Israelis stage nationwide protests to demand end to Gaza war and release of hostages
Demonstrators waved Israeli flags and carried photos of hostages as whistles, horns, and drums echoed at rallies across the country, while some protesters blocked streets and highways, including the main route between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
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Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Israeli official says withdrawal after Lebanon takes 'actual steps'
An unnamed Israeli official on Monday responded to remarks by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who is visiting Lebanon, by saying that 'there is no intention to keep occupying Lebanese territory.' 'We'll do what's needed when Lebanon's leadership takes actual steps,' the official added, according to Al-Arabiya television. 'We will discuss withdrawal from the five points in Lebanon with the (ceasefire) monitoring committee,' the Israeli official said. Barrack on Monday called on Israel to honour commitments under a ceasefire that ended its war with Hezbollah, after the Lebanese government launched a process to disarm the militant group. "There's always a step-by-step approach but I think the Lebanese government has done their part. They've taken the first step. Now what we need is Israel to comply," Barrack said following a meeting in Beirut with President Joseph Aoun.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Nawaf Salam: Decisions in Lebanon are now made in Beirut, in Cabinet, and nowhere else
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday, during an interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that was published on Sunday, that "decisions in Lebanon today are made in Beirut, in Cabinet, and nowhere else," and that they are "dictated neither by Tehran nor by Washington," as U.S. envoy Tom Barrack arrived in Beirut on Sunday evening. In a wide-ranging, hour-long interview with the pan-Arab newspaper, Salam, who today stands as the leader of the sovereignist camp, also addressed the issue of Hezbollah supporters' demonstrations in the streets, threats directed toward him by supporters of the party and new relations with Syria and Saudi Arabia. Accused of serving "Israeli-Saudi" interests or of being "Zionist" by the pro-Hezbollah press, Salam said: "Do I need certificates attesting to my patriotism? Do I need proof of my stances on Israel?" "I am not asking them for apologies, but for them to stop. Because it's serious: it can set one street against another. And that's what I refuse. I am convinced that the majority of Lebanese are with me," he said. "Let any Lebanese tell me what point of the roadmap discussed in Cabinet they do not accept. Is there anyone who doesn't want an international conference for reconstruction? I doubt it. Is there anyone who doesn't want a complete Israeli withdrawal? Is there anyone who doesn't want the return of the prisoners? Or the return of our people to their villages in the south? So why this outcry?" citing various points in the document. The decision over war and peace "The decision over war and peace, I can assure you, we have already reclaimed. That doesn't mean there are no weapons still outside the authority of the state. What matters to us is that all these weapons come under the authority of the state," he argued, explaining that this meant that "concretely, Lebanon is leaving the camp it has been in for decades." "Bombastic formulas have been used, like saying there are four Arab capitals (Sanaa, Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut) controlled by Tehran. I believe that time is over. Lebanon's decision today is made in Beirut, in Cabinet, and nowhere else. It is dictated to us neither by Tehran nor Washington," he said, explaining that he conveyed this message to Ali Larijani, who was in Beirut last week. The prime minister also stated that Lebanon was "supposed to have exited the military aspect" of the confrontation with Israel "since the adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701," reaffirming Lebanon's commitment to the "Arab Peace Initiative," as defined at the Arab League summit in Beirut in 2002. This initiative calls for Israel's withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights, and the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, in exchange for normalized relations with Arab countries. 'Dialogue with America so that it pressures Israel' Regarding the continuous violation of Lebanese airspace by Israel and the near-daily bombings despite the cease-fire signed on Nov. 27, 2024, Salam said that "this requires more contacts with our Arab brothers, who are influential actors on the international stage. It also means intensifying exchanges and requests with our European friends so that they pressure Israel. And, of course, continuing the dialogue with America so that it plays its role of pressuring Israel." Asked what he would request of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack in Beirut Monday, Salam replied: "If he wants to stick to his roadmap, he must ensure that Israel ceases its hostile operations and begins to withdraw from Lebanese territories, especially the five points mentioned in his document. He also indicated that the withdrawal would begin with three points, then two." On the topic of internal economic reforms, Salam praised the two adopted bills on lifting banking secrecy and restructuring the sector, considering that they "pave the way to the central project: financial rebalancing ... which will allow for the restitution of deposits, starting with small savers." "The idea of erasing deposits must be totally rejected. It is not on the table. Nevertheless, the Lebanese will not be able to immediately and fully recover their funds. This will be done progressively and within acceptable timelines, not over decades," he stated.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Aoun: Instilling fear of the other among the Lebanese is 'unjustified'
After 48 hours of speeches and contrasting reactions to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem's comments, who brandished the threat of "confrontations" in Lebanon should the government persist in disarming Hezbollah without an agreement, President Joseph Aoun said that instilling fear of the other among the Lebanese was "unjustified." The government decided on Aug. 5 to mandate the Lebanese Army to draw up a plan for the state to regain its monopoly on arms by the end of the year. The army is to present this plan within the next two weeks. Two days later, the government approved a roadmap prepared by American envoy Tom Barrack to ensure proper implementation of the terms of the cease-fire that took effect on Nov. 27, after 13 months of war between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. 'Two options' regarding the Barrack plan The president mentioned warnings, mainly from the Hezbollah-Amal Movement alliance, during an interview with al-Arabiya about a civil war in the event of imposed disarmament, and "the fear of the other instilled among the Lebanese." For him, these warnings were nothing but "words, and they were not justified." Aoun said that the Shiite community was "a fundamental component in Lebanon and there is no reason to fear for any community." The disarmament of Hezbollah is "an internal matter and only constitutional institutions are competent to address this issue. I do not think that anyone in the country has a problem with the principle of the monopoly of arms," he added. Concerning the American roadmap, Aoun said he found himself facing "two options: either accept the document and ask the world to obtain Israel's agreement" for a stop to attacks targeting Lebanon, "or not accept it and see the aggressions and economic isolation of Lebanon intensify." "We made observations on the American document, so it became a Lebanese document. It will only become enforceable after the approval of the concerned states and we insisted on the step-by-step principle," he added. He also stated that all contacts with Israel "are made through the Americans, the French and parties who simply want to help. But there is no party or mediator conducting a Lebanese-Israeli dialogue." Iran and Saudi Arabia The president stated that Lebanon's neutrality, and keeping it apart from conflicts, "is what will protect it against all challenges." The Lebanese Army "is strong and fulfills its missions in all regions of the country, which strengthens stability and reassures the Lebanese inside and outside the country," he said. Returning to the statements by Iranian officials who rejected the decisions of the Lebanese government that were condemned by Lebanese officials, Aoun referred again to what he had already said to envoy Ali Larijani during the latter's tour in Beirut this week. "Iran is a friendly country, but on the basis of mutual respect and preservation of sovereignty. We do not allow ourselves to interfere in its affairs nor in those of any other state, nor do we accept interference in our internal affairs," he stressed. Regarding relations with Gulf countries, notably with Saudi Arabia, Aoun explained that he had told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and the officials he met during his travels in the Arab world in recent months: "I do not want donations, I want investments. Investments can take several forms and we have many sectors in which you can invest." "We are counting heavily on Saudi Arabia's role in the revival of Lebanon. No one could give up the relationship between our two countries," he added. "I promise the Lebanese, in the country and abroad, that we will move forward. There will be no turning back," the president said. "Change does not happen overnight, but it has begun and it is tangible," stressing that "the steps restoring the confidence of Lebanese and foreign countries in the State have begun." "No one is protected, not even me. And the depositors' funds will return," he said. Berri: No fear of civil war Parliament Speaker and head of the Amal Movement Nabih Berri called for a "dialogue on the state's monopoly on arms, but not in the way it is currently being proposed." "I will listen to the American envoy to know his vision regarding the modalities of disarmament, but I have nothing to submit to him on my side," he also said on al-Arabiya. "There is no fear of a civil war nor any threat to internal peace," arguing that "no decision regarding the disarmament of a party can be applied as long as Israel refuses to implement its commitments," notably by withdrawing from national territory and freeing Lebanese detainees in its prisons. "Hezbollah has not fired a single shot since the cease-fire took effect, while Israel continues its strikes," he added. Hezbollah did fire an artillery round a few days after the start of the truce in early December 2024, provoking a severe and deadly retaliation by the Israeli army.
