Egypt top diplomat meets PLO, urges Palestinian unity

Egypt’s foreign minister meets with a Palestine Liberation Organization delegation Thursday. (@MfaEgypt)

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Updated 2 min 44 sec ago

AFP

January 09, 2025 15:26

Egypt top diplomat meets PLO, urges Palestinian unity

During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty “reaffirmed Egypt’s supportive stance toward the Palestinian Authority”

Updated 2 min 44 sec ago

AFP

January 09, 2025 15:26

CAIRO: Egypt’s foreign minister met a Palestine Liberation Organization delegation Thursday, calling for “unity” and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
The conflict began after the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering massive retaliation.
During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty “reaffirmed Egypt’s supportive stance toward the Palestinian Authority,” his office said in a statement.
The minister also reiterated “Egypt’s rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians from their lands,” it added.
Last month, Egypt hosted talks between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas to discuss bringing post-war Gaza under PA control.
Fatah, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank under the PA, dominates both the PA and the PLO, an internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people.
It has been excluded from Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007.
On Thursday, Abdelatty also discussed with the PLO delegation Egypt’s efforts to end the Gaza war, reach a ceasefire agreement and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been engaged in months of talks to cement a truce in Gaza, but so far to no avail.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that a Gaza ceasefire remained close but added it may not happen before President Joe Biden hands over to Donald Trump.
“I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have,” said Blinken, who leaves office with Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Hamas said at the end of last week that indirect negotiations in Doha had resumed, while Israel said it had authorized negotiators to continue the talks in the Qatari capital.
A previous round of mediation in December ended with both sides blaming the other for the impasse, with Hamas accusing Israel of setting “new conditions” and Israel accusing Hamas of throwing up “obstacles” to a deal.

Topics: Palestinian Authority Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, respected army chief

A billboard celebrating the election of army chief Joseph Aoun, as the Lebanon’s president, is seen in Beirut on January 9, 2025

Updated 13 min 46 sec ago

AFP

January 09, 2025 13:50

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, respected army chief

Aoun has since 2017 headed the army, an institution that serves as a rare source of unity in Lebanon
The man of few words was able to count on his good relations across the divided Lebanese political class to see him elected

Updated 13 min 46 sec ago

AFP

January 09, 2025 13:50

BEIRUT: Joseph Aoun, Lebanon’s army chief who was elected president on Thursday, is a political neophyte whose position as head of one of the country’s most respected institutions helped end a two-year deadlock.
Widely seen as the preferred pick of army backer the United States, he is perceived as being best placed to maintain a fragile ceasefire and pull the country out of financial collapse.
After being sworn in at parliament, Aoun said “a new phase in Lebanon’s history” was beginning.
Analysts said Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday and is considered a man of “personal integrity,” was the right candidate to finally replace Michel Aoun — no relation — whose term as president ended in October 2022, without a successor until now.
A dozen previous attempts to choose a president failed amid tensions between Hezbollah and its opponents, who have accused the Shiite group of seeking to impose its preferred candidate.
Aoun has since 2017 headed the army, an institution that serves as a rare source of unity in a country riven by sectarian and political divides.
He has navigated it through a blistering financial crisis that has drastically slashed the salaries of its 80,000 soldiers, forcing him to accept international aid.
Since late November, he oversaw the gradual mobilization of the armed forces in south Lebanon after a ceasefire ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Under the truce, the Lebanese army has been deploying progressively alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as Israeli forces withdraw, a process they have to finish by January 26.
Speaking on Thursday, Aoun said the state would have “a monopoly” on arms.
The general with broad shoulders and a shaved head has stepped up talks with visiting foreign dignitaries since becoming army chief.
The man of few words was able to count on his good relations across the divided Lebanese political class to see him elected.
Aoun “has a reputation of personal integrity,” said Karim Bitar, an international relations expert at Beirut’s Saint-Joseph University.
He came to prominence after leading the army in a battle to drive out Daesh from a mountainous area along the Syrian border.
“Within the Lebanese army, he is perceived as someone who is dedicated... who has the national interest at heart, and who has been trying to consolidate this institution, which is the last non-sectarian institution still on its feet in the country,” Bitar told AFP.
Aoun was set to retire in January last year, but has had his mandate extended twice — most recently in November.
Mohanad Hage Ali, from the Carnegie Middle East Center, noted that “being the head of US-backed Lebanese Armed Forces, Joseph Aoun has ties to the United States.”
“While he maintained relations with everyone, Hezbollah-affiliated media often criticized him” for those US ties, he told AFP.
Washington is the main financial backer of Lebanon’s army, which also receives support from other countries including Qatar.
An international conference in Paris last month raised $200 million to support the armed forces.
The military has been hit hard by Lebanon’s economic crisis, and at one point in 2020 it said it had cut out meat from the meals offered to on-duty soldiers due to rising food prices.
Aoun, who speaks Arabic, English and French, hails from Lebanon’s Christian community and has two children.
By convention, the presidency goes to a Maronite Christian, the premiership is reserved for a Sunni Muslim and the post of parliament speaker goes to a Shiite Muslim.
Aoun is Lebanon’s fifth army commander to become president, and the fourth in a row.
Military chiefs, by convention, are also Maronites.

Topics: Lebanon Lebanese President Joseph Aoun

Qatar, France among first to congratulate new Lebanon president

Updated 2 min 3 sec ago

Arab News

January 09, 2025 14:34

Qatar, France among first to congratulate new Lebanon president

French foreign ministry said Joseph Aoun's election “opens a new page" for Lebanon
Qatari foreign ministry called for “stability”

Updated 2 min 3 sec ago

Arab News

January 09, 2025 14:34

PARIS: France on Thursday welcomed the election by Lebanese lawmakers of army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacuum at the top, urging the formation of a strong government to drag the country out of a political and economic crisis.

Extending France’s “warm congratulations” to Aoun, the French foreign ministry said his election “opens a new page for the Lebanese” and urged “the appointment of a strong government” that can help the country recover.

Qatar praised the election of Aoun as president on Thursday, calling for “stability” after the more than two year vacancy was filled.

“The State of Qatar welcomes the election of Lebanese army commander General Joseph Aoun,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it hoped his election would “contribute to establishing security and stability in Lebanon.”

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, issued a statement congratulating Aoun, adding that she welcomed the election as a long-awaited first step toward overcoming Lebanon’s political and institutional vacuum and providing the Lebanese people with the functioning state institutions they deserved.

“A prime minister must be designated and a government formed without delay. The tasks ahead of the Lebanese state are too monumental to waste any more time,” she stressed.

SCL @JeanineHennis welcomes the election of a president as a long-awaited 1st step towards overcoming #Lebanon’s political & institutional vacuum & providing the Lebanese people w/ the functioning state institutions they deserve.

Statement: https://t.co/7v1c0kD1XH #JosephAoun pic.twitter.com/Y7ZLeI5CVN
— UNSCOL (@UNSCOL) January 9, 2025

“Now is the moment for each and every decision-maker to put the interest of Lebanon above all personal or political considerations.

“The election of a president offers renewed hope and an opportunity to pave the way for progress towards consolidating the cessation of hostilities and preserving the country’s security and stability, including by strengthening state authority across Lebanon and advancing comprehensive and sustainable reforms,” she added.

* With AFP

Topics: Joseph Aoun Lebanon

Italian foreign minister to meet Syria's new rulers in Damascus

Updated 09 January 2025

AFP

January 09, 2025 13:26

Italian foreign minister to meet Syria's new rulers in Damascus

Antonio Tajani said he would push Syria’s transitional government to pursue an “inclusive political process”

Updated 09 January 2025

AFP

January 09, 2025 13:26

ROME: Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Wednesday he would travel to Syria Friday where he plans to announce an initial development aid package for the country ravaged by years of war.
Tajani’s trip follows those by his French and German counterparts, who visited the Syrian capital last week to meet Syria’s new rulers after they toppled Bashar Assad's regime in a lightning offensive last month.
“It is essential to preserve territorial integrity and prevent (Syria’s) territory from being exploited by terrorist organizations and hostile actors,” Tajani told parliament.
Western powers have been cautiously hoping for greater stability in Syria, a decade after the war triggered a major refugee crisis that shook up European politics.
Tajani did not provide any details about what he called a “first package of aid for cooperation and development.”
Tajani said he would push Syria’s transitional government to pursue an “inclusive political process” that “recognizes and enhances the role of Christians as citizens with full rights.”
Ahead of his trip, Tajani is set Thursday to meet with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Britain and the United States over the Syria situation, with the drafting of a new constitution and Syria’s economic recovery on the agenda.
The EU’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, was expected in Rome for the meeting.

Topics: Fall of Assad Syria

Thousands of Alawites mourn 3 killed by foreign Islamists: monitor, witness

Updated 09 January 2025

AFP

January 09, 2025 16:44

Thousands of Alawites mourn 3 killed by foreign Islamists: monitor, witness

“Thousands of mourners gathered at the funeral of three Alawite farmers from the same family,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
The civilians were killed on Wednesday in the village of Ain Sharqia

Updated 09 January 2025

AFP

January 09, 2025 16:44

DAMASCUS: Thousands of Syrians from ousted President Bashar Assad’s Alawite community mourned on Thursday three civilians killed by foreign Islamist allies of the country’s new authorities, a war monitor and an attendee said.
Since Assad’s ouster, violence against Alawites, long associated with his clan, has soared, with the monitor recording at least 148 killings.
“Thousands of mourners gathered at the funeral of three Alawite farmers from the same family, including one child, killed by foreign Islamist fighters allied to Syria’s new authorities,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
The civilians were killed on Wednesday in the village of Ain Sharqia, in the Alawite heartland of Latakia province, the Observatory said.
“Down with the factions,” some of those in attendance chanted in reference to armed groups, according to footage shared by the monitor.
Mourner Ali told AFP that people had called for those responsible for the killings to be punished and for foreign fighters to leave so that local policemen affiliated with the new authorities could take their place.
“We can’t have people die every day,” he said, asking to be identified only by his first name to discuss sensitive matters.
“We want security and safety to prevail; we support the transitional authorities. We do not want any more killings after today.”
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Observatory, told AFP the mourners also demanded that Syria’s new rulers free thousands of detained soldiers and conscripts.
The Alawite community was over-represented in the country’s now-defunct armed forces.
On Tuesday, three Alawite clerics were also killed by unknown gunmen on the road from Tartus to Damascus, the monitor said.
Another cleric and his wife were found dead in the Hama countryside Thursday after they were abducted a day earlier.
Last month, angry protests broke out in Syria over a video showing an attack on an Alawite shrine, with the Observatory reporting one demonstrator killed in Homs city.
Syrian authorities said the footage was “old” and that “unknown groups” were behind the attack, saying republishing the video served to “stir up strife.”
The alliance spearheaded by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which seized Damascus and ousted Assad on December 8 after a lightning offensive, has sought to reassure minority communities in the Sunni Muslim majority country.
Assad had long presented himself as a protector of minority groups.

Topics: Fall of Assad Alawite Syria Rami Abdel Rahman

Lebanon’s new president promises to rebuild what ‘Israel has destroyed’

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after Aoun is elected as the country’s president.

Updated 25 min 42 sec ago

Agencies

January 09, 2025 16:15

Lebanon’s new president promises to rebuild what ‘Israel has destroyed’

Country has been without president since term of Michel Aoun ended in Oct. 2022
Aoun pledged to work towards best relations with Arab countries, cooperate with Syria

Updated 25 min 42 sec ago

Agencies

January 09, 2025 16:15

BEIRUT: Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun has promised to rebuild what the Israeli occupation has destroyed, in a speech before parliament after taking his oath of office.

The Lebanese state will be able to remove Israeli occupation and the effects of its aggression, Aoun said, after hurdling the second round of voting in parliament to become the country’s new president.

“I promise to reconstruct what Israel destroyed in the south and Beirut’s southern suburbs,’ he said.

The newly elected president also touched on the Palestinian issue, saying he rejects the settlement of Palestinian people and guaranteed their right to return.

He also pledged to work towards the best of relations with Arab countries, and cooperate with Syria to control the borders from both sides.

The Mediterranean country has been without a president since the term of Michel Aoun – not related – ended in October 2022, with tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents scuppering a dozen previous votes.

During parliament’s first session on Thursday morning, 71 out of 128 lawmakers voted in favor of the army commander, short of the required 86, in the first round of the vote.

Thirty-seven members of parliament voted blank, including 30 lawmakers from the pro-Hezbollah bloc, according to a source close to it.

Twenty ballots were declared null and void.

Aoun received 99 votes during the second round, more than the minimum votes required for him to be voted into office.

But international pressure has mounted for a successful outcome with just 17 days remaining in a ceasefire to deploy Lebanese troops alongside UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon after a Hezbollah-Israel war last autumn.

Speaker Nabih Berri then suspended the session until 2:00 p.m. sparking outrage from some lawmakers who demanded an immediate second vote.

The president’s powers have been reduced since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. But filling the position is key to overseeing consultations toward naming a new prime minister to lead a government capable of carrying out reforms demanded by international creditors.

Lebanon’s divided political elite usually agrees on a consensus candidate before any successful parliamentary vote is held.

Aoun, who will turn 61 on Friday, appears to have the backing of the United States and key regional player Saudi Arabia.

US, Saudi and French envoys have visited Beirut to increase pressure in the run-up to the vote.

Pope Francis on Thursday expressed hope that Lebanon could “possess the necessary institutional stability... to address the grave economic and social situation.”

Several lawmakers have objected to what they see as foreign interference in the vote.

In protest, some rendered their ballot void by voting for “sovereignty and the constitution,” a reference to the fact that Aoun’s election would also require a constitutional amendment.

Under Lebanon’s constitution, any presidential candidate must have not held high office for at least two years. Aoun is still head of the army, after extending his mandate past his planned retirement.

Critics have accused Hezbollah and allies of scuppering previous votes.

But a full-fledged war between Israel and Hezbollah last autumn dealt heavy blows to the Shiite militant group, including the death of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike.

In neighboring Syria, Hezbollah has lost a major ally after militants toppled President Bashar Assad last month.

Under multi-confessional Lebanon’s power-sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Christian. Aoun is Lebanon’s fifth army commander to become president, and the fourth in a row.

Military chiefs too are, by convention, Maronites.

The new president faces daunting challenges, with the truce to oversee on the Israeli border and bomb-damaged neighborhoods in the south, the east and the capital to rebuild.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been gripped by the worst financial crisis in its history.

The Hezbollah-Israel war has cost Lebanon more than $5 billion in economic losses, with structural damage amounting to billions more, according to the World Bank.

Topics: Lebanon Joseph Aoun

Egypt top diplomat meets PLO, urges Palestinian unity

Egypt top diplomat meets PLO, urges Palestinian unity

Egypt’s inflation drops to 23.4% in December amid falling food prices

Egypt unveils ancient rock-cut tombs and burial shafts in Luxor

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, respected army chief

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, respected army chief

Qatar, France among first to congratulate new Lebanon president

Saudi king and crown prince congratulate Joseph Aoun on being elected president of Lebanon

Qatar, France among first to congratulate new Lebanon president

Qatar, France among first to congratulate new Lebanon president

Lebanon’s new president promises to rebuild what ‘Israel has destroyed’

Saudi king and crown prince congratulate Joseph Aoun on being elected president of Lebanon

Italian foreign minister to meet Syria's new rulers in Damascus

Italian foreign minister to meet Syria's new rulers in Damascus

UN migration agency appeals for $73 million in aid for Syria

Pope Francis, ramping up criticism of Israel, calls situation in Gaza ‘shameful’

Thousands of Alawites mourn 3 killed by foreign Islamists: monitor, witness

Thousands of Alawites mourn 3 killed by foreign Islamists: monitor, witness

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37 killed in north Syria clashes between pro-Turkiye, Kurdish forces: monitor

Lebanon’s new president promises to rebuild what ‘Israel has destroyed’

Lebanon’s new president promises to rebuild what ‘Israel has destroyed’

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Egypt top diplomat meets PLO, urges Palestinian unity

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