Trump says hopes to get Gaza ‘straightened out' over next week
'Gaza — we are talking and hopefully we're going to get that straightened out over the next week,' Trump said, echoing similarly optimistic comments he made July 4.
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Arab News
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Ukraine proposes fresh peace talks with Russia next week: Zelensky
'The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up,' Zelensky saidKYIV: Kyiv has proposed to Moscow a new round of peace talks next week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday, after negotiations stalled in early June.'Security Council Secretary Umerov also reported that he had proposed the next meeting with the Russian side for next week,' Zelensky said in his evening address. 'The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up,' he added.
Al Arabiya
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- Al Arabiya
US says attack on West Bank Palestinian church was ‘act of terror'
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on Saturday for the perpetrators of an attack on a Palestinian church in the occupied West Bank blamed on Israeli settlers to be prosecuted, calling it an 'act of terror.' Huckabee said he had visited the Christian town of Taybeh, where clerics said Israeli settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th-century church on July 8. 'It is an act of terror, and it is a crime,' Huckabee said in a statement, 'Those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh – or anywhere – (should) be found and be prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that's not enough.' Israel's government has not commented on the incident, but has previously denounced such acts. On Tuesday, Huckabee said he had asked Israel to 'aggressively investigate' the killing of a Palestinian American beaten by settlers in the West Bank, similarly describing it as a 'criminal and terrorist act.' Huckabee is a staunch supporter of Israeli settlements and his comments are a rare and pointed public intervention by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Trump in January rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Settler attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank have risen since the start of Israel's war on the Hamas militant group in Gaza in October 2023, though violence has long simmered there. The United Nations' highest court said last year that Israel's settlements in territories it captured in the 1967 Middle East war, including the West Bank, were illegal. Israel disputes this, citing biblical and historical ties to the land as well as security needs.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Legal Complaints Target Hezbollah Officials in Lebanese Courts
Legal complaints are mounting against Hezbollah officials in Lebanon, accusing them of threatening national security and inciting violence against citizens, calling for the disarmament of all non-state actors, including the powerful Iran-backed group. The latest complaint was filed by Sami Gemayel, head of the Kataeb Party and an MP, against Hezbollah's deputy chief for the Bekaa region, Faisal Shukr. In the filing submitted to the Court of Cassation, Shukr is accused of 'death threats, inciting violence and sectarian strife, and endangering Lebanon's sovereignty and unity.' The complaint centers on remarks made by Shukr during a speech at a Hezbollah-organized Ashura procession in the Bekaa on July 6. 'Whoever calls for disarming the party, we will rip their soul out,' Shukr said in a video now submitted as evidence. Gemayel's legal team argued that the speech amounted to 'direct incitement to violence and civil strife,' calling for Shukr's arrest and prosecution. This is the second high-profile legal action against Hezbollah in recent days. A group of lawyers, journalists, and activists had earlier filed a complaint against Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem. The complaint cited Qassem's open declaration of support for Iran during its confrontation with the United States following the Gaza war. The plaintiffs say his statements constitute 'a direct threat to Lebanon's state policy' and 'an incitement to rebellion that endangers Lebanese lives.' While these legal actions may not advance quickly, observers say they mark a significant shift in Lebanon's political landscape. For years, few dared to challenge Hezbollah through the courts - even after the group's 2008 military takeover of parts of Beirut and a string of political assassinations targeting its critics. But the judiciary, which once routinely dismissed complaints against the group, is now formally registering them. A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that while investigations depend on the strength of the evidence, claims that the judiciary is biased in favor of Hezbollah are 'not entirely accurate.' 'All serious cases are documented,' the source said. 'But summoning individuals for questioning is easier when their whereabouts are known. That's not always the case with Hezbollah officials.' Beyond high-level political disputes, a number of Lebanese citizens, particularly southerners living abroad, have begun filing lawsuits against Hezbollah for allegedly endangering civilians during the recent war. The complaints accuse the group of storing weapons under residential buildings and digging tunnels beneath homes without the owners' knowledge, which plaintiffs say turned these areas into targets for Israeli airstrikes. A legal source said many lawyers refused to take on these cases for fear of reprisals by Hezbollah supporters. 'Some plaintiffs were attacked simply for inspecting the ruins of their homes,' the source said, adding that business owners also claimed their shops were looted during the conflict and blamed Hezbollah for failing to protect property in areas under its control. However, the judiciary has not yet launched formal investigations into these complaints. The legal source acknowledged that lawsuits filed against Hezbollah as an organization, without naming specific individuals, make it harder for courts to initiate proceedings. The growing number of complaints reflects what some legal experts call a historic shift. Political activist and lawyer Elie Kairouz said the public is beginning to shed its fear of challenging Hezbollah, as the party's once-firm grip on the state, security agencies, and judiciary weakens. 'The old consensus that the army, people, and resistance form Lebanon's defense doctrine is gone,' Kairouz told Asharq Al-Awsat. 'Today, the government is calling for exclusive state control over weapons and is working to enforce that.' He said Hezbollah's narrative of defending Lebanon and deterring Israel has lost traction along with the reverence once attached to its weapons. 'The real turning point,' he said, 'will be when courts stop merely registering these lawsuits and begin issuing rulings. Only then can Lebanese citizens be truly protected.'
