This is Beirut - United Nations

France Could Recognize Palestinian State 'in June'

This is Beirut, 09/04 21:15 - Reading : less than a minute

France Palestinian Statehood United Nations Israel

France is planning to recognize a Palestinian state within months and could make the move at a UN conference in New York in June on settling the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday. "We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months," Macron, who this week visited Egypt, ...

UN Chief Says Gaza Transformed Into 'Killing Field'

This is Beirut, 08/04 23:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Palestine Banks Hamas Israel

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that Gaza had become "a killing field," blaming Israel for blocking aid and failing in its "unequivocal obligations" to meet the needs of the Palestinian territory's residents. "More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. No ...

President Aoun to ATFL: Time for Reforms and Disarmament

This is Beirut, 07/04 15:45 - Reading : less than a minute

American Task Force on Lebanon UN Security Council Hezbollah Joseph Aoun United Nations

President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to implementing vital reforms and upholding UN Security Council Resolution 1701, during a meeting on Monday with the American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL). He also emphasized that structural reforms and the disarmament of Hezbollah are not only international and American demands but also ...

Schenker: Lebanon Must Step Up Efforts to Disarm Hezbollah

This is Beirut, 04/04 10:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah UN Security Council Israel United Nations

Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs David Schenker stated that “Lebanon must continue its efforts to disarm Hezbollah.” He also said, “Peace is essential, but it will only last if other measures are taken beforehand.” Speaking on MTV's Sar el-Waet program, which aired on Thursday night, Schenker noted that the ...

UN Accuses Israel of Destabilizing Syria, New Strikes in Damascus

This is Beirut, 03/04 21:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria United Nations Israel

The United Nations on Thursday accused Israel of destabilizing Syria after a wave of strikes on military targets, including an airport, and a ground incursion killed 13 people. A war monitor later reported another two Israeli air attacks. Since Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has launched an ...

The Unbearable Burden of the Syrian Crisis in Lebanon

Natasha Metni Torbey, 02/04 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Lebanese Red Cross United Nations

With the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the justification long used by the international community – particularly the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) – for maintaining the Syrian presence in Lebanon no longer holds. The agency had argued that “political refugees” would face serious danger if they returned and that coordinating their repatriation with ...

Cyprus Says 'Progress' in UN-Backed Talks on Divided Island

This is Beirut, 02/04 18:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Cyprus Ersin Tatar Nikos Christodoulides United Nations

Cypriot leaders agreed Wednesday to press on with trust-building measures that could revive the abandoned peace process on the divided island, the UN said after a meeting in the capital, Nicosia. President Nikos Christodoulides of the Greek-speaking, internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus reported "progress" after the meeting with Turkish ...

Shiite Council Files Legal Complaint Over Rocket Attacks and Pro-Israel Rhetoric

This is Beirut, 02/04 16:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel United Nations

The Supreme Islamic Shiite Council has filed a legal complaint against unidentified individuals responsible for launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel, as well as those accused of spreading Israeli military propaganda and fueling sectarian tensions. Filed on Wednesday through the council’s attorney, Dr. Hassan Fadlallah, the ...

Gaza Rescuers say Nine Children Among Dead in Israel Strike on UN Building

This is Beirut, 02/04 14:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Israel Hamas Gaza

The Israeli army said it targeted Hamas militants in a strike on a UN building in Jabalia refugee camp Wednesday that Gaza's civil defence agency said killed 19 people, nine of them children. The army said in a statement that it struck the militants "inside a command and control centre that was being used for coordinating terrorist activity", and ...

Myanmar Quake Victim Rescued after 5 days as Aid calls Grow

This is Beirut, 02/04 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United Nations Myanmar

Rescuers on Wednesday pulled a man alive from the rubble five days after Myanmar's devastating earthquake, as calls grew for the junta to allow more aid in and halt attacks on rebels. The shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday flattened buildings across Myanmar, killing more than 2,700 people and making thousands more homeless. Several ...

Eid Celebrations: Joy Amid Conflict’s Shadow

Christiane Tager, 02/04 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

UN Security Council Dahyeh Europe Israel United Nations

Despite the psychological impact of the airstrikes, Ramzi Salman, the President of the Lebanese Guesthouses Syndicate, told This is Beirut on Tuesday that the Eid al-Fitr weekend saw a significant influx of visitors. According to Salman, guesthouses experienced relatively strong bookings, highlighting the sector’s resilience amid the ongoing ...

Gaza Rescuers Say Recovered 15 Bodies After Israel Fire on Ambulances

This is Beirut, 30/03 22:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Nations Hamas Gaza

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday it had recovered the bodies of 15 rescuers killed a week ago when Israeli forces targeted ambulances in the Gaza Strip. Bodies of eight medics from the Red Crescent, six members of Gaza's civil defence agency and one employee of a UN agency were retrieved, the Red Crescent said in a statement. It said ...

United Nations