This is Beirut

Lebanon Races Against May Deadline to Bring Heavy Weapons Under State Control

Philippe Abi Akl, 13:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Fatah Hamas Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun

Lebanon’s top three political leaders — President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam — appear to have reached a general consensus on the core elements of a national settlement, including reforms and the consolidation of weapons under the sole authority of the state. However, some differences remain ...

Abbas Urges Hamas to Free Gaza Hostages as Israeli Strikes Kill 18

This is Beirut, 23/04 15:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Palestine Banks Fatah Israel

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday urged Hamas to free all hostages in Gaza, saying their captivity provided Israel with "excuses" to attack the territory, as rescuers recovered charred bodies from an Israeli strike. At least 18 people were killed across the Gaza Strip by Israeli strikes, while Germany, France and Britain urged ...

From Normalization Hopes to Ceasefire Reality: Israel’s Demands vs. Lebanon’s Preconditions

Philippe Abi-Akl, 25/03 08:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Ceasefire Donald Trump Fatah Hezbollah

The issue of normalization has reemerged in Lebanese domestic politics, with each political party leveraging it to serve its own interests. In a development, significant in both substance and timing, US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Lebanon would be asked to enter into direct negotiations with Israel. He added that Lebanon should ...

Gaza: The Truce Enters Its Second Week After The Release Of Israeli Hostages And Palestinian Detainees

This is Beirut, 26/01 05:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu Banks Fatah Hamas

A fragile truce aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip entered its second week on Sunday, the day after the release of four Israeli hostages and some 200 Palestinian prisoners, greeted by scenes of joy on both sides. In a sign of the difficulties in implementing the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, a last-minute dispute on ...

What Is Left of Hezbollah's Arsenal?

Élie-Joe Kamel, 25/01 10:15 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Hezbollah Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Fatah Gulf

With only two days remaining until the 60-day ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel expires, two questions arise: What is left of the arsenal of the pro-Iranian group, which was supposed to be dismantled during this period? And does Hezbollah still have the capacity to carry out operations against the Israeli Army? What is indisputable is that ...

A Truce Expected in Gaza At 06:30 GMT, After 15 Months Of War

This is Beirut, 19/01 05:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu European Union Fatah Hamas

After 15 months of deadly war in the Gaza Strip, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is due to come into force on Sunday morning, followed by the release of hostages, fuelling hopes of a lasting peace despite a warning from Benjamin Netanyahu. A few hours before the deadline, set for 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT), the Israeli Prime Minister ...

The State to Oversee Security and Arms in the Palestinian Camps

Bassam Abou Zeid, 13/01 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fatah Hamas Hezbollah Joseph Aoun

President Joseph Aoun's recent inaugural address resonated with a pivotal call to disarm Palestinian factions within refugee camps and reinstate security control to the state. This longstanding issue, lingering since the 2006 dialogue, now stands at a unique crossroads, offering a chance to address a critical chapter that fueled the Lebanese Civil ...

The Palestinian Authority Suspends Al Jazeera in The Palestinian Territories

This is Beirut, 02/01 17:21 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Palestine Fatah Hamas Al-Jazeera

The Palestinian Authority decided on Wednesday to suspend the broadcasting and activities of the Qatari channel Al Jazeera in the Palestinian Territories, accusing it in particular of ‘inciting sedition’ and ‘interfering’ in its affairs. ‘The competent ministerial committee, made up of the ministries of Culture, ...

Palestinian Woman Shot Dead in Jenin Camp

This is Beirut, 2024-12-29 12:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fatah Hamas Israel West Bank Jenin

A Palestinian woman was shot dead overnight at the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, with her family on Sunday accusing the Palestinian Authority's security forces of killing her. Shatha al-Sabbagh, a journalism student in her early 20s, was killed by a bullet to the head, which her family said was fired by a security forces sniper ...

Palestinian Disarmament in the Context of Resolution 1701 Implementation

Bassam Abou Zeid, 2024-12-19 18:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fatah Hamas camps Palestinians Arms

In the context of the ceasefire agreement and the implementation of Resolution 1701, as well as previous resolutions such as 1559 and 1680, there is no mention of Palestinian weapons in Lebanon and the need to remove them, in line with international resolutions. And even though the National Dialogue held in March 2006 agreed on the need to ...

Hamas, Fatah Agree on Joint Committee to Run Post-War Gaza

This is Beirut, 2024-12-03 16:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Hamas Fatah Egypt

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party have agreed to create a committee to jointly administer post-war Gaza, negotiators from both sides said Tuesday. Under the plan, which needs Abbas's approval, the committee would be composed of 10 to 15 non-partisan figures with authority on matters related ...

Pragmatism Is Not a Sign of Weakness

Michel Touma, 2024-11-25 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fatah Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Forces Palestine Tehran

In late August 1982, Beirut bore witness to the aftermath of the Israeli Army's "Operation Peace for Galilee," initiated on June 6, 1982. Following the prolonged siege of the Lebanese capital, approximately 12,000 Palestinian fighters, including Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), alongside senior officials ...

Fatah