BEIRUT: Lebanon’s month-old government called off a cabinet session Wednesday as a political crisis brewed within its ranks over whether to remove a judge investigating the massive August 2020 Beirut port blast.
The debate comes at a time when Lebanese are desperately waiting for the government, formed in September after protracted horse-trading, to tackle Lebanon’s dire economic crisis.
Judge Tarek Bitar was forced to suspend his probe on Tuesday after former ministers he had summoned on suspicion of negligence filed lawsuits against him.
He is now emerging as the target of a political campaign led by the Shiite movements Hezbollah and Amal.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah accused him this week of political bias.
Senior Amal lawmaker and former minister Ali Hasan Khalil threatened a “political escalation” if the course of the investigation “was not rectified,” after Bitar on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against him for failing to show up for questioning.
A cabinet session Tuesday ended with a row as ministers affiliated with Hezbollah and Amal pressed the government to support their demand to replace Bitar, according to a senior official who asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
A follow-up session scheduled for Wednesday was postponed, signalling no agreement has been reached between factions in the cabinet, with some ministers arguing the government should not intervene in judicial matters.
Supporters of Hezbollah and Amal called for an anti-Bitar rally on Thursday near the Justice Palace in Beirut, the site where relatives of blast victims usually stage protests denouncing political interference.
Since taking up the case, Bitar has summoned an array of former premiers and ministers as well as top military and security officials for questioning on suspicion of criminal negligence.
He also called in two other ex-ministers for questioning this week before he was forced to pause his probe for the second time in less than a month.
The country’s political leaders, including a group of former premiers, have criticized him for trying to investigate officials who can only be tried by a special court.
Rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly accused officials of interfering with the course of the investigation in order to dodge accountability.
Blast victims’ relatives, who are avid supporters of Bitar, fear he will meet the same fate as his predecessor, Fadi Sawan, who was also forced to suspend investigations then removed in February.
The August 4, 2020 explosion at Beirut’s port killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands more and destroyed swathes of the capital.
Lebanon political crisis brews over fate of blast judge
https://arab.news/jjcr6
Lebanon political crisis brews over fate of blast judge
- Judge Tarek Bitar was forced to suspend his probe after former ministers he had summoned on suspicion of negligence filed lawsuits against him
- Supporters of Hezbollah and Amal have called for an anti-Bitar rally on Thursday near the Justice Palace in Beirut
Fire at Turkiye ski resort hotel kills 10, injures 32
- The blaze at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3:27 a.m.
- The resort is located on top of a mountain range about 170km northwest of Ankara
The blaze at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3:27 a.m. (0027 GMT), Ali Yerlikaya said on X.
Private NTV broadcaster said three people died after jumping from the hotel’s windows.
The resort is located on top of a mountain range about 170 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of the capital Ankara.
The fire, which is believed to have started in the restaurant at around midnight, spread quickly. It was not immediately clear what caused it.
Television footage showed huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky with a snowcapped mountain behind the hotel.
Part of it backs onto a cliff, making it harder for firefighters to tackle the blaze.
Local media said 237 people were staying at the hotel, where the occupancy rate was between 80 and 90 percent due to the school holidays.
Those evacuated were rehoused in nearby hotels.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said six prosecutors had been allocated to investigate the blaze.
The health, interior and culture ministers are expected to visit the site later in the day.
Trump ‘not confident’ Gaza deal will hold
- Donald Trump however believes Hamas had been ‘weakened’ in the war
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not confident a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold, despite trumpeting his diplomacy to secure it ahead of his inauguration.
Asked by a reporter as he returned to the White House whether the two sides would maintain the truce and move on in the agreement, Trump said, “I’m not confident.”
“That’s not our war; it’s their war. But I’m not confident,” Trump said.
Trump, however, said that he believed Hamas had been “weakened” in the war that began with its unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site,” Trump said.
The property tycoon turned populist politician said that Gaza could see a “fantastic” reconstruction if the plan moves ahead.
“It’s a phenomenal location on the sea — best weather. You know, everything’s good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it,” he said.
Israel and Hamas on Sunday began implementing a ceasefire deal that included the exchange of hostages and prisoners.
The plan was originally outlined by then president Joe Biden in May and was pushed through after unusual joint diplomacy by Biden and Trump envoys.
Trump, while pushing for the deal, has also made clear he will steadfastly support Israel.
In one of his first acts, he revoked sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank imposed by the Biden administration over attacks against Palestinians.
Syria’s de facto leader congratulates Trump, looks forward to improving relations
- In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance
CAIRO: Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries.
“We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” he said.
The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by ousted President Bashar Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiralled into civil war.
In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.
Syria welcomed the move, but has urged a complete lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.
Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce: UN
- The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day
UNITED NATIONS, United States: More than 900 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Monday, the United Nations said, exceeding the daily target outlined in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“Humanitarian aid continues to move into the Gaza Strip as part of a prepared surge to increase support to survivors,” the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) said.
“Today, 915 trucks crossed into Gaza, according to information received through engagement with Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement.”
Throughout conflict in Gaza, the UN has denounced obstacles restricting the flow and distribution of aid into the battered Palestinian territory.
On Sunday, the day the ceasefire came into force, 630 trucks entered Gaza.
An initial 42-day truce between Israel and Hamas is meant to enable a surge of sorely needed aid for Gaza after 15 months of war.
The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day.
Hamas ‘ready for dialogue’ with Trump administration, senior official says
- Mousa Abu Marzouk, 74, currently based in Qatar, is native of Gaza, former resident of Virginia
- It is unclear whether statement reflects broad consensus among militant group in Gaza Strip
LONDON: The Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip is ready to engage in dialogue with the US and its new administration under Donald Trump, according to one of its senior officials Mousa Abu Marzouk.
Abu Marzouk, who is a member of Hamas’ political office, told The New York Times on Sunday that the group was “prepared for a dialogue with America and to achieve understanding on everything.”
Abu Marzouk, 74, who is currently based in Qatar, is a native of Gaza and a former resident of Virginia.
His statement came hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the inauguration of a new administration in the White House.
It is unclear whether Abu Marzouk’s words reflect a broad consensus among the militant group in Gaza, which launched a cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The US has classified Hamas as a terrorist organization since 1997.
Abu Marzouk told The New York Times that Hamas was prepared to welcome an envoy from the Trump administration to the Gaza Strip.
He said: “He can come and see the people and try to understand their feelings and wishes, so that the American position can be based on the interests of all the parties and not only one party.”
Abu Marzouk praised Trump for helping to secure the ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, adding that “without President Trump’s insistence on ending the war and his dispatching of a decisive representative, this deal wouldn’t have happened.”
