Hariri puts resignation on hold, to stay in Lebanon

A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra on November 22, 2017 shows Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri meeting with President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baadba, on the outskirsts of the Lebanese capital Beirut. (Dalati and Nohra via AFP)
Updated 23 November 2017
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Hariri puts resignation on hold, to stay in Lebanon

BEIRUT/JEDDAH: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who returned to Beirut on Wednesday to a hero’s welcome, said he was putting his resignation on hold at President Michel Aoun’s request — a move analysts described as a positive outcome of Saudi Arabia's high-octane diplomacy.

Hours after his arrival in Beirut, Hariri met with Aoun, who had refused to accept the premier’s resignation until he returned to Lebanon.

“Today, I presented my resignation to the president, who wished that I would suspend it to allow more time for further deliberations on its political causes and background,” Hariri said.

“I accepted his request in the hope that it would pave the way for a serious dialogue that would renew our will to hold on to the Taif Agreement (which ended the civil war) and the national consensus, and to address controversial issues and their implications on Lebanon’s relations with the Arab brothers.”

Hariri said Lebanon must remain neutral concerning external wars, regional conflicts, and anything that might harm its stability or its relations with Arab countries.

“I am looking forward to a real partnership with all political forces in order to put Lebanon’s higher interest above any other, preserve the safety of coexistence among Lebanese, and the right path to rebuilding our nation,” he said.

Lebanon was plunged into a political crisis after Hariri’s shock Nov. 4 announcement from the Saudi capital that he was stepping down.

While announcing the resignation live on TV, he accused Hezbollah, which is part of the Lebanese government, and Iran of taking over Lebanon and destabilizing the region.

He said he had been forced to leave Lebanon because of threats to his safety, invoking the 2005 assassination of his father.

Hariri accused Hezbollah of violating Lebanon’s policy of “neutrality” from regional conflicts by fighting alongside Syria’s government and assisting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Wednesday was historically significant as the 74th anniversary of Lebanon’s independence from France.

Hariri expressed his full commitment to cooperating with Aoun to continue pushing Lebanon forward and protecting it from surrounding conflicts and turmoil.

Hariri thanked Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who he said “showed wisdom, adherence to the constitution and stability in Lebanon, and sincere empathy toward me personally.”

In the days following the resignation, there was a flurry of activity involving the Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US, France, and even Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi.

Jean Aziz, adviser to Aoun, said he would not comment on Hariri’s suspension of his resignation, telling Arab News: “Today we’re celebrating Independence Day, and we won’t discuss anything else.”

Former MP Fares Souaid of the March 14 Alliance, which includes Hariri's Future Movement political party, said the suspension was to give Aoun additional time to communicate with Hezbollah.

“Maybe Aoun will be able to convince Hezbollah to abide by Lebanon’s policy of neutrality,” Souaid told Arab News. “Hariri handed this mission to Aoun.”

Souaid said there is an Arab consensus regarding Iran’s regional interference. “The question is: Will Egypt, France and Cyprus succeed in asking Iran to withdraw from the Arab world after its interference in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon? That will end the Lebanese crisis,” he said.

“We’ll wait for the next move by Aoun, who is responsible for upholding the constitution and Lebanon's stability.”

Analysts described the developments as a positive indicator of Saudi influence. “Hariri’s shock resignation, and his clear identification of Hezbollah as the primary and sole reason for all the troubles in Lebanon, put the terrorist organization on the defensive,” Hamdan Al-Shehri, a Saudi political analyst and international relations scholar, told Arab News.

High-level Saudi diplomacy on multiple fronts forced Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah to tone down his rhetoric and announce that his movement was withdrawing “their men” from Iraq, Al-Shehri said.

He added that the entire Arab world and the international community, thanks to Saudi efforts, had rallied in support of Hariri.

“The US and France came out in support of Hariri. Then the Arab League, at its extraordinary session convened at Saudi Arabia’s request in Cairo, backed his stand against Hezbollah and Iranian interference,” said Al-Shehri.

He said that Hariri’s return to Beirut and the suspension of his resignation was part of a calculated strategy.

“Hariri’s return has checkmated Hezbollah. If he hadn’t returned, that would’ve given Hezbollah carte blanche to do as it desired,” Al-Shehri said.

“Hezbollah would’ve chosen some other pliable person as prime minister, who would then have been at its complete mercy,” he added.

“With the international community behind him and Hezbollah on the defensive, Hariri can now call the shots and manage the situation from a position of strength and solid international and Arab backing.”

Al-Shehri said Hezbollah’s game would be up once a solution to the Syrian conflict is found. “Any solution will necessarily entail the expulsion of Hezbollah and Iran from Syria,” he said.

“Once Hezbollah is forced out of Syria and sent back to Lebanon, the terrorist militia will be under siege.”

Al-Shehri said Saudi efforts had been geared toward isolating Hezbollah and marking it as the real mischief-maker in Lebanon. “All those objectives have been achieved,” he added.

Aoun’s statement on Tuesday was seen as a sign of reconciliation. On the eve of Lebanon’s Independence Day on Tuesday, he said: “In my inaugural speech, I declared that one of our top priorities was to prevent any spark from the raging flames around us to move into Lebanon’s inner space. I affirmed the need for Lebanon to distance itself from external conflicts, and to be committed to respecting the Arab League Charter.

“We therefore have adopted a totally independent policy, we have avoided entering into disputes, and we have called — and are still calling — for dialogue and harmony among Arab brothers, because in internal wars there is inevitable loss for the victorious as well as for the defeated, and the two statuses are meaningless because the great loss befalls the nation.”

 

‘Bulldozer’ Katz, long-time ally of Israel’s Netanyahu

Updated 06 November 2024
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‘Bulldozer’ Katz, long-time ally of Israel’s Netanyahu

  • Katz, 69, labelled by Israeli media as a “bulldozer” for his direct and sometimes abrasive style, is considered both close and loyal to Netanyahu

JERUSALEM: Israel’s new Defense Minister Israel Katz, known for his abrasive style, is a long-time ally and loyalist of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a dramatic announcement late on Tuesday, Netanyahu sacked defense minister Yoav Gallant over what he said was a breakdown in trust during the Gaza war against Hamas.
“Over the past few months that trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defense minister,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office.
The statement added that he had appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz to take Gallant’s place.
Katz, 69, labelled by Israeli media as a “bulldozer” for his direct and sometimes abrasive style, is considered both close and loyal to Netanyahu.
After his appointment, Katz vowed to defeat Israel’s enemies and achieve the country’s war goals.
“We will work together to lead the defense establishment to victory over our enemies and to achieve the goals of the war: the return of all hostages as the most important moral mission, the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the containment of Iranian aggression, and the safe return of the residents of the north and south to their homes,” he said in a statement.
A member of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, in which he was previously president of the party’s convention, Katz has held multiple cabinet roles going back to 2003.
As foreign minister, Katz drew international attention for his pointed attacks on world leaders and international organizations that had expressed opposition to Israeli military actions, particularly in Gaza.
He spearheaded a diplomatic battle against the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and last month Israel’s parliament banned the agency from working in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem.
On Monday, Katz instructed his ministry to formally notify the United Nations that Israel was canceling its agreements with UNRWA.
Last month Katz triggered outrage when he declared UN chief Antonio Guterres “persona non grata in Israel” and wrote in a post on X that he would ban him from entering the country.
Before serving as foreign minister, Katz’s most notable role was as minister of transport.
He spent a decade in the post from 2009-2019, but had also held the energy and finance portfolios in various Netanyahu cabinets.
Aviv Bushinsky, a political commentator and Netanyahu’s former chief of staff, told AFP that Katz was likely to be more in tune with the prime minister than his predecessor Gallant.
“I cannot recall an incident when Israel Katz was in opposition to Netanyahu with anything,” Bushinsky said.
“It is true he does not have any military experience, but he was a very good transport minister and has sat in the cabinet for many years,” he added.
“Besides, Netanyahu thinks he can run the show himself — and he has managed to run the show even though Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, two generals, quit the government.”
Born in the coastal city of Ashkelon, Katz has been a prominent player in Israeli politics since becoming a member of parliament, the Knesset, in 1998.
Today he is among the highest-ranking ministers in the Likud party.
Married with two children, Katz is a resident of Moshav Kfar Ahim in southern Israel.


Gideon Saar, Netanyahu rival turned Israel’s new wartime foreign minister

Updated 06 November 2024
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Gideon Saar, Netanyahu rival turned Israel’s new wartime foreign minister

  • Saar was appointed foreign minister to replace Israel Katz, who took over the defense portfolio on Tuesday after Netanyahu fired Yoav Gallant over an erosion of trust during the Gaza war

JERUSALEM: A self-styled political rebel and once a rival of the prime minister, Gideon Saar was named Israel’s new foreign minister on Tuesday.
Just five years ago Saar openly challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the leadership of Israel’s right-wing Likud party.
The former journalist and lawyer then left Likud in 2020, saying it had been corrupted under Netanyahu’s leadership, to form the hawkish, right-wing New Hope party.
Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last year, Saar joined the emergency war cabinet, before leaving the administration.
In September, he joined Netanyahu’s government as minister without a portfolio.
“As a long-time member of the government and cabinet, Gideon Saar brings substantial experience and sound judgment in security and policy matters, making him a valuable addition to our leadership team,” Netanyahu said Tuesday in a statement issued by his office.
“The addition of Saar and his party will strengthen the coalition and stabilize the government, which is crucial at all times, particularly in times of war.”
Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since the militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 43,391 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry, figures considered reliable by the UN.
Saar was appointed foreign minister to replace Israel Katz, who took over the defense portfolio on Tuesday after Netanyahu fired Yoav Gallant over an erosion of trust during the Gaza war.
Gallant had for months clashed with Netanyahu over his approach to talks on a possible hostage release deal and on the future of Gaza.
Israeli media earlier this year quoted Gallant as privately telling a parliamentary committee that a hostage release deal “is stalling... in part because of Israel.”
Netanyahu’s office accused Gallant of adopting an “anti-Israel narrative.”
Saar entered politics in 1999 as government secretary, before being elected to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in 2003.
He rose through the ranks to become interior minister and education minister in previous Netanyahu governments.
In 2021 he joined the government of former prime minister Naftali Bennett as justice minister with the title of deputy prime minister.
His political star had, however, dimmed in recent years.
Though he participated in the emergency government formed in the wake of the October 7 attack, he joined the opposition in March after failing to get a seat in the war cabinet.
He is considered more right-wing than Netanyahu, but lacks his charisma.
He has spoken out in favor of the all-out annexation of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
His ideology is “that of the Likud” but he believes that the party has “abandoned its values under Netanyahu,” deputy Sharren Haskel, a close friend of Saar’s, told AFP.
With a father who grew up in Argentina and a mother with roots in Uzbekistan, Saar calls himself a practicing Jew while affirming that “every Israeli citizen must be able to live freely according to his conscience and way of life.”
He is married to high-profile Israeli journalist Geula Even, with whom he has two children.
A daughter from his first marriage, Alona Saar, is a popular actress.


Turkiye, Kyrgyzstan sign strategic partnership on Erdogan visit

Updated 06 November 2024
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Turkiye, Kyrgyzstan sign strategic partnership on Erdogan visit

  • Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov said in a statement: “We have taken an important decision to raise the level of strategic partnership between Kyrgyzstan and Turkiye to that of a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’“

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan: Turkiye and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday agreed to a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” boosting defense ties, during an official visit to the Central Asian state by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ankara is strengthening its presence across the region, as it seeks to compete with the likes of Russia and China for influence.
Erdogan regularly visits Central Asia and will on Wednesday take part in a summit of the Organization of Turkic States, a Turkish-led initiative to promote its culture and ties across several former Soviet republics.
Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov said in a statement: “We have taken an important decision to raise the level of strategic partnership between Kyrgyzstan and Turkiye to that of a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership.’“
The two sides signed 19 agreements in areas including energy, defense and the fight against terrorism.
Japarov hailed “Kyrgyz-Turkish cooperation in the field of defense and the potential for further development.”
Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkiye has stepped up military cooperation with Central Asian states, a challenge to Moscow’s historic supremacy in the region.
Turkiye was the third-biggest investor in Kyrgyzstan in the first half of 2024, behind Russia and China.
But it lags in terms of trade, accounting for 3.8 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s imports and exports, against 34.2 percent for China and 19.5 percent for Russia.
 

 


Turkiye sacks 3 pro-Kurdish mayors for ‘terror ties’

Updated 06 November 2024
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Turkiye sacks 3 pro-Kurdish mayors for ‘terror ties’

ISTANBUL: Turkiye on Monday sacked three mayors in the Kurdish-majority southeast on alleged “terrorism” charges, despite Ankara’s apparent desire to seek a rapprochement with the Kurdish community.

In a sweep, the mayors of the cities of Mardin and Batman as well as the Halfeti district in Sanliurfa province were all removed and replaced with government-appointed trustees, the Interior Ministry said.

All three belong to DEM, the main pro-Kurdish party, and were elected in March’s local elections, when opposition candidates won in numerous towns and cities, including Istanbul.

Among those removed were Ahmet Turk, Mardin’s 82-year- old mayor, along with Batman mayor Gulistan Sonuk and Mehmet Karayilan in Halfeti.

The ministry outlined a string of allegations against them, frommembershipinanarmed group to disseminating propaganda for the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, also known as PKK.

Since 1984, the PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state in which more than 40,000 people have died. It is blacklisted as a “terror” group by Turkiye and its Western allies.

Kurds make up around 20 percent of Turkiye’s overall population.

DEM swiftly denounced the moveas“amajorattackonthe Kurdish people’s right to vote and be elected.”


Red Cross launches international emergency appeal urging donors to provide resources for Lebanon

Updated 06 November 2024
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Red Cross launches international emergency appeal urging donors to provide resources for Lebanon

BEIRUT: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Tuesday launched an international emergency appeal asking donors to provide resources for Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah war.
IFRC also called on all parties to protect paramedics in the conflict that has left thousands of people dead and wounded, many of them over the past six weeks.
Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told The Associated Press in Beirut that “needs are just growing so fast.” He met with officials and toured shelters housing people displaced by the conflict.
The IFRC said its emergency appeal for 100 million Swiss Francs ($115.8 million) is aimed at helping Lebanon and the Lebanese Red Cross through the ongoing conflict.

Jagan Chapagain, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP)

The 13-month war between Israel and Hezbollah has killed more than 3,000 people, wounded over 13,000 in Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of the displaced are staying in shelters around the small nation that is passing through a historic economic crisis.
In northern Israel, 68 soldiers and 41 civilians have been killed since October 2023, according to the prime minister’s office. More than 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes.
The conflict dramatically escalated on Sept. 23, with intense Israeli airstrikes on south and east Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, leaving hundreds dead and leading to the displacement of nearly 1.2 million people.
Chapagain said people staying in community centers around the country need hygiene kits, non-food items, blankets and heaters as winter approaches. He added that even if the hostilities stop, it will take time for things to go back to normal and that is one of the reasons why the IFRC’s emergency appeal goes for two years.
“The global community needs to come together to find a political solution to the challenges this region has been facing for decades,” Chapagain said.
He said that more than 30 staff and volunteers globally have already been killed this year and dozens injured adding that many other organizations have also lost members of their staff.
“This is something unheard of many years ago,” he said about the 30 deaths, adding that among the countries where paramedics suffered most are Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Sudan.
In Lebanon, 17 members of the Lebanese Red Cross have been wounded since the conflict began while carrying out their rescue duties in different parts of Lebanon. Three of the 17 paramedics were wounded twice, according to IFRC.
“The Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems are protected,” said Chapagain.