Pope urges Netanyahu to end ‘heartbreaking’ Gaza war in rare call after church strike

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday urged the UK to back Lebanon’s request to the UN Security Council for the renewal of the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, the international peacekeeping force in the south of the country.

He stressed the important role it plays in upholding the ceasefire agreement with Israel and efforts to guarantee regional stability.

He reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the continued presence of UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon and told the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, that he “attaches great importance to the UK’s support for his position calling on the Security Council to extend UNIFIL’s mandate, both to ensure the full implementation of Resolution 1701, and to enable the complete deployment of the Lebanese Army along Lebanon’s internationally recognized borders.”

Resolution 1701 was adopted by the Security Council in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other forces from southern Lebanon, and the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups.

The Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss the annual extension of UNIFIL’s mandate to assist in the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south, and work to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The extension talks this time differ from previous years as a result of major shifts on the ground, including the occupation by Israeli forces of five strategic hills in southern Lebanon during their recent ground offensive against Hezbollah.

The ceasefire agreement that halted this conflict, which called for the full withdrawal of Hezbollah from areas south of the Litani River and the deployment of the Lebanese Army there, also contributed to a decline in US support for UN efforts in Lebanon, particularly UNIFIL.

Cowell reaffirmed the UK’s support for Lebanon during this critical period, including efforts to enhance stability and strengthen the capabilities of the Lebanese Army.

The Security Council initially granted UNIFIL its mandate more than 47 years ago, and it has been monitoring the situation along Lebanon’s volatile border with Israel since the 1970s. The size of the force increased after the 2006 war to about 10,000 peacekeepers from more than 47 countries.

The assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki met President Aoun and other Lebanese officials during a visit to Beirut on Thursday.

Zaki said he conveyed the League’s support for recent moves by Lebanese authorities to exert their authority over all Lebanese territory, and to restrict possession of weapons to the state, noting that “such principles are stipulated in Arab League resolutions, particularly the most recent resolution issued at the Baghdad Summit a few months ago.”

He called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to withdraw from all Lebanese territory it occupies and refrain from any actions that violate Lebanese sovereignty.

“All relevant parties, particularly the US, have been informed, through Ambassador Thomas Barrack, that what is now required is Israel’s commitment to withdraw from the areas it occupies in southern Lebanon, return prisoners, and fully implement Resolution 1701,” Zaki said.

“Only then can the necessary conditions be created for the Lebanese state to extend its sovereignty, through its own armed forces, to all territories up to the internationally recognized borders.”

He also welcomed Lebanon’s commitment to the enforcement of exclusive state control over weaponry in a manner that protects the interests of all Lebanese citizens.

Zaki addressed what he described as the ongoing “media squabbling” in Lebanon over the efforts to ensure non-state groups surrender their weapons, Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm and the group’s resultant threats of unrest and civil war. He said the issue must be handled with caution, as “no one wants to see the country slide into a situation with undesirable consequences.”

He also emphasized the need to restore stability and civil peace in Lebanon, and to pursue policies that ensure the state sovereignty over all of its territory.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is facing a campaign by Hezbollah supporters who have accused him of treason over the call for Hezbollah and other militias to disarm.

A banner with words “A collaborator has no sect and no religion” was raised alongside a road in the Hermel area accusing him of working with Israel. It was signed by “the clans and families of Hermel.”

However, the “clans of Baalbek-Hermel” subsequently issued a statement in which they said “banners that incite strife do not represent our clans or our values.”

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi has also been accused of treason after he said that “the resistance’s slogan has collapsed and the words of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem are political rhetoric.”

MP Samy Gemayel, the leader of the Kataeb Party, speaking after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, said: “We condemn the accusations of treason against our patriarch, which are unacceptable as they aim to undermine all efforts for consensus and solutions, including those proposed by Berri through his attempts to find common ground.”

He also rejected “any marginalization of the Shiite community, which must be a partner in building the new Lebanon.”

In other developments, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that Lebanon had returned an Israeli citizen, Saleh Abu-Hussein, who had been detained in Lebanon for more than a year, to Israel through the Ras Al-Naqoura border crossing.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “The return was carried out following negotiations with the help of the Red Cross.”

Security sources said Abu-Hussein is a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship from the Rumana area of Galilee Region, who suffers from mental health issues.

“His family does not know how he arrived in Lebanon,” the sources said. “He was detained in Lebanon in July last year after he entered Lebanese territory and requested water, and was subsequently handed over to the Lebanese General Security.”

LONDON: Twenty-seven countries, including Britain, France and Germany called on Israel Thursday to allow "immediate independent foreign media access" into the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza.

"Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war," the members of the Media Freedom Coalition said in a joint statement.