Latest news with #IsraeliOccupation
Roya News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Roya News
France reportedly pushes for broader recognition of Palestinian statehood
France is encouraging several European nations, including the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands, to officially recognize Palestinian statehood during a United Nations conference next month, according to a French diplomat who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity. French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly hopes the move could help revive stalled peace talks between 'Israel' and the Palestinians, particularly as the war in Gaza drags on. 'The two-state solution is more necessary than ever but it has been more undermined than ever due to the war, the displacement, and the violence of extremist settlers,' the diplomat said. The diplomat added that France envisions the recognition being part of a broader diplomatic initiative, possibly alongside Arab states recognizing Israeli Occupation. However, another European diplomat told Politico that many Arab countries currently seek 'sanctions, not statehood.' So far, 147 of 193 UN member states recognize Palestine. Last year, Spain, Ireland, and Norway joined that list—moves condemned by 'Israel', which argues such recognition rewards the actions of Palestinian armed groups. Meanwhile, humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate. On March 2, Israeli Occupation sealed off the Strip's borders, halting the entry of aid, food, hygiene supplies, and fuel. By April 1, all 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme had shut down due to lack of wheat flour and fuel.
The National
a day ago
- General
- The National
Lebanon's Palestinian militias were born of Israel's occupation. It's time to resolve both
For a country trying to write a new chapter in its history, Lebanon faces an array of formidable challenges. While Israel continues to carry out air strikes and occupy Lebanese territory in the south, the new government in Beirut is trying to exert its authority nationwide – including in areas where its writ does not currently run. This difficult process is an important part of the country's efforts to recover and prosper. As Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a keynote address to the Arab Media Summit in Dubai yesterday: 'Our country, exhausted by divisions, wars and patronage systems, has decided to regain itself, to regain its word, to regain its state'. A prime example of this challenge to the state is to be found inside Lebanon's 12 official Palestinian refugee camps. Located from Tripoli in the north to Tyre in the south, these poverty-stricken communities are home to more than 200,000 Palestinians displaced or born in exile owing to their expulsion from their homeland in previous decades by Israeli forces. Outside state control, these areas have been ruled by an array of armed factions since the 1969 Cairo Agreement, which ceded responsibility for their security to the Palestine Liberation Organisation. An informal understanding prohibits Lebanese security forces from even entering the camps. Generations later, this arrangement has added to instability within Lebanon. Some camps have become victims of outlaws, drug traffickers and extremists deciding to hide in plain sight there. Rival groups have clashed repeatedly; in September 2023, more than 2,000 people were displaced in Ain Al Hilweh – Lebanon's largest refugee camp – as Palestinian factions and armed extremists fought with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. This would be an intolerable situation for any country, especially one as volatile as Lebanon. On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced that a process to disarm Palestinian refugee camps will begin in mid-June. It will be a difficult task, and may not proceed on that time table. Lebanon's underfunded armed forces have a matter of weeks to bring the situation under control and reverse decades of entrenched support for armed groups with their own political agendas and, in some cases, foreign support. There are also deeper issues to be reckoned with. The broken situation in the camps is born out of Israel's continuing occupation of Palestinian land. Palestinians in Lebanon want to go to their homeland, not live a shadow existence on the fringes of Lebanese society. At the same time, Israel's bombardment and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza provides a difficult and sensitive context for Beirut's attempt to bring Palestinian weapons under control. Palestinians in Lebanon want to go home, not live a shadow existence on the fringes of Lebanese society The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, met Mr Aoun in Beirut last week, and is seeking to co-ordinate the disarmament. But for the plan to have the greatest chance of success, it must be made clear that it is not about disempowering Palestinians or enabling one faction to dominate other – it is about restoring Lebanese sovereignty and stability. There will be those who will regard this process as a litmus test for how to handle another armed organisation outside state in control in Lebanon, namely Hezbollah. But the situation regarding the Iran-backed group has a different dynamic that does not allow for a one-size-fits-all solution. Nevertheless, the principle behind disarming Lebanon's many militias is key: that a country's legitimate government holds the monopoly over armed force. As Serhan Serhan, a member of the PA's Legislative Council and deputy secretary of Mr Abbas's Fatah faction in Lebanon said recently: "We are all under the ceiling of Lebanese law." If this is true, then there should be no room for any one faction to bring the house down.
Roya News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Tel Aviv: We intercepted missiles launched from Yemen
"Israel's" military claimed on Tuesday that it intercepted a missile and a projectile launched from Yemen. The aerial weapons were neutralized before causing any damage or injuries, according to a brief statement by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). No further details were provided on the interception systems used or the exact locations targeted. Yemen's Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted the Israeli Occupation as a part of a broader campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who have been under "Israel's" aggression since Oct. 7, 2023. The Houthis have declared that they will continue targeting "Israel", while announcing a halt to operations against US and "Israeli" vessels in the Red Sea.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Far-right Israelis storm Al-Aqsa, UNRWA compounds amid Jerusalem Day march
Right-wing Israelis in Jerusalem have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and a United Nations facility for Palestinian refugees as an annual march took place marking Israel's conquest of the eastern part of the city. Some Israelis chanted, 'Death to Arabs' and 'May your village burn,' as they marched through the alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City on Monday, going through the Muslim quarter to mark 'Jerusalem Day', which commemorates the Israeli occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem after the 1967 war. Thousands of heavily armed police and border police were dispatched in advance because settlers regularly assault, attack and harass Palestinians and shops in the Muslim quarter. The settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law. Groups of young people, some carrying Israeli flags, were seen on Monday confronting Palestinian shopkeepers, passers-by and schoolchildren as well as Israeli rights activists and police, at times spitting on people, lobbing insults and trying to force their way into houses. Police detained at least two youths, according to AFP journalists at the scene. A small group of those rallying, including an Israeli member of parliament, stormed a compound in East Jerusalem belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. Israel has banned the agency from working in occupied Palestinian territory and in Israel, impacting the life-saving work that it has been carrying out for more than 70 years in areas that include the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip. UNRWA West Bank coordinator Roland Friedrich said about a dozen Israeli protesters, including Yulia Malinovsky, one of the legislators behind an Israeli law that banned UNRWA, entered the compound, climbing its main gate in view of Israeli police. Last year's procession, held during the first year of Israel's assault on Gaza, saw ultranationalist Israelis attack a Palestinian journalist in the Old City and call for violence against Palestinians. And four years ago, the march contributed to the outbreak of an 11-day war in Gaza. Earlier on Monday, Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and other politicians were among more than 2,000 Israelis who stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and surrounding areas. Ben-Gvir released a video on his X account from the site – Islam's third holiest – saying he 'prayed for victory in the war, for the return of all our hostages, and for the success of the newly-appointed head of the Shin Bet – Major General David Zini'. Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Vaserlauf and Knesset member Yitzhak Kreuzer were among those accompanying the ultranationalist minister. Backed by armed police, Ben-Gvir has carried out similar provocative moves in the compound before, often at sensitive junctures in Israel's war on Gaza, to advocate for increased military pressure and to block all humanitarian aid entering Gaza. The Jerusalem Waqf – the Islamic authority that oversees the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) – decried the storming of the compound by Ben-Gvir and other members of the Israeli Knesset and called for a halt to all 'provocative activities' in the area. Under the management of the Jordan-appointed Waqf, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the compound. Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim said the march is aimed at asserting Israeli dominance over the city. 'Videos show Israeli citizens inside the Old City of Jerusalem attacking Palestinian shops and throwing objects at them,' Ibrahim said, reporting from Doha, Qatar as Al Jazeera has been banned from reporting in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem. 'This is again a reminder that no one has immunity.'
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Business as usual as Lebanon's traditional parties dominate municipal elections
Lebanon's municipal elections, staggered over recent weeks across the country, have ended with the results indicating it is business as usual for the country's ruling parties. The elections were supposed to have been held in 2022 – the last round was in 2016 – but were delayed three times for a variety of reasons from political bickering to the looming threat of an Israeli war. That they were largely smooth, ironically in the wake of that war, which Israel expanded nationwide last September, was in itself in a remarkable achievement in a country seeking a fresh start but still subject to Israeli attacks and occupation in the south. The process was not flawless – there were some reports of voting irregularities. There was also the occasional notable swing in certain districts and some surprise winners. But overall the results showed that Lebanon's traditional parties, who have far greater resources than independent candidates and can rely on their sectarian bases, retained their hold on power. 'The main lesson in these municipal elections is that it showed extraordinary resilience of the traditional establishment, sectarian Lebanese parties,' said Karim Bitar, a professor of International Relations at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. 'Most of them scored very well in their respective areas of influence.' The grip displayed by the traditional parties, many of which are usually opposed to each other, was best illustrated in Beirut when rival sectarian parties teamed up to form a single list described by Prof Bitar as a 'sort of unholy alliance'. The Christian-led Lebanese Forces and Kataeb Party teamed up with their foe Hezbollah and its Shiite ally the Amal Movement to form a single list and win. These respective sides normally spend their time deeply wary of each other. Prof Bitar said it was 'pretty ironic' to see these parties joining forces. 'When they get along, when they find a way to split the pie, everything goes well. This is what happened in the elections. But very rapidly we will see a return of the old divisions,' he said. The parties said it was done to respect confessional parity, an argument that has not necessarily convinced everyone. There are no confessional quotas in the municipal councils, unlike parliamentary elections where seats are divided up to reflect Lebanon's multitude of religious faiths. Reformists, who won around a dozens seats in the 2022 parliamentary election, were always likely to have a harder time working against an entrenched system in the municipal polls. Local elections normally have a lower turnout compared to parliamentary polls, making the task for newcomers harder. Lebanon seeks fresh start The elections were much needed; around a half of the 1,000 municipalities in Lebanon were essentially inactive or barely functional, such was the gap in time since the last election. 'We have a chance again to resume things at times when local authorities are really needed to the maximum. Regardless of the area or sect, everybody was able to express themselves and elect new teams,' said a senior official in the Lebanese Forces, parliament's largest political party. 'It's a major credit for the new administration,' the official said referring to the Lebanese government that took power this year. 'Democratic life should always be taking place and should never be disrupted. And it's an extra point in our [Lebanese Forces] favour that all the calls for delaying the elections were proven to misplaced,' the official added. Lebanon's MPs ended a two-and-half year political impasse in January by electing Joseph Aoun as head of state. The former army commander designated former International Court of Justice chief judge Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister, with the two men seen as outside the traditional ruling classes and not the preferred option of Hezbollah. The new administration is regarded as having made positive steps in its first months, but faces a daunting task. Vast swathes of south Lebanon lie in ruins from Israel's bombardment last year. A low-level border conflict with Hezbollah, which broke out in parallel to Israel's war on Gaza, erupted overnight last September when Israel launched an all-out war on Lebanon, killing more than 4,000 people, wiping out much of Hezbollah's leadership and leaving huge parts of the country in ruins. Despite a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel emerging last November, the latter continues to strike south Lebanon on a daily basis and occupies five points of Lebanese territory. Hezbollah retains support The vote over the weekend in South Lebanon was an important test of Hezbollah's support base given its diminished strength and calls for its disarmament. It was one it passed, easily. Voter turnout was generally lower in south Lebanon, while no formal voting took place in some areas because the joint list between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement ran unopposed, such is its enduring popularity. 'Hezbollah paid with their blood, including Hassan [Nasrallah]' said Zainab Saideh, explaining why she continued to stand with the Lebanese political party and armed group, whose leader was assassinated by Israel in September. She made the comments after casting her ballot in Jwaya, a town 15km from the border that Israel targeted repeatedly. She no lives in a rented apartment because her house in the town was destroyed during the war. Some residents of the border villages that were completely destroyed cast their votes in nearby cities. While Israel is bombing south Lebanon on a daily basis, it appeared to relent for the elections on Saturday. 'Nothing happened, no security breaches and people were able to expresses themselves,' the Lebanese Forces official said. 'Most importantly, each municipality – which is the first public authority – they were able to reform again,' they added.
