logo
Aoun receives NGO proposal to grant Lebanese women the right to pass citizenship

Aoun receives NGO proposal to grant Lebanese women the right to pass citizenship

BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun received a proposal on Wednesday from a delegation of the 'My Nationality is My Right and My Family's Right' campaign for a law granting Lebanese women who are married to non-Lebanese men the right to give Lebanese nationality to their children "within limits specified by the law."
During the reception of the proposal at the Baabda Palace, which was announced on the presidency's official X account, the director of the campaign, Karima Chebbo, quoted by local news website al-Nashra, expressed hope that Aoun would assist in passing a draft law that would amend a nationality law dating from 1925, which prevents Lebanese women from passing on the Lebanese nationality to their children.
According to Chebbo, the campaign began in Lebanon in 2003 and has since expanded to several Arab countries. The NGO is in coordination with a number of states, she explained, "to achieve justice and equality between men and women."
The campaign "does not target anyone," she said, as quoted by al-Nashra, "but rather aims to ensure fairness for Lebanese mothers married to foreigners and reduce the negative social and familial consequences resulting from the law that has been in effect for the past 100 years."
Despite decades of active campaigning, activists have never seen a breakthrough on this issue. There is no shortage of political pretexts, revolving mainly around "demographic" fears, supposedly linked to the fear of the settlement of Palestinians who have been refugees in Lebanon since 1948 and Syrians who fled the war in their country following its outbreak in 2011.
For children born to Lebanese mothers and residing in Lebanon, this situation is a source of much suffering, as they continue to be considered foreigners.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

U.S. envoy: Israel must 'comply' after Lebanon's 'first step' to disarm Hezbollah
U.S. envoy: Israel must 'comply' after Lebanon's 'first step' to disarm Hezbollah

Ya Libnan

time2 hours ago

  • Ya Libnan

U.S. envoy: Israel must 'comply' after Lebanon's 'first step' to disarm Hezbollah

U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack said Monday that it is now Israel's turn to comply with the cease-fire agreement reached last November to end the war with Hezbollah. File Pool photo by Anthony Behar/UPI BEIRUT, Lebanon – U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack said Monday that it is now Israel's turn to comply with the cease-fire agreement reached last November to end the war with Hezbollah , now that Lebanon has taken 'the first step' toward disarming the Iran-backed militant group. Barrack, who met with Lebanon's top officials in Beirut, hailed the cabinet for endorsing earlier this month the objectives of a U.S.-proposed plan to disarm Hezbollah and for tasking the Army with preparing a plan to enforce a state monopoly on weapons by the end of the year. 'This is a Lebanese decision that requires Israel's cooperation,' he said after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Presidential Palace. He added, '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 with that equal handshake.' Asked whether Israel is then expected to stop its violations and pullout from occupied parts of south Lebanon, Barrack said this was 'the next step,' noting the need for Israel's 'participation' and for an economic plan 'for prosperity, restoration and renovation of everybody.' 'You can't just take something and not give anything,' he said. Israel refused to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon in accordance with the U.S.- and French-brokered cease-fire agreement of Nov. 27, retaining five strategic positions and continuing to strike suspected Hezbollah sites, resulting in the deaths of additional operatives and civilians. Despite the Lebanese Army taking control of most Hezbollah positions and facilities, pushing the group away from the Israeli border, and preventing any military presence south of the Litani River, Israel continued to insist on Hezbollah's complete disarmament. Hezbollah, significantly weakened during the 14-month war and reportedly having lost the bulk of its military capabilities, refrained from retaliating against Israel's continued attacks but refused to yield to pressure to fully disarm, insisting it would not do so as long as Israel violates the cease-fire accord. Barrack clarified that there has been 'no American proposal to Israel and they have not negated anything,' explaining that Washington has been discussing first with Lebanon to know its position and was in the process of holding the same discussions with Israel now. He tried to assure Lebanon's Shiite community, saying Hezbollah was part of the Shiite population who 'have to see what is in store for them; what's the option and what's a better alternative than the alternative they have.' He expressed optimism 'to see progress on all sides' in the next few weeks, saying it would mean 'a better life for the people' and 'at least the beginning of a roadway to a different kind of dialogue' in the region. Lebanon's decision to set a timeline for Hezbollah disarmament was mainly motivated by the risk of another devastating war with Israel and of losing well-needed funds to rebuild its war-devastated regions. President Aoun told Barrack that 'the other parties' would need to adhere 'to the contents' of the plan agreed upon with Washington; secure greater support for the Lebanese Army and accelerate the internationally backed efforts to launch the reconstruction process in the war-ravaged areas. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who also met the U.S. envoy, emphasized the need for the U.S. to assume its responsibility in pressuring Israel to halt its hostile actions, withdraw from the five occupied points, and release Lebanese detainees captured during the war. Salam stressed the importance of renewing the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon at the end of this month, highlighting its role in reinforcing stability and assisting the Lebanese Army in extending state authority in the south. He, moreover, called for a clear international commitment to convening a conference to support reconstruction and economic recovery in Lebanon, which the World Bank has estimated at $11 billion, while Lebanese officials put it at more than $14 billion. House Speaker Nabih Berri , Hezbollah's main ally who negotiated the November 2024 cease-fire accord on its behalf, asked Barrack about Israel's commitment to the agreement and withdrawal from south Lebanon, saying: 'This is the gateway to stability in Lebanon and an opportunity to begin the reconstruction process in preparation for the return of residents to their towns.' The Hezbollah-Israel war, which killed and wounded more than 21,500 people, displaced over 1.2 million people, damaged or destroyed nearly 64,000 buildings and disrupted education for hundreds of thousands of students, according to a U.N. report. (UPI)

Aoun stresses 'step-for-step' approach with Israel
Aoun stresses 'step-for-step' approach with Israel

Nahar Net

time3 hours ago

  • Nahar Net

Aoun stresses 'step-for-step' approach with Israel

by Naharnet Newsdesk 18 August 2025, 13:01 President Joseph Aoun said in an interview that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's paper 'became a Lebanese paper' after Lebanon 'introduced its remarks to it.' 'It will not become in effect before Lebanon, Syria and Israel agree to it. The second matter that we emphasized is the 'step-for-step' principle, because if any step is not implemented, the step that matches it will not be implemented in return,' Aoun told Al-Arabiya television. He added that he had to choose between two options: 'I either agree to the paper and tell the world that I performed my duty and that they now have to perform their duty in obtaining Israel approval of it, or I don't agree and then Israel would increase its attacks and Lebanon would become isolated economically.' 'None of us can respond to the attacks. And if anyone has a third choice that can lead to Israel's withdrawal, the liberation of the captives, border demarcation and the economy's revival, let them come forth and propose it,' Aoun said. Noting that Hezbollah's arms are a 'domestic affair' and that 'state institutions are concerned with addressing this matter,' the president added that he believes that 'no one in the Lebanese state across the country has a problem with arms monopolization.' Aoun also stressed that his concern is 'not to move Lebanon from one axis to another,' but rather to 'restore Lebanon, end its isolation and achieve security, prosperity and stability.' 'I don't have a political or electoral ambition not a party to be concerned about, I'm only concerned about Lebanon and I have an occupation in the South that I want to get rid of. I also want to finalize border demarcation with Syria, not to move the country from one axis to another,' the president went on to say.

Egypt says ready to take part in international force for Gaza
Egypt says ready to take part in international force for Gaza

L'Orient-Le Jour

time4 hours ago

  • L'Orient-Le Jour

Egypt says ready to take part in international force for Gaza

Egypt said on Monday it was willing to join a potential international force deployed to war-torn Gaza, but only if backed by a U.N. Security Council resolution and accompanied by a "political horizon", as cease-fire efforts pressed on in Cairo. Egypt has repeatedly called for Palestinian unity under the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO,) an umbrella group that dominates the Palestinian Authority and excludes militant group Hamas. The PA previously governed the Gaza Strip before losing power in 2007 during violent clashes with Hamas, whose Oct.7, 2023 attack on southern Israel sparked the current war in the territory. "We are standing ready of course to help, to contribute to any international force to be deployed in Gaza in some specific parameters," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told a joint press conference with Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa at the Rafah border crossing on Monday. "First of all, to have a security council resolution, to have a clear-cut mandate, and of course to come within a political horizon," Abdelatty said. "Without a political horizon, it will be nonsense to deploy any forces there." Abdelatty said a political framework would enable international troops to operate more effectively and support Palestinians "to realise their own independent Palestinian state in their homeland". The Palestinian premier, Mustafa, said a temporary committee would manage the territory after the war ended, with full authority resting with the Palestinian government. "We're not creating a new political entity in Gaza. Rather, we are reactivating the institutions in the State of Palestine and its government in Gaza," he said. While Hamas has previously welcomed the idea of a temporary committee to "oversee relief efforts, reconstruction and governance", it remains unclear whether the group is willing to relinquish control of the territory. In an interview with U.S. network Fox News earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel planned to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, but did not intend to govern it. "We don't want to keep it," the premier said, adding Israel wanted a "security perimeter" and to hand the Palestinian territory to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us". On Monday, Hamas negotiators in Cairo received a new proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, a Palestinian official said, with the prime minister of key mediator Qatar also in Egypt to push for a truce.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store