El-Sisi poised for third term as Egyptians head to the polls

El-Sisi poised for third term as Egyptians head to the polls
Workers place an Egyptian flag at the entrance of one of the schools that will be used as a polling station in the upcoming presidential elections, in Cairo on Dec. 9, 2023. (Reuters)
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Updated 09 December 2023
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El-Sisi poised for third term as Egyptians head to the polls

El-Sisi poised for third term as Egyptians head to the polls
  • Analyst sees election as precursor to new era of political diversity
  • 9,400 polling stations set up

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is looking to secure six more years in power in the country’s presidential election, which takes place Dec. 10-12.
The president is competing against three other candidates: Abdel-Sanad Yamama of the Wafd Party, the oldest Egyptian party; Hazem Omar, head of the Republican People’s Party; and Farid Zahran of the Social Democratic Party.
Parliamentary representative Mohammed Maher El-Sebaei said: “This is a significant moment, especially for the youth, who represent 65 percent of the population.”
El-Sebaei emphasized the critical role of young Egyptians in shaping the future through voting, calling the election a “democratic celebration, marking the fifth multi-party election in Egypt’s history.”
Shawkat Al-Assar, a political analyst, emphasized that the election could provide an opportunity for broader participation and expression of opinions and said he views it as a precursor to a new era of political diversity and expansion of the public sphere.
Vote counting is scheduled to begin as soon as the polls close on Tuesday. Around 9,400 polling stations have been set up across the country and 15,000 judicial employees will be working at them over the three days of the election, supervising the procedures and transporting the ballots to where they will be counted.
The Egyptian National Elections Authority said around 11,631 sub-polling committees had been set up at the stations, which include schools, youth centers, and health units.
The authority has also invited all accredited diplomatic missions in Egypt to observe the electoral process. So far, 24 embassies have expressed their interest in observing, and 67 diplomats have registered for monitoring.
Additionally, 14 international organizations and 62 local civil-society organizations have been approved to monitor the voting, with 22,340 people receiving permits.
Officials said 528 professionals from 115 international media outlets and 4,218 from 70 local outlets have been accredited to cover proceedings.
Dedicated phone lines and video-call services with sign language interpreters will also be available and arrangements have been made to ensure that the elderly, those with special needs, and those with impaired sight or hearing will be able to vote.
Dr. Iman Karim, general supervisor of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, said that the council had been proactive in ensuring the participation of disabled people.
The polling stations will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. on all three days of the election.


Israel rescuers say over 60 wounded in area Hezbollah claimed drone strike

An ambulance arrives at the site of a drone strike near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, on October 13, 2024. (AFP)
An ambulance arrives at the site of a drone strike near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, on October 13, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 13 sec ago
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Israel rescuers say over 60 wounded in area Hezbollah claimed drone strike

An ambulance arrives at the site of a drone strike near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, on October 13, 2024. (AFP)
  • Hezbollah said it launched “a squadron of attack drones” at a military training camp in Binyamina, south of Haifa, in response to Israeli air strikes on Lebanon

JERUSALEM: An Israeli volunteer rescue service on Sunday said more than 60 people were wounded south of Haifa, where Hezbollah earlier claimed a drone strike that targeted a military base.
“With the help of United Hatzalah ambulance teams, we provided assistance to over 60 wounded people with varying degrees of injuries — critical, serious, moderate and mild,” the rescue service United Hatzalah said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
Earlier Sunday, Hezbollah, which is at war with Israel, said it launched “a squadron of attack drones” at a military training camp in Binyamina, south of Haifa, in response to Israeli air strikes on the country.
The incident comes two days after air raid sirens sounded in central Israel after two aerial drones entered the country from Lebanon, with at least one building damaged north of Tel Aviv during the incident.
Hezbollah has been regularly firing rockets and drones across the border into Israel for more than a year, but has reached further since late September when fighting escalated.
Israel’s sophisticated air defenses, including the Iron Dome system, has intercepted most of the projectiles, with few casualties caused by strikes or falling debris.


Lebanese demand justice for journalist killed by Israeli tank fire

Lebanese demand justice for journalist killed by Israeli tank fire
Updated 5 min 27 sec ago
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Lebanese demand justice for journalist killed by Israeli tank fire

Lebanese demand justice for journalist killed by Israeli tank fire
  • CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said that “in spite of extensive evidence of a war crime, a year on from the attack, Israel has faced zero accountability for the targeting of journalists”

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanese journalists and activists Sunday demanded justice for Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed a year earlier in what probes said was Israeli tank fire while covering cross-border clashes in south Lebanon.
Two strikes in quick succession on October 13, 2023 killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and wounded six other journalists including AFP photographer Christina Assi and video journalist Dylan Collins.
Assi later had a leg amputated and spent five months in intensive care in hospital as a result of the attack.
Two investigations have pointed to an Israeli tank being behind the attack, but Israel has denied it targets “civilians, including journalists.”
Friends and acquaintances on Sunday shared photos Abdallah had taken, or pictures of him.
Legal Agenda, a non-governmental organization, posted on social media: “A year after the killing of photographer Issam Abdullah, Israeli impunity continues.”
Lebanese rights group Maharat called on the international community to “implement treaties, resolutions and commitments to protect journalist.”
In a post on X, journalist Salman Andary demanded “justice for Issam and for all the victims of this crime.”
Economist Jad Chaaban wrote on X: “Israel killed... Abdallah, by shelling a clearly marked press spot in the South of Lebanon.”
“The Israeli army is still carrying out mass executions until today with total impunity,” he said.
After nearly a year of cross-border fire, Israel on September 23 escalated its campaign targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
More than 1,200 people have since been killed in Lebanon, according to a tally of official figures, and more than a million have been displaced.
On Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists decried a lack of accountability for Israel over the killing of Abdallah.
CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said that “in spite of extensive evidence of a war crime, a year on from the attack, Israel has faced zero accountability for the targeting of journalists.”
The journalists were working near the border village of Alma Al-Shaab in an area that has been the site of near-daily clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
An AFP investigation in December pointed to a tank shell only used by the Israeli army being fired in the attack.
A separate Reuters probe, including initial findings from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), found two Israeli tank rounds fired from the same position across the border were used.
TNO’s final report said an Israeli tank crew then “likely” opened fire on them with a machine gun.
An Israeli military spokesman said after the strike: “We are very sorry for the journalist’s death,” adding that Israel was “looking into” the incident, without taking responsibility.
 

 


Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody

Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody
Updated 13 October 2024
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Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody

Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody
  • Israel currently detains more than 9,600 Palestinians — including more than 5,000 who were arrested after Oct. 7, 2023, following the outbreak of war in Gaza

RAMALLAH: Two Palestinian organizations that monitor the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails announced on Sunday the death of a detainee in an Israeli hospital.
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported that Israeli officials had informed Palestinian officials about the “martyrdom of prisoner Mohammed Munir Moussa from Bethlehem at Soroka Hospital in Israel.”
Moussa, 37, had been detained by Israel since April 2023 and had been suffering from diabetes before his arrest. Until now, there was no information available about the circumstances of his death, according to the two Palestinian organizations.
Israel currently detains more than 9,600 Palestinians — including more than 5,000 who were arrested after Oct. 7, 2023, following the outbreak of war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ attack on southern Israel — according to data provided by Palestinian officials.
The head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees, Qaddura Fares, accused Israel of taking “revenge” on Palestinian detainees after the Hamas attack.
His agency is part of the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank.
With the death of Moussa, the number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli custody has risen to 41 since October 7, 2023, according to Palestinian officials.
Of those, 24 were from Gaza.
Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, 278 Palestinians are known to have died in Israeli prisons, according to these organizations.
The issue of detainees in Israel has become a central point in the war between Israel and Hamas, with the Palestinian movement demanding the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages taken captive during the attack that began the war.
Out of 251 people taken hostage by militants on Oct. 7 last year, 97 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.

 


Macron calls on Iran’s president to back Mideast ‘de-escalation’

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday held a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. (File/AFP)
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday held a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. (File/AFP)
Updated 13 October 2024
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Macron calls on Iran’s president to back Mideast ‘de-escalation’

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday held a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. (File/AFP)
  • Iranian presidential website said that in his conversation with Macron, Pezeshkian had called for an end to “crimes” in Lebanon and Gaza

TEHRAN: French President Emmanuel Macron called on Iran’s leader Masoud Pezeshkian to support a “general de-escalation” in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon in a telephone conversation Sunday, his office said.
Macron stressed “the responsibility of Iran to support a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilising actors that enjoy its support.” Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters are fighting Israeli troops in Lebanon.
The Iranian presidential website said that in his conversation with Macron, Pezeshkian had called for an end to “crimes” in Lebanon and Gaza.
They discussed ways to secure a “ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel,” a statement on the website said.
Pezeshkian “asked the French president to work together with other European countries to force the Zionist regime to stop the genocide and crimes in Gaza and Lebanon,” the statement added.


Lebanon’s PM condemns Netanyahu’s demand for UNIFIL’s withdrawal

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati delivering a statement to the press in Beirut on October 11, 2024. (AFP)
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati delivering a statement to the press in Beirut on October 11, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 13 October 2024
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Lebanon’s PM condemns Netanyahu’s demand for UNIFIL’s withdrawal

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati delivering a statement to the press in Beirut on October 11, 2024. (AFP)
  • Organization protests against ‘shocking violations’ by Israel
  • Relief airlift from Kingdom to ‘support Lebanese people facing critical conditions’

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu for appealing to UN chief Antonio Guterres to remove peacekeepers from the Lebanese side of the border, where clashes between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli troops have intensified.

Lebanon “condemns Netanyahu’s position and the Israeli aggression against UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers,” said Mikati.

He added: “The warning that Netanyahu addressed to … Guterres demanding the removal of the UNIFIL represents a new chapter in Israel’s approach of not complying with international norms.”

Mikati’s statement came as Saudi Arabia officially launched relief air support to Lebanon, and the first plane carrying humanitarian and medical aid reached Beirut.

Rafic Hariri International Airport on Sunday witnessed the arrival of the first aircraft from the Saudi relief airlift, accompanied by the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari.

The Saudi aid agency KSrelief announced that the airlift was established “under the directives of the Kingdom’s leadership to provide medical and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people in support of their efforts to cope with critical circumstances.”

The first aircraft carried 46 containers of various aid supplies, including tents, in anticipation of the approaching winter season.

The Saudi Press Agency also reported that KSrelief had continued implementing the fourth phase of the Hope Bakery charitable project in the Akkar Governorate and Miniyeh district in northern Lebanon.

During the past week the project has distributed 175,000 bundles of bread to families in need, including Syrian and Palestinian families, and host communities in northern Lebanon, benefiting 12,000 households.

The Lebanese Caretaker Minister of Economy Amin Salam; Caretaker Minister of Environment Nasser Yassin; and the Secretary-General of the Lebanese High Relief Commission Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair welcomed the support’s arrival at the airport.

Yassin thanked Saudi Arabia “for this assistance in these challenging times to secure urgent needs. The Kingdom has consistently supported Lebanon, and we appreciate this stance and commitment.”

Bukhari, who met Mikati, said: “The first wave of assistance has arrived, confirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment and support for the Lebanese people in facing difficult challenges.”

A Qatari aircraft transporting tonnes of medical supplies also arrived at the airport, while an Omani aircraft, loaded with 40 tonnes of medicine and humanitarian assistance, is scheduled to arrive on Monday.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continued to target the Lebanese army.

A drone targeted a Lebanese army vehicle with a missile on Sunday as it passed through the town of Burj Al-Muluk, injuring three soldiers.

An airstrike on the town of Srebbine in the district of Bint Jbeil wounded four paramedics.

Meanwhile, UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Sunday asked for an explanation from the Israeli army over what they said were “shocking violations” against their force, including forcing entry into one of their positions.

UNIFIL said in a statement: “We have requested an explanation from the Israeli army for these shocking violations.”

The organization also accused Israel’s military of halting a logistics convoy.

The UN peacekeepers said Israeli tanks broke through a gate to enter a Blue Helmet position in Lebanon on Sunday, after blocking their movement the previous day.

The peacekeeping mission said: “At around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in shelters, two Israeli military Merkava tanks destroyed the position’s main gate and forcibly entered the position in the Ramia area of southern Lebanon.

“They requested multiple times that the base turn out its lights. The tanks left about 45 minutes after UNIFIL protested through our liaison mechanism.”

A little over two hours later, peacekeepers reported “the firing of several rounds 100 meters north, which emitted smoke.”

They added: “Despite putting on protective masks, 15 peacekeepers suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, after the smoke entered the camp.”

Israeli soldiers on Saturday had “stopped a critical UNIFIL logistical movement near Mais Al-Jabal, denying its passage,” the force said, referring to an area in south Lebanon.

“For the fourth time in as many days, we remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel.”

The UN force added: “Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701.”

It added that UNIFIL’s mandate provided freedom of movement in its area of operations.

The number of peacekeeping soldiers in UNIFIL stands at 10,500, representing over 40 countries worldwide. They are deployed in fixed and mobile sites in the border area to monitor the implementation of Resolution 1701 in coordination with the Lebanese army.

Mikati on Sunday reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701.

He said that Netanyahu “is not content with the aggression he is waging on Lebanon, claiming martyrs and victims and causing indescribable destruction.”

Mikati added that Netanyahu’s “warning to Guterres represents a new chapter in the approach of non-compliance with international legitimacy and its related resolutions.”

He added: “This statement is for the international community and the UN, and it should be a new incentive to take the appropriate stance after Netanyahu turned against the French-American call, supported by foreign and Arab countries, for a ceasefire.”

The southern front on Sunday witnessed new Israeli incursion attempts, especially in Maroun Al-Ras where Hezbollah announced its targeting of a gathering of Israeli soldiers inside the town.

The group also announced it had targeted an Israeli tank south of the Lebanese town of Qouzah with a guided missile.

A violent confrontation also took place at the entrance to the town of Ramyah, and machine-gun clashes were heard in an area between Aita Al-Shaab and Ramyah.

Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported that the Israeli army had captured a Hezbollah member in southern Lebanon and found an underground tunnel within a building that led to an area where other members of the group were present. Hezbollah-affiliated activists denied Israel’s claim.