DOUMA: A humanitarian “pause” announced by Russia in Syria’s deadly bombardment of Eastern Ghouta struggled to take hold Tuesday, with fresh violence erupting and no sign of aid deliveries or residents leaving the besieged enclave.
Nine days after Russian-backed regime forces intensified their campaign against the opposition-held enclave, the deal offered some respite to civilians who had been cowering in their basements.
But the first day of a five-hour daily “pause” that was announced by Russia and kicked off at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) was marred by fresh violence that saw at least six civilians killed.
Moscow’s plan falls short of a broader 30-day cease-fire, which was voted by the UN but has yet to take effect, and has inspired little trust from among the besieged enclave’s 400,000 residents.
The regime deployed buses at Al-Wafideen checkpoint to transport residents wanting to use a humanitarian corridor to flee what UN chief Antonio Guterres last called “hell on earth.”
But no civilians were seen venturing toward the regime forces guarding the checkpoint, where large portraits of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin could be seen side-by-side.
State news agency SANA accused armed groups in Eastern Ghouta of firing several rockets on the path of the corridor.
It singled out the former Al-Qaeda affiliate present in some parts of the enclave, accusing it of blocking civilians “to use them as human shields.”
Some residents left the basements they had been cowering in for days to check on their property and buy food.
But many in the enclave, which lies on the eastern outskirts of the Syrian capital, appeared distrustful of a “pause” announced by Damascus’s main ally.
“This Russian truce is a farce. Russia is killing us and bombing us every day,” said Samer Al-Buaidhani, a 25-year-old from Douma, Eastern Ghouta’s main hub.
“I don’t believe it’s safe for me or my family to leave by this system,” he told AFP.
International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman Iolanda Jaquemet told AFP that any evacuation needed deeper coordination.
“Under international humanitarian law, humanitarian corridors are things which need to be well planned and must be implemented with the consent of parties on all sides, not only with one side,” she said.
More than 550 civilians, almost a quarter of them children, have been killed since Feb. 18 in the Syrian and Russian bombardment of Eastern Ghouta, making it one of the bloodiest episodes of the country’s seven-year-old conflict.
Violence levels were significantly lower on Tuesday as the “humanitarian pause” kicked in but six civilians were killed by regime bombardment, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
In Hammuriyeh, another town in the sprawling semi-rural enclave, Mohammed Abdullah said the pause left civilians with a choice between two evils.
“The truce is not in the people’s interest, we have two options: death or displacement,” said the 30-year-old.
“The campaign we were targeted with was an extermination campaign, not a simple bombardment. What we want is a full and permanent cease-fire for all of Ghouta,” he said.
That sentiment was echoed by the dominant opposition groups in Eastern Ghouta, who sent a letter to the UN stating their willingness to expel jihadists as soon as a full cease-fire takes effect.
The Russian-backed daily five-hour “pause” falls short of a broader month-long cease-fire voted by the UN Security Council on Saturday.
The main opposition groups in Eastern Ghouta — Jaish Al-Islam, Faylaq Al-Rahman and Ahrar Al-Sham — declared their “complete commitment to deport” radical fighters.
Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, a group made up mostly of fighters from Al-Qaeda’s ex-affiliate Al-Nusra Front, is present in some parts of the enclave.
The letter said such an evacuation, which has been discussed previously but never yielded any result, would take 15 days and start when a UN truce takes effect.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacted cautiously to the statement and said after meeting French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian that the ball was in the opposition groups’ court.
“We shall see in practice whether the pleas by the three illegal armed groups... to carry out the UNSC resolution correspond with their intentions,” he said.
The Syrian government lost control of Eastern Ghouta in 2012 and has besieged it almost ever since.
The scenario put in place by the regime and its Russian ally was reminiscent of the deal that ended the battle of Aleppo in 2016.
Few civilians back then initially used the Aleppo corridors unilaterally announced by Russia.
Some started fleeing after renewed bombardment and the rest eventually evacuated when a multilateral deal was reached with Turkey.
Ghouta truce struggles to hold
Ghouta truce struggles to hold
Mobile cinema brings Tunisians big screen experience
- Mobile cinemas have long existed in other countries, but Heraghi said CinemaTdour was “unique” for turning a truck into a full-fledged theater
DJEMMAL, Tunisia: Like many of his fellow Tunisians, 23-year-old Amine Elhani has never been to the cinema, but now, thanks to a mobile theater touring the country, he can finally enjoy the big screen.
The bright red truck of CinemaTdour, or “moving cinema,” has transformed parking lots and factory grounds in underserved towns and neighborhoods across the North African country into pop-up theaters.
In the central town of Djemmal, dozens of workers unloaded the expandable truck, easily setting up a fully equipped outdoor movie theater with 100 seats.
“The screen is huge, and the sound effects are amazing,” said Elhani, who had so far only watched films on his phone or computer.
He had “never had the chance to go to a movie theater,” he told AFP.
“It’s a fantastic experience, especially because I’m watching with friends.”
Movie theaters are scarce in Tunisia, numbering at just 15 and largely concentrated in major urban hubs.
Recognizing this gap, CinemaTdour was launched in May by private cultural network Agora and nonprofit Focus Gabes, with funding from private donors.
“We wanted a way to reach as many viewers as possible, in a short time and on a limited budget, while offering them an authentic cinematic experience,” project director Ghofrane Heraghi told AFP.
Mobile cinemas have long existed in other countries, but Heraghi said CinemaTdour was “unique” for turning a truck into a full-fledged theater.
Without government funding, CinemaTdour relies heavily on partnerships with private companies to cover costs like film rights, maintenance and staffing.
The truck itself was purchased on credit for about one million Tunisian dinars ($315,000), Heraghi said, with annual operating expenses of around 500,000 dinars.
For 10 days in Djemmal, residents could watch films for free thanks to a partnership with German car parts manufacturer Draxlmaier, which has a factory in the town.
Jihene Ben Amor, Draxlmaier’s communications manager in Tunisia, said the company wanted to “contribute to the development” of remote and underserved regions where it operates.
For many workers, earning up to 1,000 dinars a month, the cost of tickets and the journey to a main city with a movie theater can be prohibitive.
“Having this cinema right outside their workplace also gives workers a sense of pride and belonging,” said Ben Amor.
After Djemmal, CinemaTdour set up in Hay Hlel, an impoverished neighborhood of the capital Tunis.
Many children gathered around the pop-up theater, eager for their turn.
Yomna Warhani, 11, was beaming with excitement, anticipating her first ever movie screening.
“I can’t wait to see what it’s like inside and what films they’ll show,” she said.
Nejiba El Hadji, a 47-year-old mother of four, said: “It’s not just the kids who are thrilled, believe me.”
To her, the mobile cinema was a rare source of joy in an otherwise bleak environment.
“We have nothing here, no cultural centers and no entertainment, just the streets,” said Hadji.
“People say our kids are lost, but no one does anything about it.”
CinemaTdour’s two-week stay in Hay Hlel was funded by the World Health Organization, with screenings themed on mental health, smoking and drug abuse, and violence against women.
The shows were tailored for younger audiences as well as for viewers with hearing or visual impairments.
Heraghi, the project head, said that “what drives us is the social impact of culture.”
“We want to break stereotypes, shift mindsets, and promote values like social cohesion and community spirit.”
In just a few months, CinemaTdour has reached more than 15,000 people, including 7,500 in the southern oasis town of Nefta where a month of free screenings was sponsored by a date exporter.
The project now hopes to secure funding for additional trucks to expand its activities across the country.
But Heraghli has even bigger aspirations, she said, “taking it to Algeria, Libya, and maybe even across Africa.”
2024 Year in Review: How outrage at Israel’s actions in Gaza fueled global solidarity with Palestine
2024 Year in Review: How outrage at Israel’s actions in Gaza fueled global solidarity with Palestine
- Mass protests took place in cities around the globe in 2024, with demonstrators accusing Israel of genocide
- Several nations recognized Palestine as a sovereign state, challenging Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank
LONDON: When Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the world was appalled by the savagery of an assault that left more than 1,200 Israelis and people of other nationalities dead, and saw some 250 taken hostage.
At that moment, Israel had the unbridled sympathy of the Western world. But within days that sympathy had all but evaporated, swept away by rising disgust at the slaughter unleashed in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces.
By Oct. 24, 2023, just 17 days after the Hamas-led attack, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was urging the UN Security Council to rein in Israel. He had “condemned unequivocally the horrifying and unprecedented acts of terror by Hamas in Israel.”
But now, he said, “those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people” being meted out by Israel in Gaza. “Even war has rules,” he added.
By then, more than a million Palestinians had already been displaced and 5,000 had been killed, according to Gaza’s health authorities, including more than 1,100 women and 2,000 children, along with journalists, medics, and first responders.
Even before Guterres spoke out, thousands appalled by Israel’s behavior had already begun to take to the streets in Western capitals to express their horror and offer their moral support to the Palestinian people.
Some of the first protests took place in the UK, on Oct. 15, just a week after the Hamas-led attack. In London, thousands rallied in response to a plea by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and marched on Downing Street, home of the British prime minister.
Many carried Palestinian flags and banners with messages including “Free Palestine — end Israeli occupation” and “Stop bombing Gaza.”
The BBC’s headquarters in Portland Place, central London, was daubed in red paint, symbolising what activists called the broadcaster’s “complicity in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people through biased reporting.”
In Parliament and in some sections of the media, the protestors were immediately accused of antisemitism and of supporting Hamas. One protestor, interviewed in London by Reuters, made the purpose of the protests crystal clear.
“This is not about Hamas,” she said. “This is about protecting Palestinian lives.”
The protests spread like wildfire to other cities and campuses throughout the UK and then to Europe, the Middle East and Asia. By the end of October, demonstrations had erupted in Copenhagen, Rome, Stockholm, and Wellington.
In France, despite a ban on pro-Palestinian rallies, protests still braved arrest to make their voices heard in Paris and Marseille.
The protests were no flash in the pan, either. Into the new year and up until today, they have kept on coming.
As the death toll in Gaza mounted, reaching 30,000 by March 2024, it was not long before the outrage spread to the US, where on March 20 NBC reported that “in cities across the country, highways have been blocked, trains have been delayed and sections of college campuses have been shut down by hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets … protesting Israel’s invasion of Gaza.”
A week later, on March 27, a Gallup poll found that a majority of Americans opposed Israel’s military action in Gaza.
During a speech on the election campaign trail in North Carolina, President Joe Biden was interrupted by protesters demanding a US intervention to end the suffering of the Palestinians. Their shouts turned to cheers when the president heard them out and then said: “They have a point. We need to get a lot more care into Gaza.”
Dismay at the administration’s failure to rein in Israel, especially among the influential Arab American community in some key swing states, may well have cost Biden’s VP Kamala Harris the presidency.
Everywhere, alarmed by the strength of global feeling provoked by the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, the pro-Israel lobby rallied. Unable to defend Israel’s actions in Gaza, instead it went on the attack.
The protests, they said, were not pro-Palestinian or even anti-Israel, but antisemitic — an allegation that is frequently leveled at anyone who has criticised Israel’s behavior in Gaza and the West Bank.
In the UK, the lengths to which the pro-Israel lobby was prepared to go to distract attention away from the cause of the protests became evident after an extraordinary episode in April.
The media rushed to report the claims of Gideon Falter, the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, that he had accidentally stumbled into the path of a pro-Palestinian protest and had then been threatened with arrest because his “openly Jewish” appearance was antagonising the marchers.
The incident was filmed, and selectively edited, by the CAA. But when the full footage later emerged it became clear that Falter had deliberately tried to provoke demonstrators by pushing past police officers and walking in the path of the demonstration.
In the US, wealthy Jewish donors banded together to attack universities for allowing pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. According to a report by CNBC, even as protests were taking off in the US in late October 2023, billionaire supporters of Ivy League schools including Harvard, Yale, and Penn threatened to withdraw funding.
By January 2024, the wealthy donors had successfully hounded out of office two high-profile leaders, Harvard president Claudine Gay and Penn president Liz Magill, both of whom resigned.
In an op-ed published in the Guardian in January 2024, Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, wrote that “as a Jew, I also cannot help but worry that the actions of these donors — many of them Jewish, many from Wall Street — could fuel the very antisemitism they claim to oppose, based on the age-old stereotype of wealthy Jewish bankers controlling the world.”
The determined assault on the defenders of Palestine by the Jewish lobby has continued unabated. In the UK last week, the head of the British Medical Association was accused by campaign group Labour Against Antisemitism of creating “a hostile environment” for Jewish doctors, and is now under investigation by her own organization.
Dr. Mary McCarthy’s “offense” was to have reposted a message on her X account that described the conflict in Gaza as “a holocaust.”
Over in Ireland, it was reported last week that Israel is to close its embassy in Dublin, accusing the Irish government of “extreme anti-Israel policies” and “crossing every red line.” In May, Ireland, followed quickly by Spain, Norway, and Slovenia, had recognized Palestine as an independent, sovereign state.
In July, the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe wrote of his alarm that “nine months into the Israeli genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip,” Israel’s “parallel attack on freedom of speech on Palestine is continuing with intensity, making it difficult for the general public to appreciate the reality in Palestine beyond the manipulated and distorted coverage offered by mainstream media.”
All over the Global North, universities had “ousted students simply for being members of outfits such as Students for Justice in Palestine. They even disinvited academics or authors who dared to criticize Israel.
“Similar actions were taken against journalists and people in public services, even those who accompanied their criticism with a condemnation of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.”
It was, he added in an article published in the Palestine Chronicle, “clear that we are facing a coordinated campaign led by the pro-Israeli lobby and aimed at continuing the historical denial of the ongoing Nakba.”
That denial, however, appears to be falling on deaf ears.
In recent weeks, thousands have continued to protest on the streets of London and other Western capitals. The UK-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign has even announced plans for its first national demonstration of 2025.
On Jan. 18, it said, “we will march through London once again to demand an end to Israel’s genocide in Palestine.”
It added: “It is vital we continue to take to the streets in huge numbers to demand an end to British complicity in Israel’s genocide and apartheid, including through an end to all arms trade with Israel.”
As 2024 has seen an extraordinary outpouring of global outrage at the death and destruction being wrought by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, so 2025 will see no let-up in the calls for Israel to be held to account.
Emirati foreign minister discusses developments in Syria with his new counterpart in the country
- Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed says UAE supports inclusive and comprehensive transition that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people
LONDON: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Emirati minister of foreign affairs, spoke on Monday with his newly appointed counterpart in Syria’s interim government about the latest developments in the country following the fall of the Assad regime in early December.
Sheikh Abdullah and Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani also discussed ways in which the relationship between Syria and the UAE might be enhanced, the Emirates News Agency reported.
During their telephone conversation Sheikh Abdullah emphasized the need to maintain Syria’s unity, integrity and sovereignty. He said the UAE supports an inclusive and comprehensive transition that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people for security, development, a dignified life and a prosperous future.
Al-Shaibani, 37, was appointed Syria’s foreign minister on Saturday by the country’s General Command, the new de facto rulers of the country.
Lebanon’s prime minister urges US, France to help expedite Israeli withdrawal
- Najib Mikati visits war-torn Khiam to assess extent of destruction in the town
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday called on the US and France to help speed up the withdrawal of Israeli forces from his country nearly a month into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Mikati emphasized his commitment to “resolving all disputes related to the Blue Line — the UN-demarcated boundary between Lebanon and Israel — to eliminate any justification for the Israeli occupation of Lebanese land.”
Mikati was on his first visit to the southern frontlines, where Lebanese soldiers under the US-brokered ceasefire deal are expected to gradually deploy, with Hezbollah and Israeli troops expected to withdraw by the end of next month.
Speaking from the border town of Khiam, Mikati said he was working with “the World Bank, the European Union, Arab countries, and our international partners to create a trust fund” for reconstruction efforts.
FASTFACTS
• PM Mikati is working with ‘the World Bank, the European Union, Arab countries, and our international partners to create a trust fund’ for reconstruction efforts.
• The World Bank estimated in October that the fighting had caused physical damage amounting to ‘at least $3.4 billion’ in Lebanon.
• Mikati is the first Lebanese official to enter Khiam after the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the area.
The World Bank estimated in October that the fighting had caused physical damage amounting to “at least $3.4 billion” in Lebanon.
Mikati is the first Lebanese official to enter Khiam after the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the area.
He assessed the extensive and systematic destruction in the town after the Israeli forces’ demolition of homes and facilities.
Mikati expressed “profound pain over the destruction.”
He underlined the need for “an immediate Israeli withdrawal from the Lebanese territories that the Israeli army has penetrated.”
He said: “These are essential issues for the Lebanese army to be ready to carry out its duties in full. The measures related to UN Resolution 1701 will take their natural course and be fully implemented by the army, with American and French guarantees.”
He said no obstacles must prevent the army from fulfilling its duties.
Mikati said that “the delay and procrastination in implementing the international resolution did not originate from the military, but rather the issue lies with the Israeli side, which is exhibiting a reluctance to proceed.”
He continued: “We must consult the parties to the ceasefire agreement, namely the French and the Americans, to put an end to this Israeli procrastination and to expedite the process as much as possible before the end of the 60 days stipulated in the ceasefire agreement for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Lebanese territories.”
Mikati said the Lebanese government “is responsible for implementing measures in line with international law. It is also fully committed to enforcing UN Security Council resolutions.
“This is the current scope of our work. I say to all skeptics: ‘Hope for the best, and you shall find it.’”
Regarding reconstruction, Mikati said: “We will develop a plan and conduct studies within the necessary timeframe and with complete transparency.”
The truce in southern Lebanon went into force on Nov. 27 after more than a year of cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that began with the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
During his first visit to the border region since the implementation of the ceasefire, under the auspices of the US and France, Mikati traveled from Beirut to the Marjayoun barracks in the eastern sector to inspect the army units stationed at the front lines.
Awaiting his arrival was the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Gen. Joseph Aoun.
Mikati saluted “the souls of the army martyrs who fell defending the land,” praising “the high morale of the soldiers and their insistence on defending the land despite all the difficulties.”
The prime minister said: “The army has never faltered in its duties, and we are facing a challenging test.
“It has consistently proven to be a symbol of national unity and carries out its responsibilities, with all Lebanese standing by its side in support.”
Mikati expressed the hope that the meeting he has requested on Tuesday with the US, French, and Lebanese military representatives in the oversight committee for monitoring the ceasefire “will address issues related to the deployment of the Lebanese army in light of Israel’s withdrawal from all territories it penetrated during its recent aggression so that the army can carry out its duties in full.”
Gen. Aoun said that “despite all the limited resources, the army remained steadfast in its positions and protected civilians. We will continue our mission because we believe in our actions.”
The second stop for Mikati and Gen. Aoun on the tour was the UNIFIL Eastern Sector Command in the town of Ebel El-Saqi.
UNIFIL Force Commander Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro and the commander of the eastern sector, Gen. Fernando Ruiz, received them.
The audience listened to an explanation of the field situation in the operations room.
Gen. Lazaro highlighted the tasks carried out by UNIFIL in coordination with the army.
He confirmed “the continuation of the meetings of the Ceasefire Monitoring Committee to carry out the required tasks.”
Mikati praised UNIFIL’s “role and close cooperation with the army.”
He emphasized that “our priority is the full implementation of Resolution 1701, Israel’s withdrawal from the territories it has penetrated, and stopping the systematic destruction of villages and halting violations. We look forward to long-term stability in the south through the army carrying out its duties in full cooperation with UNIFIL.”
On his way back, Mikati was warmly welcomed by residents of Qlayaa and Marjayoun in the towns’ squares, where he praised “the steadfastness of the people and their attachment to their land.”
Also on Monday, in a provocative move, the Israeli army raised the Israeli flag at the entrance of the southern Lebanese border town of Naqoura. UNIFIL’s headquarters are in Naqoura.
The Israeli forces also blocked the Bint Jbeil–Maroun El-Ras road with earth mounds and concrete blocks, preventing vehicle access to Maroun El-Ras.
Israel reconnaissance planes continued to violate Lebanese airspace in the south.
Israeli forces shelled Kafr Kila and Bani Hayyan and destroyed houses in Naqoura, as well as in Al-Bustan and Al-Zalloutiyeh in Tyre, south Lebanon.
The Israeli army again warned residents of southern Lebanon not to move south to a line of villages stretching from Mansouri on the coast to Shebaa in the east until further notice.
Israel’s Netanyahu orders military to ‘destroy’ Houthis
- Also said Israel had solidified its stance as “regional power”
- Added he planned to expand Abraham Accords with Israel’s “American ally”
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister on Monday said that he had ordered the country’s military to destroy the infrastructure of Iran-backed Houthis, after the Yemeni group fired missiles at Israel last week.
“I have instructed our forces to destroy the infrastructure of Houthis because anyone who tries to harm us will be struck with full force. We will continue to crush the forces of evil with strength and ingenuity, even if it takes time,” Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament.
He added that progress had been made in ongoing hostage negotiations with Hamas in Gaza but that he did not know how much longer it would take to see the results.
During a speech in Israel’s Knesset, Netanyahu said Israel had made “great achievements” militarily on several fronts and that military pressure on Hamas had led its leaders to soften their previous demands.
The prime minister, in between heckles from opposition members, said Israel had solidified its stance as a “regional power” and that he planned to expand the Abraham Accords together with Israel’s “American ally.”
He said the war in Gaza had offered opportunities to sign new peace accords with Arab nations and “dramatically change the face of” the Middle East.
“Moderate Arab countries view Israel as a regional power and a potential ally. I intend to seize this opportunity to the fullest. Together with our American friends, I plan to expand the Abraham Accords... and thus change even more dramatically the face of the Middle East,” he said in parliament, referring to agreements which normalized ties between Israel and some Arab states during Donald Trump’s first term as US president.
Netanyahu said Israel’s economy was strong and encouraged foreign investors to invest.
