‘There is no alternative to the two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict': Watch
For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney welcomes Dr. Gershon Baskin, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Alliance for Two States, Middle East Director of the International Communities Organisation, Advisor to both Israeli, Palestinian and International Prime Ministers on the Middle East Peace Process.
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L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
On the eve of Tuesday's Council of Ministers, Hezbollah disarmament continues to divide
Hezbollah MP Ali Fayad warned Sunday against the possibility that Israel and the United States might turn the issue of disarming the party from a "Lebanese-Israeli problem into a Lebanese-Lebanese problem," emphasizing that Israeli withdrawal and a cessation of hostilities remained the priority. This position comes two days before Tuesday's crucial Cabinet meeting, which is expected to set a timetable for the disarmament process of armed factions in Lebanon, including Hezbollah. "We do not deny the magnitude of the dangers, the intensity of the pressures, or the severity of the threats facing the country, but we must be fully aware that the worst scenario would be for the Israelis and Americans to succeed in turning the issue from a Lebanese-Israeli problem into a Lebanese-Lebanese problem, thereby allowing the Israeli to remain a mere spectator of our conflicts and divisions," Fayad stressed during a ceremony in southern Lebanon. Unified Lebanese position He noted that the Lebanese "must show foresight and wisdom in managing this issue, as well as courage, firmness and resilience in the face of threats and pressures," adding that "the more unified or coordinated the Lebanese position is, the more capable we will be of withstanding pressures and strengthening our internal front." The MP also emphasized "the necessity that the Lebanese position respects the order of priorities mentioned by President Joseph Aoun, particularly that cessation of hostilities and Israeli withdrawal must constitute the absolute priority, before any other discussion." Fayad stated that "nothing suggests, guarantees or indicates that the Israeli intends to withdraw from the five hills or to stop its hostile acts, regardless of the commitments made by Lebanon, while the country has fulfilled its obligations related to the cease-fire agreement." The MP's comments come as the Israeli army maintains a presence in southern Lebanon at five points it considers "strategic," and continues near-daily strikes on presumed Hezbollah fighters. 'Unanimity around Hezbollah' Jaafarite Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, who is close to Hezbollah, called in a statement Sunday for "unanimity around Hezbollah," given that Lebanon "is at existential risk" and should therefore not "be stripped of its resistance asset." "The nature and scale of Israeli threats push us to adopt a defense strategy that diversifies the country's defensive capabilities, because it is not possible to fight Israel openly and with weak capabilities," he said. "On Tuesday, the government will have the country in its hands, and any mistake regarding the weapons of the resistance will put Lebanon at Israel's mercy," the religious leader continued. "Any discussion about the weapons of the resistance can only be based on a defensive strategy, and the government's role is to build up national defensive capabilities, not to remove or weaken assets." According to him, "any attempt to override the opinion of Parliament Speaker [Nabih] Berri is tantamount to suicide." Akkar MP Walid Baarini, from the National Moderation bloc, expressed confidence that "the government meeting on Tuesday will resolve" the issue of Hezbollah's weapons. Speaking to his visitors on Sunday, Baarini addressed the party, making it "assume responsibility for protecting Lebanon, because it can protect it by its decision to surrender its weapons, or destroy it by refusing to give them up." Former Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram, also close to Hezbollah and speaking at a funeral ceremony in memory of a slain Hezbollah member, expressed his opposition to the party handing over its weapons. "Does sovereignty consist of talking about resuming the decision of war and peace while the sound of a drone flies over the Serail? And is it sovereignty when one is unable to defend oneself?" he questioned. Opposition to the party intensified over the weekend, with calls for clear decisions on dismantling its arsenal. Justice Minister Adel Nassar posted Sunday on X that "if Hezbollah chooses suicide by refusing to surrender its weapons, we will not allow it to drag Lebanon and the Lebanese people down with it."
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israel says ground troops conducted raids in Syria
Israel's military said Sunday ground troops had operated in southern Syria, seizing weapons and questioning individuals suspected of arms trafficking, in the latest cross-border raid since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December. A military statement said that troops had completed overnight "a mission involving on-site questioning of several suspects involved in weapons trafficking in the Hader area in southern Syria," near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. "Troops entered four locations simultaneously and located numerous weapons that the suspects had been trafficking," the statement said. Footage released by the military showed uniformed Israeli troops in armoured vehicles and on foot operating at night. An Israeli army division remains "deployed in the area, continuing to operate and prevent the entrenchment of any terrorist elements in Syria, with the aim of protecting Israeli civilians, and in particular, the residents of the Golan Heights," the military said. As an Islamist-led offensive late last year toppled Syrian President Assad, Israel deployed troops to the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights, which has separated Israeli and Syrian forces following their 1973 war. In July, Israel bombed Syrian government forces in the capital Damascus and in Sweida province to force their withdrawal from the southern region amid a wave of sectarian violence. Israel said it was acting in defence of the Druze community, but some diplomats and analysts say its goal is to weaken the Syrian military and keep the forces of the new government away from the frontier. Israel launched hundreds of strikes on military sites following Asaad's overthrow in December, saying at the time it wanted to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities it considers jihadists. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria.
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Campaign by pro-Hezbollah figures against Joseph Aoun
In response to President Joseph Aoun's recent speech on Aug. 1, delivered on Army Day, during which he reiterated his determination to monopolize weapons in the hands of the state, a campaign has been waged against the president by individuals close to Hezbollah. These include journalists on social networks, television shows and in videos. One of these widely circulated videos shows journalist Hassan Olleik addressing the president, in particular commenting on the phrase used by Aoun, who called to 'eliminate the pretext' that these weapons give the enemy to continue its aggression against Lebanon. 'Pretexts for the enemy' 'When you address the audience that faced the last Israeli aggression, you should choose your words much more carefully,' the journalist said. 'When you tell these people to bet on the Lebanese state or else their sacrifices would have been in vain and the state would collapse, and that they are too noble to offer pretexts to the enemy, you must know that this is not something you say to these people.' 'He who did not order the army to deploy at the borders as soon as the cease-fire was announced should keep silent today. He does not even have the right to speak. He must speak with respect, whoever he is,' he added. 'It is your statements and those of the prime minister that are pretexts for the enemy.' In another widely circulated interview, an unidentified man presented as 'close to the southern suburbs' bluntly stated that 'anyone who claims that Hezbollah's weapons have led to the destruction of Lebanon is an agent.' When the interviewer remarked that the president made these comments, the man said, 'If the Shiites hand over their weapons in the morning, they will be massacred in the evening.' 'No rifle will be handed over to the state' Swearing by all Shiite references that 'no rifle will be handed over to the state,' the unidentified man said, 'I will not hand the weapons over except to Imam Ali if he comes back to earth,' he shouted. He followed with the threat that if pressure on the Shiite community persisted, 'the National Pact will no longer exist and [they] will face 600,000 fighters.' In a third video, also widely shared by stunned internet users, a man films himself watching President Aoun's speech and saying to him: 'You're talking about an army? Go f*** yourself, you and the army! They're asking us to hand our weapons to the Lebanese Army? What Lebanese Army? They're serious!' This rhetoric sparked widespread protests from many internet users, who called for the security forces and the judiciary to 'react.' Lebanese law penalizes insulting comments against the president. On Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah launched a 'support front' with Gaza, which left Hezbollah weakened, deprived of its main leadership and facing vast destruction in areas where it is heavily present, notably southern Lebanon. The question of its weapons is acute, and President Aoun reaffirmed the state's stance on the monopoly of arms. On Tuesday, it will be on the agenda of a Cabinet meeting considered decisive on the matter.
