Joseph Aoun to visit Saudi Arabia on first official trip

Update Joseph Aoun to visit Saudi Arabia on first official trip
Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun troops the line at the parliament building in Beirut after being elected as the country’s president. (Reuters)
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Updated 11 January 2025
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Joseph Aoun to visit Saudi Arabia on first official trip

Joseph Aoun to visit Saudi Arabia on first official trip
  • New Lebanese president hails Kingdom’s ‘historical role in supporting Lebanon’
  • Macron to Berri: ‘We are committed to supporting Lebanon and implementing ceasefire agreement’
  • Al-Sharaa to Mikati: ‘We are committed to building positive relations with Lebanon based on mutual respect, sovereignty of both nations’

BEIRUT: New Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s first official overseas trip will be to Saudi Arabia, he said on Saturday.

It came during during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the president’s office said.

The crown prince called to congratulate Aoun and invited him to visit the Kingdom, the Lebanese presidency and Saudi Press Agency said.

Aoun said that Saudi Arabia would be his first destination “in recognition of the Kingdom’s historical role in supporting Lebanon and standing in solidarity with it, and as an affirmation of Lebanon’s deep Arab identity as the foundation of its relations with its regional surroundings,” his office said.

During the call, the crown prince conveyed King Salman’s and his congratulations on Aoun’s election and his swearing-in as president.

The crown prince wished “success to Aoun and the brotherly Lebanese people, as well as further progress and prosperity.”

Aoun thanked the crown prince for Saudi Arabia’s stances toward Lebanon and its people.

In his first statement after assuming office, Aoun told visitors on Saturday that he “did not come to engage in politics but to build a state that can only be established on justice and equality among all its components, which share one identity.”

Speaking to a delegation from Dar Al-Fatwa headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, Aoun said: “The responsibility does not lie solely on me, and this is not just my term; it is the term of every Lebanese, regardless of their position or sect.

“We have great and numerous opportunities, and the world has begun discussing conferences in support of Lebanon, but it depends on us to demonstrate to these countries the extent of our credibility in building the state.

“We are not building a state for sects; Lebanon as a state protects everyone; the state of sects does not ensure protection.”

Aoun added: “There are no winners or losers; rather, we have a great opportunity that we either seize or lose.

“We have seen what has happened recently, and everyone has been affected. This country, its people and future generations have suffered enough.”

Aoun expressed his hope that the new government would be formed as quickly as possible, “allowing us to begin building bridges of trust with the outside world.”

He said: “We must seek the assistance of the outside world, not use it to gain strength against our people. No sect or individual is superior to another.”

In his speech, Grand Mufti Derian thanked the Arab and friendly states that helped Lebanon “emerge from the dark tunnel and end the presidential vacancy.”

He said: “We are an essential component of the state, and what we seek is to achieve a balance between the components of Lebanese society.

“We want to feel that we live in a state governed by justice, law, the constitution and the Taif Agreement,” he added.

In Damascus, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held talks on his first official visit to Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime.

He held an extensive meeting with the leader of the new administration, Ahmad Al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa told a press conference at the People’s Palace: “We are giving ourselves an opportunity to build positive relations in the upcoming stages based on the sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria.

“We will maintain neutrality toward all parties in Lebanon and will try to resolve issues.

“The priority for Syria at this time is to ensure the security of the nation and to confine weapons to the hands of the Syrian state.”

He said: “Our objective is to establish positive relations between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples based on mutual respect, and the sovereignty of both countries, and Syria will strive to address all issues through dialogue.”

Al-Sharaa’s meeting with Mikati focused on smuggling and Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks, he added.

“We also raised the issue of demarcating the borders between the two countries.”

Mikati called for “activating the relations between the two countries based on the national sovereignty of each and working to prevent anything that could harm the relationship.

“Syria represents Lebanon’s natural gateway to the Arab world, and as long as it is well, Lebanon will also be well,” he added.

The caretaker prime minister also addressed the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, describing it as an “urgent matter.”

Lebanon must “promptly and facilitate their return to Syria, as this matter exerts significant pressure on Lebanon, and I have sensed an understanding of this situation,” Mikati said.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron, who congratulated him on the election of the president.

Macron highlighted France’s commitment to “continuing its support for Lebanon in all fields, especially the Lebanese army, and to implementing the ceasefire agreement in southern Lebanon.”

He said that he would visit Lebanon “very soon.”

President Aoun received congratulatory messages on his election from Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who highlighted his “keenness to strengthen the historic and distinguished relations between the two countries,” as well as UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan; UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum; UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan; and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army began redeploying in the towns of Al-Qaouzah, the outskirts of Ramyeh, Tayr Harfa, Wadi Ain Al-Zarqa and Al-Batishiyeh in Tyre district after the Israeli army withdrew as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

The army is expected to complete its deployment in the towns of Yaroun, Maroun Al-Ras, Aitaroun, Blida, Mays Al-Jabal, Houla, Markaba and Odaisseh this week.

Israeli forces that had infiltrated the area carried out an operation involving the demolition of several houses in the town of Aita Al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district.


UN experts warn Trump Gaza plan would return world to ‘dark days of colonial conquest’

UN experts warn Trump Gaza plan would return world to ‘dark days of colonial conquest’
Updated 20 sec ago
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UN experts warn Trump Gaza plan would return world to ‘dark days of colonial conquest’

UN experts warn Trump Gaza plan would return world to ‘dark days of colonial conquest’
  • Call for US to facilitate permanent ceasefire, resume UNRWA funding, and compensate Palestinians for damage caused by US weapons
  • US should pressure Israel to pay for reconstruction and reparations, hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable, and support Palestinian statehood, experts say

NEW YORK: A group of more than 30 independent UN experts on Tuesday denounced threats by US President Donald Trump to “take over” and “own” Gaza, warning that such a move would usher in a new era of “predatory lawlessness.”

Referring to Trump’s suggestion that Gaza’s Palestinian population could be relocated through the use of military force if required, the experts said: “Such blatant violations by a major power would break the global taboo on military aggression and embolden other predatory countries to seize foreign territories, with devastating consequences for peace and human rights globally.”

They added that implementing the US proposal would “shatter the most fundamental rules of the international order and the United Nations Charter since 1945, which the US was instrumental in creating to restore peace after the catastrophic Second World War and Holocaust.

“It would return the world to the dark days of colonial conquest.”

The experts underscored that it was clearly unlawful to invade and seize foreign land by force; to forcibly expel inhabitants; and to deny the Palestinian people their fundamental right to self-determination, which includes keeping Gaza as part of a sovereign Palestinian state.

“Such violations would replace the international rule of law and the stability it brings with the lawless ‘rule of the strongest’.”

The experts include Ben Saul, the special rapporteur on the promotion of human rights while countering terrorism; Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian territories, and George Katrougalos, an independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.

They said that just as more than 50 years of Israeli occupation of Palestine had failed to bring peace or security to either Israel or Palestine, a US occupation would have the same disastrous outcome, driving endless war, death, and destruction.

The mass deportation of civilians from occupied territories was classified as a war crime under the 1949 Geneva Conventions following the Second World War to prevent the repetition of actions such as Nazi Germany’s forced expulsion of populations from European nations.

“The US proposal would accelerate forced displacement of Palestinians from their lands, which began in the 1947-48 Nakba, and has since included home demolitions, evictions, destruction and theft of natural resources and the criminal building of illegal Israeli colonial settlements,” the experts warned.

During his previous term, Trump unlawfully acknowledged Israel’s illegal annexations of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, actions that have been condemned by the International Court of Justice, the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, and a vast majority of countries.

“If the US president is genuinely concerned for the welfare of Palestinians, the US should broker a lasting ceasefire, resume funding to UNRWA, compensate Palestinians for damage resulting from US weapons and munitions supplied to Israel despite the serious risk of violations of humanitarian law, and end arms transfers. It should also pressure Israel to fund reconstruction and provide reparation for violations, pursue accountability for perpetrators of international crimes, and meaningfully support Palestinian statehood,” they said.

The experts said that if the US president truly cares about the well-being of Palestinians, the US should facilitate a lasting ceasefire, resume funding to UNRWA, compensate Palestinians for the damage caused by US weapons and munitions provided to Israel despite the significant risk of humanitarian law violations, and halt arms transfers.

They added that the US should also urge Israel to finance reconstruction, offer reparations for violations, seek accountability for those responsible for international crimes, and genuinely support Palestinian statehood.

Israeli military action in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 48,100 Palestinians and left 110,000 injured, mostly women and children. The attacks have rendered 85 percent of the population, roughly 1.9 million people, homeless, and without access to sufficient food, water, and other basic needs. They have also severely damaged or destroyed most homes, agricultural land, public infrastructure, and caused extensive environmental harm.


Kuwait sends 22nd relief plane to Syria

Kuwait sends 22nd relief plane to Syria
Updated 48 min 6 sec ago
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Kuwait sends 22nd relief plane to Syria

Kuwait sends 22nd relief plane to Syria
  • Kuwaiti air bridge to deliver aid to Damascus beyond the month of Ramadan
  • 10 tons of food aid brings total relief supply to 591 tons

LONDON: The 22nd Kuwaiti relief plane arrived at Damascus International Airport, delivering essential aid to Syria as part of Kuwaiti efforts to alleviate the Syrian crisis.

An air force plane delivered 10 tons of food aid, which was organized by the Kuwait Red Crescent Society in cooperation with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the Kuwait News Agency reported late on Monday.

The Kuwait Red Crescent is working with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to deliver food and shelter materials as part of an air bridge planned to operate between Kuwait and Syria beyond the month of Ramadan, which starts in March.

Kuwaiti aid provided to Syria through the air bridge has reached 591 tons of various relief supplies, the KUNA added.


Israel orders beefed up troops around Gaza as ceasefire shows signs of faltering

Israeli soldiers gather on top of a tank on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, as seen from Israel, February 11, 2025.
Israeli soldiers gather on top of a tank on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, as seen from Israel, February 11, 2025.
Updated 11 February 2025
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Israel orders beefed up troops around Gaza as ceasefire shows signs of faltering

Israeli soldiers gather on top of a tank on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, as seen from Israel, February 11, 2025.
  • Netanyahu also ordered officials “to prepare for every scenario if Hamas doesn’t release our hostages this Saturday,” according to the official

JERUSALEM: An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the army to add more troops in and around the Gaza Strip after Hamas threatened to call off the next scheduled release of hostages.
Netanyahu also ordered officials “to prepare for every scenario if Hamas doesn’t release our hostages this Saturday,” according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The official was not clear if Netanyahu’s order referred to the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, or just the three scheduled for release on Saturday.
Israel had signaled Monday it planned to reinforce defenses along the Gaza border. The all-scenario plan was announced during a four-hour meeting between Netanyahu and his Security Cabinet that focused on Hamas’ threat, which risks jeopardizing the three-week-old ceasefire.
So far, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of exchanges for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. But it said Monday — and reiterated Tuesday — that it planned to delay the next release of three more hostages after accusing Israel of failing to meet the terms of the ceasefire, including by not allowing enough tents and other aid into Gaza.
President Donald Trump has said Israel should cancel the entire ceasefire if all of the roughly 70 hostages aren’t freed by Saturday. Hamas brushed off his threat on Tuesday, doubling down on its claim that Israel has violated the ceasefire and warned that it would only continue releasing hostages if all parties adhered to the ceasefire.
Trump is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.
Palestinians and the international community have seethed over Trump’s recent comments that any Palestinians potentially expelled from Gaza would not have a right to return.
During the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas committed to freeing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while Israel said it would release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The sides have carried out five swaps since Jan. 19.
The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce.
But if Israel resumes the war, it will face a drastically different battlefield. After forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate to southern Gaza in the early stages of the war, Israel allowed many of those displaced people to return to what is left of their homes, posing a new challenge to its ability to move ground troops through the territory.


Egyptians furious over Trump’s Gaza plan, downplay aid threat

People walk past the heavily-damaged Commodore Hotel in western Gaza City, on February 11, 2025, amid current ceasefire deal.
People walk past the heavily-damaged Commodore Hotel in western Gaza City, on February 11, 2025, amid current ceasefire deal.
Updated 11 February 2025
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Egyptians furious over Trump’s Gaza plan, downplay aid threat

People walk past the heavily-damaged Commodore Hotel in western Gaza City, on February 11, 2025, amid current ceasefire deal.
  • Hashtag “on the shoe” — common Egyptian phrase meaning “we could not care less” — began to trend in response to what many saw as intimidation attempt

CAIRO: Egyptians reacted with fury on Tuesday to US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, while downplaying his threat to cut aid to both countries if they refuse.
The state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper ran a front-page headline declaring “Egypt urges the world to end historical injustice against the Palestinian people,” while the private daily Al-Masry Al-Youm wrote, “Palestinian anger: Gaza is not for sale.”
On X, the hashtag “on the shoe” — a common Egyptian phrase meaning “we could not care less” — began to trend in response to what many saw as an attempt at intimidation.
The phrase can be traced back to a historic speech by late president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who dismissed US aid threats during Egypt’s wars with Israel.
On Monday, a strongly worded statement from Egypt’s foreign ministry rejected “any compromise” that could infringe on Palestinians’ rights, including to remain on their land.
The statement followed a meeting in Washington between Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty and his US counterpart Marco Rubio.
During a phone call with the Danish prime minister on Tuesday, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that the establishment of a Palestinian state is “the only guarantee for achieving lasting peace” in the region.
The Egyptian leader also called for the reconstruction of Gaza “without displacing” its residents, according to a statement from his office.
Trump, speaking on Monday, said the United States could “conceivably” halt assistance to Egypt and Jordan unless they agree to take in Palestinians from Gaza — a proposal Cairo and Amman have repeatedly rejected.
The US provides its regional ally Egypt with around $1.3 billion in military aid annually, making it one of the country’s largest foreign donors.
According to US government data, Egypt received roughly $1.5 billion in both military and economic assistance from the United States last year.
Hussein Haridi, a former diplomat and assistant foreign minister, downplayed the significance of US aid, arguing that it would not sway Egypt’s position on Gaza.
“This small amount (about $200 million) in economic aid will not affect the Egyptian economy,” Haridi told AFP.
“Regardless of its impact, we will not bow to Trump’s threats,” he said.
Haridi also said that Trump had little understanding of “the true character of Egyptians” and the country’s historical role in defending Arab interests and in particular the Palestinian cause.
“We do not care about Trump’s threats. Egypt is fully prepared to confront them and these threats will backfire on US interests in the region.”
“This is not just El-Sisi’s stance or the Egyptian government’s stance — it is the stance of the Egyptian people,” he added.
Gamal Bayoumi, a former diplomat and assistant foreign minister, meanwhile, told AFP that Egypt has made its stance clear: any attempt to force Palestinians out of Gaza “will be considered an act of war.”
Bayoumi added that Egypt was well prepared for any measures Washington might take, including a potential halt to financial assistance.
Among ordinary Egyptians, the Trump plan provoked outrage.
“After bombing and killing them, they now want to displace them?” said Samir Gomaa, a 71-year-old garage owner in Cairo.
“This is Palestinian land. Who in their right mind sells land that isn’t theirs and turns it into a tourist project?,” Gomaa told AFP.
Despite Egypt’s economic struggles, including soaring inflation and mounting debt, many citizens expressed support for El-Sisi’s stance.
“Our president is a hero for saying no, even though we’re struggling with inflation,” said Mohamed Abdel Tawab, 53, a paper trader.
“The Arab world will rebuild Gaza and Egypt will stand firm,” he said.
Since early in the Gaza war, which began in October 2023 with Hamas’s attack on Israel, officials and lawmakers in Egypt have repeatedly warned against any attempts to alter the region’s demographics, seeing it as a national security threat.


Israel releases two Palestinians after raiding their bookshop in East Jerusalem

Israel releases two Palestinians after raiding their bookshop in East Jerusalem
Updated 9 min 8 sec ago
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Israel releases two Palestinians after raiding their bookshop in East Jerusalem

Israel releases two Palestinians after raiding their bookshop in East Jerusalem
  • Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna were released after being detained for selling books related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
  • Palestinian Jerusalem-based writer: “Why is the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’ afraid of books?”

LONDON: Israeli authorities released the owners of a well-established Palestinian bookshop in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday after detaining them and confiscating their books on Sunday.

Saqi Books, the publisher of writer and bookseller Mahmoud Muna, confirmed that Mahmoud and his cousin Ahmed Muna were released after being detained for selling books related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which Israeli authorities considered “inciting violence.”

The Munas owns The Educational Bookshop, which is 38 years old and has two branches, one of which features a cafe and a small conference room located on the busy Salah Al-Din Street.

Mahmoud, who edited the “Daybreak in Gaza” collection with British filmmaker Matthew Teller last year, also runs the Bookshop at the American Colony Hotel. His family’s two bookshops have become essential stops for foreign journalists, diplomats, intellectuals and peace activists visiting East Jerusalem.

In 2011, they won the Best Library award in Palestine and were recognized as the third-best library in the Middle East by the Lonely Planet Foundation, the Wafa news agency reported.

After his release, Ahmed Muna described his arrest as "brutal and unjust." He said that Israeli authorities had placed both him and Mahmoud under house arrest for five days and prohibited them from entering the bookshop for 20 days.

Mahmoud and Ahmed appeared before an Israeli court on Monday afternoon, attended by EU representatives, including those from France and the UK.

The French Consulate in Jerusalem, which operates the French Cultural Center directly adjacent to the raided bookshop on Salah Al-Din Street, said on Monday afternoon that the Israeli “raid is an attack against freedom of expression. Those pressures should stop now.”

The Jerusalem-based writer Dima Al-Samman told Wafa that Israeli authorities “aim to erase anything related to Palestinian national culture and any manifestation of patriotism” in Jerusalem.

Jameel As-Salhut, another writer based in Jerusalem, wondered: “Why is ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’ afraid of books and culture?” He added that despite the Israeli escalation in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, “it is impossible for the Israeli military to succeed in suppressing Palestinian culture in Jerusalem.”

The Educational Bookshop is the third Palestinian bookstore to be raided and closed by Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem. Another recent raid occurred at a bookshop inside the Old City of Jerusalem’s Khan Al-Zeit bazaar, and the owner, Hisham Al-Ekramawi, was arrested during the incident.