This is Beirut - United Nations

21 Countries Sign Joint Statement Condemning Israel's West Bank Settlement Project

This is Beirut, 19:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank United Kingdom United Nations

Britain and France were among 21 countries to sign a joint statement Thursday calling Israel's approval of a major settlement project in the West Bank "unacceptable and a violation of international law". Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem on ...

UN Experts Denounce Attacks on Syria's Druze

This is Beirut, 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel United Nations Druze Syria Sweida

A panel of UN experts denounced Thursday what they described as an outbreak of massacres, sexual violence and kidnappings targeting the Druze minority in southern Syria in the past month. Fighting erupted in the Sweida region on July 13. Clashes between local Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and ...

Zaki Conveys Arab League Support for Lebanese Sovereignty

This is Beirut, 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Joseph Aoun United Nations United States Arab League Houssam Zaki

President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed, on Thursday, to Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki Lebanon’s commitment to implementing the arms control resolution in a way that safeguards the interests of all Lebanese citizens. He emphasized the necessity for Israel to fulfill its obligations to create the conditions required for ...

Israel Strikes Gaza City After Offensive Gets Green Light

This is Beirut, 11:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Hamas United Nations Gaza

Israel struck Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday, after the defense ministry approved an expanded offensive to target the remaining Hamas strongholds in the strip. The newly approved plan authorizes the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian ...

Somalia-Jubaland Power Struggle Benefits Al-Shabab Militants

This is Beirut, 20/08 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United Nations Somalia Jubaland Shabab

Recent clashes in Somalia's semi-autonomous Jubaland region are alarming experts, exposing cracks in the country's federal system and creating an opening for extremist militant group Al-Shabab to gain ground. Following years of conflict, Somalia is a loose federation of five semi-autonomous member states -- Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, ...

A Negotiating Margin Out of Reach

Johnny Kortbawi, 19/08 14:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel United Nations Tom Barrack Morgan Ortagus

Lebanon still has much to accomplish. Despite the government’s declarations, practical steps remain limited, leaving doubts about whether the country is honoring its commitments in the eyes of the international community. This was the core message conveyed during Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus’ meetings with Lebanese officials. The points ...

Mediators Await Israeli Response to New Truce Offer

This is Beirut, 19/08 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Israel Palestine United Nations

Mediators were awaiting an Israeli response Tuesday to a fresh Gaza ceasefire plan, a day after Hamas accepted the proposal and signalled its readiness for a new round of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war. The foes have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the war resulting in two short truces and the releases of Israeli ...

Trump Administration Moves to Phase Out UNIFIL

This is Beirut, 18/08 13:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Nations UN Security Council United States US Secretary of State UNIFIL

The future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon has become a point of tension between the United States and its European allies, raising implications for regional security. UNIFIL’s mandate, which expires at the end of August, requires renewal by the U.N. Security Council. According to an ABC News article published on August 17, Secretary of State ...

Syria State Media Reports Car Blast in Damascus, No Casualties

This is Beirut, 16/08 21:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus United Nations

Syrian state media said a car bomb exploded in Damascus on Saturday evening without causing casualties. "An explosion was heard in the Mazzeh area," state news agency SANA said, referring to an upscale area of Damascus also home to embassies and United Nations offices. State television said the blast was caused by "an explosive device planted ...

Differences Between Paris and Washington Over UNIFIL’s Mandate

This is Beirut, 16/08 21:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Washington UN Security Council Hezbollah United Nations United States

Al-Jadeed TV revealed on Saturday differences between the United States and France over the renewal of the mandate of the UNIFIL force operating in southern Lebanon. Washington wants a one-year renewal, which would be the last, while Paris wants a renewal without specifying a duration. Political sources told the channel that meetings held in ...

UN Says at Least 1,760 Killed While Seeking Aid in Gaza Since Late May

This is Beirut, 15/08 20:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Hamas Israel Gaza humanitarian aid

The UN human rights office said Friday that at least 1,760 Palestinians had been killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May, a jump of several hundred since its last published figure at the beginning of August. "Since 27 May, and as of 13 August, we have recorded that at least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid; 994 in the ...

Israeli Far-Right Minister Backs Contentious West Bank Settlement Plan

This is Beirut, 14/08 22:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

West Bank Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations Israel Palestine

Israel's finance minister on Thursday backed plans to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West Bank, calling for the territory's annexation in response to several countries' plans to recognize a Palestinian state. In response, the United Nations chief warned that building Israeli homes in the area ...

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