kill off than you'd think. 'You see the problem is - and it's always been this way with me - I just care too much. 'About you, about the world, about a peaceful existence for every single child.' Molan has called Hamas terrorists 'blood-thirsty killers' and said she would continue 'fighting for every single hostage still captive in Gaza'. Markson's post on X came shortly after Molan's video went live. 'I have to clear up this notion that her departure from Sky is because of her Zionism - this is categorically untrue,' she said. 'No media outlet globally has shown more leadership or clarity on Israel's fight against terrorism and our own battle against antisemitism than us at Sky News Australia and News Corp.' Although network insiders suggested Molan was caught off-guard by the decision to cancel her show, Sky insisted they had ended their partnership with the host on amicable terms. Molan presented her weekly news program, Erin, for the final time on November 29. The decision to cancel Molan's show comes just months after the breakfast radio program she co-hosted alongside comedians Dave Hughes and Ed Kavalee was scrapped by Southern Cross Austereo's struggling 2DayFM station in August. The cancellation of Molan's two key hosting roles is understood to have come at a significant financial cost to the journalist. Sources said she had been pulling in about $200,000 a year for her 2DayFM radio gig and a further $150,000 a year from her job with Sky. Molan joined Sky News Australia in July 2022 after parting ways with Nine after 11 years at the network.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Where do France, Britain and Canada stand on a Palestinian state?
Canada has now joined France and Britain in saying it intends to recognise the state of Palestine at the United Nations general assembly in September. If a week is a long time in politics, then a month is even longer in the Middle East, and what Israel, the West Bank and Gaza will look like by then is an open question. France has decided to ignore all that, and make its recognition unconditional — at least in theory. President Macron's statement said: 'True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine. 'We must also guarantee the demilitarisation of Hamas, and secure and rebuild Gaza.' In other words, although he is — like most western states — demanding the disarming of Hamas and its removal as the governing force in Gaza, he would recognise Palestine anyway. He would argue that recognising Palestine in practice means recognising Hamas's rival, the Palestinian Authority, as its government, so this would not be 'rewarding Hamas'. Britain tried a different tack, in keeping with Sir Keir Starmer's constant attempts to forge a middle way between his backbenchers and his desire to keep good relations with the pro-Israel Trump administration. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, in a statement to the UN conference on the two-state solution, used similarly grandiose terms to Macron's. He said: 'It is with the hand of history on our shoulders that His Majesty's government therefore intends to recognise the state of Palestine when the UN general assembly gathers in September here in New York.' But unlike Macron, he gave Israel, which is deeply hostile to the idea, a way out. 'We will do it unless the Israeli government acts to end the appalling situation in Gaza, ends its military campaign and commits to a long-term sustainable peace based on a two-state solution,' he said. In his speech, Lammy also made 'absolute and unwavering' demands on Hamas. 'It must immediately release the hostages, agree to an immediate ceasefire, accept it will have no role in governing Gaza and commit to disarmament,' he said. • What will happen to the West Bank if Palestine becomes a state? But there was 'no conditionality' attached and no statement that anything Hamas might do or not do would cause the British government to change its mind. The main criticism raised by pro-Israel critics is that this gives Hamas an incentive to stall any ceasefire deal, since only Israel will be punished if one is not agreed. Lammy said: 'No one side will have a veto on recognition through their actions or inactions.' But only Israel would want to veto this development. The critics are now demanding the government explicitly insert balancing conditions on the 'other side'. Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, appears to have hewed more to the British path. His statement said that Canada 'intended' to recognise Palestine but also made the decision conditional. His conditions, though, were aimed at the Palestinian Authority of President Abbas, rather than Israel. He said: 'This intention is predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to much-needed reforms, including the commitments by Palestinian Authority President Abbas to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarise the Palestinian state.' Many people have demanded reforms of the Palestinians — the West, the Gulf states, Palestinians themselves. Few have been forthcoming.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australian activists allege they were ‘brutalised psychologically' after Israeli military detained Gaza aid boat
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