Lebanese army deploys in response to calls for Syrian refugees to protest

Special Lebanese army deploys in response to calls for Syrian refugees to protest
A displaced Syrian man and his son ride a motorcycle, as they drive between the tents at a refugee camp, in Bar Elias, in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, March 5, 2021. (AP Photo)
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Updated 26 April 2023
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Lebanese army deploys in response to calls for Syrian refugees to protest

Lebanese army deploys in response to calls for Syrian refugees to protest
  • PM Mikati: There are gangs smuggling Syrians into Lebanon illegally in exchange for large sums of money
  • Announcement of the deportation of around 50 Syrians from Lebanon to Syria two weeks ago sparked international protests

BEIRUT: Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Wednesday that there were gangs smuggling Syrians into Lebanon illegally across the border through the Bekaa or Akkar in exchange for large sums of money, “while the country can no longer bear the burden of refugees.”

Mikati expressed surprise at the criticism directed toward Lebanon for deporting Syrians who entered the country illegally.

The announcement of the deportation of around 50 Syrians from Lebanon to Syria two weeks ago sparked international protests.

Lisa Abou Khaled, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told Arab News: “The UNHCR has noticed an increase in the number of raids on Syrian (refugee camps) in both Mount Lebanon and the north, and as of April, the UNHCR has confirmed at least 13 raids and has received reports of Syrians being detained for future deportation, including those who are known and registered with the UNHCR.”

A number of municipalities in Lebanese regions have started surveys and inspections to register refugees and restrict their movements in the towns where they reside.

Calls circulated on social media on Tuesday for Syrian refugees to protest in front of the UNHCR building in Jnah, south of Beirut, on Wednesday, while counter-calls were issued by the Lebanese to prevent them from protesting.

On Tuesday night, a police officer in the municipality of Al-Qlayaa in southern Lebanon was assaulted by a Syrian refugee who violated the night curfew. The officer was taken to the hospital, while the police arrested the refugee and are investigating the incident.

Syrian opposition figure Kamal Labwani threatened the Lebanese army in a video posted on social media and called on refugees to carry weapons to defend themselves.

On Wednesday, the Lebanese army and its intelligence, internal security forces, and riot control units deployed around the UNHCR headquarters in anticipation of the protest and to prevent any clashes.

On Tuesday evening, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi sent a letter to the internal security forces asking them “to prevent protests by Syrian refugees and counter Lebanese protests.”

On Wednesday, Mikati chaired a ministerial meeting attended by leaders of security agencies to discuss the Syrian refugee file. The meeting confirmed Lebanon’s right to enact “measures previously taken by the Higher Defense Council in 2019 against violators who enter Lebanon illegally and without official and legal documents.”

The attendees requested the UNHCR, “within a deadline of one week from the date of the meeting, to provide the Ministry of Interior with data on Syrian refugees in all their forms” and asked “that the status of refugee be dropped for anyone who leaves Lebanese territory.”

The attendees emphasized the necessity of “registering the births of Syrians on Lebanese territory in coordination with UNHCR.”

They also reiterated their call for foreign countries “to share the burden of Syrian refugees, particularly given the increasing numbers of refugees and the worsening economic crisis.”

The attendees requested “the Ministry of Labor, in coordination with the General Directorate of General Security, to tighten monitoring of Syrian labor within the permitted sectors.”

They also called on the minister of justice to investigate the possibility of immediately handing over detainees and convicts to the Syrian state.

The Lebanese government estimates the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to be over 1.5 million, distributed in camps and communities on Lebanese territory, mostly concentrated in the Bekaa and northern regions.

Abou Khaled, UNHCR spokesperson, said: “The number of Syrian refugees registered by the UNHCR reached 805,326 as of last March, but the UNHCR knows that the number of non-registered refugees in Lebanon is higher and believes that the total amounts to 1.5 million.”

As for the illegal movement of Syrian refugees between Lebanon and Syria, Abou Khaled said: “The conversations and interactions between the UNHCR and the refugees indicate that back-and-forth trips to Syria are rare. The costs and risks of these illegal trips cross border — often with the participation of smugglers — are high, preventing the majority of Syrians from resorting to these practices.”

Abou Khaled affirmed that “in the cases where the UNHCR identifies the return of a Syrian refugee to Syria, we double-check the information and we cancel their file. However, sometimes, there might be urgent reasons prompting refugees to go back to Syria, and they do that for a certain reason and for a limited period of time.”

As for the ministerial committee’s request to share the UNHCR’s data, Abou Khaled said: “The UNHCR encourages the Lebanese government to cooperate more in this matter by sharing with us the data it has on the refugees’ movement, so we can review them and compare them with ours. The UNHCR reiterates its keenness to work with the relevant authorities in a systematic manner that encourages data sharing and movement monitoring.”

The UNHCR fears that those being deported are at risk, even if they are not registered as refugees.

Following a meeting with the ministerial committee, Mustafa Bayram, minister of labor, said: “Around 37,000 Syrians entered Syria during the Eid Al-Fitr period and came back to Lebanon after spending the holiday vacation there, which deprives them of their refugee status.”

Bassam Mawlawi, the interior minister, emphasized that “Syrians in Lebanon are subject to the Lebanese law and order. They should be registered with the competent official authorities. Their situation must be regulated because this chaos is detrimental to Lebanon, their interests, and the security situation, which we are responsible for.”

Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, urged Lebanese authorities to “halt unlawful deportation of Syrian refugees for fear that they are at risk of torture or persecution at the hands of the Syrian government upon return to war-ravaged Syria.”


UN General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Gaza

UN General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Gaza
Updated 11 December 2023
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UN General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Gaza

UN General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Gaza
  • The General Assembly, whose resolutions are nonbinding, could vote on a text for a cease-fire resolution at the meeting
  • The draft reportedly follows Friday’s vetoed Security Council resolution, ‘expressing grave concern’ over Gaza situation

UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN General Assembly will meet on Tuesday to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, officials and diplomats said Sunday, after the United States last week vetoed a Security Council resolution for a ceasefire.

A special meeting of the General Assembly has been called for Tuesday afternoon by the representatives for Egypt and Mauritania “in their respective capacities as Chair of the Arab Group and Chair of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation,” a spokesperson for the Assembly president said.

According to diplomatic sources, the General Assembly, whose resolutions are nonbinding, could vote on a text for a ceasefire resolution at the meeting.

A draft of the text seen by AFP closely follows the language of Friday’s vetoed Security Council resolution, “expressing grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”

It calls for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” as well as the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

On Friday the United States blocked the ceasefire resolution which came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called an emergency meeting of the Security Council, deploying the rarely-used Article 99 of the UN Charter to bring to the council’s attention “any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”

The body’s “authority and credibility” have been “severely undermined” by its delayed response to the war, Guterres said afterward.

At the end of October, in another of its resolutions, the General Assembly called for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” between Israel and Hamas.

Two weeks later the Security Council broke its silence on the war for the first time by calling for “extended pauses and humanitarian corridors” — using less clear language than a ceasefire or a truce.


EU ministers consider next steps in response to Israel-Hamas war

EU ministers consider next steps in response to Israel-Hamas war
Updated 11 December 2023
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EU ministers consider next steps in response to Israel-Hamas war

EU ministers consider next steps in response to Israel-Hamas war
  • Some EU leaders are pushing for sanctions against extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank
  • Sanctions are already in place against Hamas, which is listed by the EU as a terrorist organization

BRUSSELS: European Union foreign ministers on Monday consider possible next steps in response to the Middle East crisis, including a crackdown on Hamas’ finances and travel bans for Israeli settlers responsible for violence in the West Bank.
At a meeting in Brussels, ministers from the bloc’s 27 countries will also hear from Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba as they discuss future security assistance to Kyiv.
While EU officials insist helping Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion remains a top priority, the eruption of the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has forced the bloc to focus anew on the Middle East.
The war has exposed long-running and deep divisions on the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict among EU countries.
But the ministers will try to find common ground as they consider a discussion paper from the EU’s diplomatic service that outlines a broad range of possible next steps.
Hamas is already listed by the European Union as a terrorist organization, meaning any funds or assets that it has in the EU should be frozen.
The EU said on Friday it had added Mohammed Deif, commander of the military wing of Hamas, and his deputy, Marwan Issa, to its list terrorists under sanction.
The discussion paper – seen by Reuters — suggests the EU could go further by targeting Hamas finances and disinformation.
EU countries including France and Germany have said they are already working together to advance such proposals.
Senior EU officials such as foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, have also expressed alarm at rising violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The paper suggests an EU response could include bans on travel to the EU for those responsible and other sanctions for violation of human rights.
France said last month the EU should consider such measures. And Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said last week that “extremist settlers in the West Bank” would be banned from entering the country.
Diplomats said it would be hard to achieve the unanimity necessary for EU-wide bans, as countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary are staunch allies of Israel.
But some suggested a decision last week by the United States, Israel’s biggest backer, to start imposing visa bans on people involved in violence in the West Bank could encourage EU countries to take similar steps.

 


Israel bombs south Gaza after Hamas hostage threat

Israel bombs south Gaza after Hamas hostage threat
Updated 11 December 2023
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Israel bombs south Gaza after Hamas hostage threat

Israel bombs south Gaza after Hamas hostage threat
  • Hamas demands that all its members in Israeli prisons be freed in exchange for the hostages
  • Israel says there are still 137 hostages in Gaza, while activists say around 7,000 Palestinians are in Israeli jails
  • Over 100 Israeli soldiers killed since start of Gaza operation, the army says

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: Israel bombed southern Gaza’s main city on Monday after Hamas warned no Israeli hostages would leave the territory alive unless its demands for prisoner releases were met.
Hamas triggered the conflict when it carried out the deadliest-ever attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures, and taking about 240 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel has responded with a military offensive that has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed at least 17,997 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The ministry said on Monday that dozens of people had been killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip, while Israel’s army reported rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.
An AFP correspondent reported that Israeli strikes on Monday hit the main southern city of Khan Yunis, while Palestinian militants Islamic Jihad said they had blown up a house where Israeli soldiers were searching for a tunnel shaft.
Hamas on Sunday warned that Israel would not receive “their prisoners alive without an exchange and negotiation and meeting the demands of the resistance.”
Israel says there are still 137 hostages in Gaza, while activists say around 7,000 Palestinians are in Israeli jails.
Months of intense bombardment and clashes have left Gaza’s health system on the brink of collapse, with most hospitals no longer functioning and nearly two million people displaced.
AFP visited the bombed-out ruins of the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City and found at least 30,000 people taking refuge amid the rubble after Israeli forces raided the medical facility last month.
“Our life has become a living hell, there’s no electricity, no water, no flour, no bread, no medicine for the children who are all sick,” said Mohammed Daloul, 38, who fled there with his wife and three children.

No safe place
The UN estimates 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been displaced from their homes — roughly half of them children.
Israel had urged people to seek refuge in the south, but after expanding the war to include southern targets, there are few safe places for civilians to go.
Humanitarian organizations continued to press Israel for greater protection of civilians in the conflict.
Mapping software deployed by Israel’s army to try to reduce non-combatant deaths was condemned as inadequate Sunday by Lynn Hastings, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories.
“A unilateral declaration by an occupying power that patches of land where there is no infrastructure, food, water, health care, or hygiene are ‘safe zones’ does not mean they are safe,” she said.
Only 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functioning at any capacity, according to the United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA.
“Gaza’s health system is on its knees and collapsing,” said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as the agency called for immediate, unimpeded aid deliveries.
Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi said Sunday his troops were using “significant force” in Gaza, hailing “significant achievements” in the war.
The army told AFP on Monday that 101 soldiers have died in the Gaza ground offensive, and previously put the number of wounded at around 600.
It said Sunday it had struck more than 250 targets in 24 hours, including “a Hamas military communications site,” “underground tunnel shafts” in southern Gaza, and a Hamas military command center in Shejaiya in Gaza City.
Some 7,000 “terrorists” have been killed, according to National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
“Hamas should not exist, because they are not human beings, after what I saw they did,” Menahem, a 22-year-old soldier wounded on October 7, told AFP during a military-organized tour that did not allow him to give his surname.

UN to demand ceasefire
The UN General Assembly will meet on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza, its president said, after the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution for a ceasefire on Friday.
A draft of the text seen by AFP closely follows the language of Friday’s failed Security Council resolution, “expressing grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a leaders’ gathering in Qatar on Sunday that the Security Council’s “authority and credibility were severely undermined” by the US veto.
Qatar, where Hamas’s top leadership is based, said it was still working on a new truce like the week-long ceasefire it helped mediate last month that saw 80 Israeli hostages exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners and humanitarian aid.
But Israel’s relentless bombardment was “narrowing the window” for success, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday again rejected a ceasefire.
“With Hamas still alive, still intact and... with the stated intent of repeating October 7 again and again and again, that would simply perpetuate the problem,” he told ABC News.
But Blinken also said the United States was “deeply, deeply aware of the terrible human toll that this conflict is taking on innocent men, women and children.”
There are fears of regional escalation with frequent cross-border exchanges between Israel and Lebanese militants, and attacks by pro-Iran groups against US and allied forces in Iraq and Syria.
Syria’s state news agency said Israel had carried out strikes near Damascus late Sunday, but air defense systems had prevented any significant damage.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the strikes had targeted Hezbollah sites in the Sayeda Zeinab district and near Damascus airport.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels threatened to attack any vessels heading to Israel unless more aid was allowed into Gaza.
France said Sunday one of its frigates in the Red Sea had shot down two drones launched from Yemen.


UN General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Gaza

UN General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Gaza
Updated 11 December 2023
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UN General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Gaza

UN General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Gaza
  • The General Assembly, whose resolutions are nonbinding, could vote on a text for a ceasefire resolution at the meeting

UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN General Assembly will meet on Tuesday to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, officials and diplomats said Sunday, after the United States last week vetoed a Security Council resolution for a ceasefire.

A special meeting of the General Assembly has been called for Tuesday afternoon by the representatives for Egypt and Mauritania “in their respective capacities as Chair of the Arab Group and Chair of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation,” a spokesperson for the Assembly president said.

According to diplomatic sources, the General Assembly, whose resolutions are nonbinding, could vote on a text for a ceasefire resolution at the meeting.

A draft of the text seen by AFP closely follows the language of Friday’s vetoed Security Council resolution, “expressing grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”

It calls for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” as well as the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

On Friday the United States blocked the ceasefire resolution which came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called an emergency meeting of the Security Council, deploying the rarely-used Article 99 of the UN Charter to bring to the council’s attention “any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”

The body’s “authority and credibility” have been “severely undermined” by its delayed response to the war, Guterres said afterward.

At the end of October, in another of its resolutions, the General Assembly called for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” between Israel and Hamas.

Two weeks later the Security Council broke its silence on the war for the first time by calling for “extended pauses and humanitarian corridors” — using less clear language than a ceasefire or a truce.


Israel’s Netanyahu calls on Hamas militants to ‘surrender now’

Israel’s Netanyahu calls on Hamas militants to ‘surrender now’
Updated 11 December 2023
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Israel’s Netanyahu calls on Hamas militants to ‘surrender now’

Israel’s Netanyahu calls on Hamas militants to ‘surrender now’
  • The militants late on Sunday boasted of success in their fight with Israeli forces in Gaza

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for Hamas militants to lay down their arms, saying the Palestinian Islamist group’s end was near, as the war in the Gaza Strip raged more than two months after it began.
“The war is still ongoing but it is the beginning of the end of Hamas. I say to the Hamas terrorists: It’s over. Don’t die for (Yahya) Sinwar. Surrender now,” Netanyahu said in a statement, referring to the chief of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“In the past few days, dozens of Hamas terrorists have surrendered to our forces,” Netanyahu said.
The military has, however, not released proof of militants surrendering, and Hamas has rejected such claims.
Almost one month ago, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas had “lost control” of Gaza.
The militants late on Sunday boasted of success in their fight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
Izzat Al-Rishq, a senior member of the Hamas political bureau, said history would “remember Gaza as the clearest of victories” for the Palestinian militants.
“The end of the occupation has begun in Gaza,” Rishq said.
Hamas triggered the conflict with the deadliest-ever attack on Israel on October 7 in which it killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures, and dragged around 240 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel has responded with a relentless military offensive that has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed at least 17,997 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.