Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack

Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack
Man and child walk past the rubble of a collapsed building in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on September 16, 2024 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (File/AFP)
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Updated 17 September 2024
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Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack

Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack
  • Poll suggests 57 percent of Gazans think Oct 7 was incorrect decision
  • Slight dip in Hamas support, but group still most popular

RAMALLAH: A majority of Gazans believe Hamas’ decision to launch the Oct. 7 attack on Israel was incorrect, according to a poll published on Tuesday pointing to a big drop in backing for the assault that prompted Israel’s devastating Gaza offensive.
The poll, conducted in early September by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), found that 57 percent of people surveyed in the Gaza Strip said the decision to launch the offensive was incorrect, while 39 percent said it was correct.
It marked the first time since Oct. 7 that a PSR poll found a majority of Gazan respondents judging the decision as incorrect. It was accompanied by a drop in support for the attack in the West Bank, though a majority of 64 percent of respondents there still thought it was the correct decision, the poll found. PSR’s previous poll, conducted in June, showed that 57 percent of respondents in Gaza thought the decision to be correct.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military offensive that has laid waste to the Gaza Strip since last October, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israel launched its assault after the unprecedented Hamas raid which killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 250 being abducted, according to Israeli tallies.
PSR said it surveyed 1,200 people face-to-face, 790 of them in the West Bank and 410 in Gaza, with a 3.5 percent margin of error.
PSR polls since the Oct. 7 attack have consistently shown a majority of respondents in both Gaza and the West Bank to believe the attack was a correct decision, with support generally greater in the West Bank than Gaza.
PSR said the poll released on Tuesday marked the first time since Oct 7. that its findings had shown simultaneously in the West Bank and Gaza a significant drop in the favorability of the attack and in expectations that Hamas will win the current war.
Overall, the poll found a majority of 54 percent of respondents in Gaza and the West Bank thought the decision was correct.
In August, the Israeli military accused Hamas of mounting an effort to falsify the results of PSR polls to falsely show support for Hamas and Oct. 7, though the military said there was no evidence of PSR cooperating with Hamas.
PSR said it had taken the allegation seriously and investigated it. PSR said on Tuesday its analysis of the data did not flag any inconsistencies that would arise when data is arbitrarily altered, and that a review of quality control measures “convinced us that no data manipulation took place.”
Support for Oct. 7 did not necessarily mean support for Hamas or killings or atrocities against civilians, PSR said, adding that “almost 90 percent of the public believes Hamas men did not commit the atrocities depicted in videos taken on that day.”
The poll showed a drop in the number of respondents in Gaza who said they support Hamas to 35 percent from 38 percent. But the Islamist movement remained more popular than Fatah, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, in both in Gaza and the West Bank.


Lebanese Executives Council praises Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian support for Lebanon

Lebanese Executives Council praises Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian support for Lebanon
Updated 13 sec ago
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Lebanese Executives Council praises Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian support for Lebanon

Lebanese Executives Council praises Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian support for Lebanon
  • Rabih El-Amine thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their efforts to assist the Lebanese people

LONDON/BEIRUT: The president of the Lebanese Executives Council thanked the government and people of Saudi Arabia for their “unwavering support” for his country amid Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah.

In a press briefing on Monday, Rabih El-Amine thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their efforts to assist the Lebanese people and acknowledged the Kingdom’s continued solidarity and “steadfast allyship” with Lebanon.

A second Saudi relief plane, operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, left from Riyadh on Monday, carrying food, medical supplies and shelter aid to Beirut International Airport.

El-Amine highlighted the immediate establishment of a humanitarian aid bridge as a testament to Saudi Arabia’s support, adding: “The Kingdom has yet again shown itself to be Lebanon’s big sister.”

He continued: “In addition to the generous support from Saudi Arabia, we are also receiving aid from the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkiye, Egypt, and many others. We are immensely grateful to these brotherly nations and are seeking their continued support in helping Lebanon achieve a ceasefire to preserve what remains of our beautiful country.”

El-Amine issued an urgent appeal for more humanitarian assistance to address the devastation affecting millions across the country wrought by the Israeli offensive, especially in large parts of Beirut, the south of the country and the Bekaa regions, which have been heavily impacted.

“Since last October, Lebanon has been thrust into a conflict that the country neither desired nor can sustain. Despite our solidarity with Gaza, the situation has escalated into devastation,” he said.

According to the LEC, the destruction has left many Lebanese citizens displaced, with homes reduced to rubble and temporary shelters springing up across streets, beaches and overcrowded displacement centers.

“The aid we anticipate from generous and concerned nations should be directed precisely where it’s most needed — toward the innocent Lebanese civilians who have been swept into this conflict against their will.

“Consequently, we earnestly urge the Lebanese government to rise to the occasion and effectively assist its people during these trying times, with the eyes of the world upon us, it is imperative that we act with integrity to acknowledge the suffering and losses endured by our citizens.

“In all fairness, we should commend the resilience and resourcefulness of the Lebanese people as they navigate these uncertain waters. The spontaneous solidarity among the citizens has played a vital role in welcoming and supporting the displaced, often stepping in where official institutions have faltered,” he added.

El-Amine acknowledged it would be difficult to ensure all of the aid went to the people who required it most.

“Unfortunately, guaranteeing that aid reaches the right people is beyond our control, we can only hope and appeal to the government and its institutions to fulfill their responsibilities and ensure that assistance reaches those in most need,” he said.

“Thankfully, organizations like KSrelief are collaborating closely with trusted local partners to ensure the aid is effectively distributed to those who require it most, which gives us a sense of optimism,” he said.

Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis is further exacerbated by economic difficulties and the large refugee population, including 1.5 million Syrians and half a million Palestinians. El-Amine highlighted the significance of Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic role in addressing these challenges.

“Saudi Arabia’s role on the international stage, alongside other partners, is crucial in alleviating regional tensions,” he said.

The conflict has brought attention to Lebanon’s political impasse, as the country has been without a president for months. The council praised Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to help resolve the political deadlock by urging the Lebanese parliament to elect a new president and form an effective government.

“This task has been challenging, largely due to Iran’s influence through Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Lebanese people, in general, do not desire war or to fight for Iran. While they sympathize with Gaza, they are not willing to sacrifice Lebanon in the process,” El-Amine said.

“They are calling for an immediate ceasefire, the election of a new president, and the formation of an effective government; our ultimate goal is to rebuild the country and foster national reconciliation while upholding the constitution, ensuring that only the Lebanese army has the authority to bear arms in defense of the nation.”


Iran says ‘no grounds’ for indirect talks with US

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad.
Updated 1 min 39 sec ago
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Iran says ‘no grounds’ for indirect talks with US

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad.
  • “Currently, we don’t see any grounds for these talks, until we can get past the current crisis,” Araghchi said in Muscat
  • The talks, he said, had been halted “due to the specific conditions of the region”

TEHRAN: Iran said Monday it currently sees “no grounds” for its indirect talks with the United States via intermediary Oman, citing the crisis in the Middle East.
In June, Tehran said it had engaged in indirect talks with Washington via Muscat, despite the two countries having no diplomatic relations.
US news website Axios reported at the time that officials from Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman “on how to avoid escalating regional attacks.”
On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited the Gulf sultanate as part of a regional tour in which he met allies and Middle East powers after Israel vowed to retaliate against Tehran’s recent missile attack.
“Currently, we don’t see any grounds for these talks, until we can get past the current crisis,” Araghchi told reporters in Muscat.
The talks, he said, had been halted “due to the specific conditions of the region.”
Iran fired 200 missiles at Israel on October 1 in what it said was retaliation for the killing of Tehran-aligned militant leaders in the region and a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Israel has vowed to respond
Oman has long mediated between Iran and the United States, which cut ties after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
In Muscat, Araghchi met Mohammed Abdel Salam, a senior official of the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The Houthis, alongside Hezbollah, Hamas and others, are part of the so-called axis of resistance of Iran-backed, anti-Israel armed groups.
The United States is Israel’s close ally and by far its largest provider of military assistance.
Araghchi also held talks with his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi over the developments in Lebanon and Gaza, and called for an “immediate end” to the conflict, said Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
Oman’s foreign ministry said the two officials agreed on “harnessing diplomacy as an essential tool for resolving disputes and conflicts” in the region.
While in Oman, Araghchi spoke on the phone with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
Araghchi slammed what he called US obstruction of the United Nations Security Council in relation to the wars in Lebanon and Gaza as “a disaster” during the call.
China is a permanent member of the council.
Before arriving in Oman, Araghchi was in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials.
Last week, he visited Qatar and Saudi Arabia where talks mainly revolved around establishing a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza as well as ways to contain the conflict.


UN experts alarmed by treatment of migrants in Tunisia

UN experts alarmed by treatment of migrants in Tunisia
Updated 14 October 2024
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UN experts alarmed by treatment of migrants in Tunisia

UN experts alarmed by treatment of migrants in Tunisia
  • They said human rights violations were taking place during rescue operations at sea
  • Reports have been received of arbitrary forcible transfers to Tunisia’s borders, with excessive use of force

GENEVA: Migrants, refugees and human trafficking victims face alarming treatment in Tunisia, United Nations experts warned Monday.
They said human rights violations were taking place during rescue operations at sea, as people try to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, and in transfers to border areas with neighboring Algeria and Libya.
“We have received shocking reports detailing dangerous maneuvers when intercepting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers at sea; physical violence, including beatings, threats of use of firearms; removal of engines and fuel; and capsizing of boats,” the experts said in a statement.
The experts said that between January and July, 189 people were reported to have lost their lives during attempted Mediterranean crossings and 265 during interception operations at sea; a further 95 are reported missing.
“For those who are ‘rescued’ by the coast guards, including victims of trafficking, their situation reportedly only worsens on disembarkation at ports,” the experts said.
They said they had received reports of arbitrary forcible transfers to Tunisia’s borders, with excessive use of force and no access to humanitarian assistance.
“Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, including children and pregnant women, are allegedly brought to the desert areas bordering with Algeria and Libya, and fired at by border guards if they attempt to return,” the experts said.
The signatories included the special rapporteurs on human trafficking, contemporary racism, migrants’ rights and human rights defenders.
UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council, but do not speak for the United Nations itself.
Tunisia and Libya have become key departure points for migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, seeking better lives in Europe by risking perilous Mediterranean crossings, often in makeshift boats.
Each year, tens of thousands of people attempt to make the crossing from Tunisia, with Italy — whose island of Lampedusa is only 150 kilometers (90 miles) away — often their first port of call.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration has said more than 30,309 migrants have died in the Mediterranean in the past decade, including more than 3,000 last year.
The UN experts voiced concern at a reported increase of criminal gangs involved in human trafficking, and at reports of sexual abuse, violence and exploitation, including the rape of girls as young as 10.
Tunisia’s immigration management is partly financed by European funds under a July 2023 agreement.
“We are concerned that, despite these serious allegations, Tunisia continues to be considered a place of safety following search and rescue at sea,” the experts said.


Lebanese Red Cross says 18 killed in strike in north

Paramedics with the Lebanese Red Cross transport a body unearthed from the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike.
Paramedics with the Lebanese Red Cross transport a body unearthed from the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike.
Updated 38 min 56 sec ago
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Lebanese Red Cross says 18 killed in strike in north

Paramedics with the Lebanese Red Cross transport a body unearthed from the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike.
  • “Eighteen dead and four wounded in the strike on Aito,” the Red Cross said, referring to a village in the Christian-majority Zgharta district

BEIRUT: The Lebanese Red Cross said 18 people died in a strike on north Lebanon on Monday, with the health ministry and official media reporting an Israeli raid on the Christian-majority area far from Hezbollah strongholds.
“Eighteen dead and four wounded in the strike on Aito,” the Red Cross said, referring to a village in the Christian-majority Zgharta district.
The health ministry earlier said an Israeli strike there killed nine people, with the official National News Agency also saying Israel targeted a “residential apartment” in the village.
So far, Israeli strikes have mainly been concentrated in predominantly Shia areas, where Hezbollah built its power base in a state wracked by sectarianism.
An AFP photographer at the site of the strike said it had levelled a residential building at the entrance to the village.
Body parts were scattered in the rubble, with Red Cross volunteers searching for survivors in the wreckage while ambulances evacuated wounded people.
The Lebanese army imposed a security cordon in the area, where the strike had also sparked a fire, he said.
On Saturday, the health ministry reported two dead and four wounded in an Israeli strike on Deir Billa, some 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the town of Batroun on Lebanon’s north coast.
DNA tests were being carried out to determine the identity of the remains, the statement added.
After almost a year of cross-border fire over the Gaza war, Israel on September 23 launched an intense air campaign mainly targeting Hezbollah’s south and east Lebanon strongholds, as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The escalation has killed more than 1,300 people, according to an AFP tally of official figures.


Lebanon aid convoy driver injured after Israeli strike

Lebanon aid convoy driver injured after Israeli strike
Updated 14 October 2024
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Lebanon aid convoy driver injured after Israeli strike

Lebanon aid convoy driver injured after Israeli strike
  • Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh told AFP that the convoy was carrying “humanitarian aid from the Lebanese government

Beirut: An Israeli strike hit an east Lebanon town as an aid convoy drove through it Tuesday, injuring one of its drivers, a governor and the state news agency said.
The governor of Baalbek, Bachir Khodr, on X reported “an Israeli strike very close to an aid convoy as it drove through the town of Ain” on its way to Ras Baalbek.
He posted a picture from the back window of the car he was in, showing a huge column of smoke billowing up into the sky dozens of meters (yards) behind it.
“The driver of the truck driving directly behind us was injured,” he added.
Israeli strikes hit Ain during “the passage of a convoy consisting of three trucks” heading toward the town of Ras Baalbek, said the National News Agency (NNA).
“One of the aid trucks heading to Ras Baalbek was damaged as a result of the blowback of the strike in Ain, which led to the injury of the truck driver.”
Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh told AFP that the convoy was carrying “humanitarian aid from the Lebanese government.”
It “was traveling to the area accompanied by the Lebanese Red Cross with agreement from the United Nations,” he said.
The convoy was made up of five trucks, and carried aid from several countries including the United Arab Emirates and Turkiye.
Two had previously unloaded goods in Baalbek, NNA said.
Almost a year of cross-border fire, Israel on September 23 increased its strikes against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in south and east Lebanon, as well as the capital’s southern suburbs.
The escalation has killed more than 1,300 people, according to an AFP tally of official figures.