This is Beirut - United Nations

UNIFIL Mandate Shift Could Ignite Region: Will the US Push Back on Israeli Demands?

Philippe Abi-Akl, 08:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

One month separates Lebanon from a critical juncture, one of the most sensitive in its modern history. At the end of August, the United Nations Security Council will decide whether to renew the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another year. The decision could either reaffirm the mission’s role or mark its ...

US Dismisses UN Israel-Palestinian Conference as 'Publicity Stunt'

This is Beirut, 28/07 21:06 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

France Palestinian Statehood Two-State Solution Israel United Nations Saudi Arabia

The United States on Monday dismissed a French-Saudi-sponsored conference at the United Nations on promoting a two-state solution to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis as a "stunt." The US State Department labeled the three-day event "unproductive and ill-timed," as well as a "publicity stunt" that would ...

Kuwait Sanctions Hezbollah’s Al-Qard Al-Hasan

This is Beirut, 28/07 16:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Kuwait UN Security Council United Nations lebanon Somalia

In a significant move aligning with international counterterrorism frameworks, Kuwait has officially imposed sanctions on Hezbollah, its financial arm Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association, and three individuals of Lebanese, Tunisian and Somali nationalities. The decision was announced Monday by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Committee for the ...

New Aid Convoy Enters South Syria Druze-Majority Province

This is Beirut, 28/07 16:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus United Nations Druze Aid

A new humanitarian aid convoy reached southern Syria's Druze heartland on Monday, official media said, as the United Nations warned the humanitarian situation in Sweida province was critical after deadly violence. Clashes in Druze-majority Sweida province, which began on July 13 and ended with a ceasefire a week later, initially involved Druze ...

UN Says 'Worrying Surge' in Iran Executions

This is Beirut, 28/07 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Iran Executions

The United Nations on Monday urged Iran to stop using the death penalty, citing a "worrying surge in executions" that has included at least 612 people being killed so far this year. "Reports that there have been several hundred executions in Iran so far this year underscore how deeply disturbing the situation has become and the urgent need for an ...

The UN, The Palestinians, Israel and a Stalled Two-State Solution

This is Beirut, 28/07 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Nations

Ever since the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, the United Nations has been inextricably linked to the fate of Palestinians, with the organization meeting this week hoping to revive the two-state solution. Here is a timeline on the issue: Partition In November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 ...

UN to Use 'Humanitarian Pauses' to Try to Reach Gaza's Starving

This is Beirut, 27/07 19:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

United Nations World Food Programme Humanitarian Aid Gaza

The United Nations said it would try to reach as many starving people as possible in Gaza after Israel announced it would establish secure land routes for humanitarian convoys. The UN's World Food Program (WFP) said it had enough food in, or on its way to, the region to feed the 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip for almost three ...

Aid Groups Warn of Starving Children as European Powers Discuss Gaza

This is Beirut, 25/07 12:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United Nations Gaza Malnutrition MSF

Aid groups warned of surging numbers of malnourished children in war-ravaged Gaza as a trio of European powers prepared to hold an "emergency call" Friday on the deepening humanitarian crisis. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that a quarter of the young children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers it had screened at its clinics last week were ...

Iran Meets European Powers Amid Threats of UN Sanctions Snap Back

This is Beirut, 25/07 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United Nations Israel Tehran United States Snap Back

Iranian diplomats met counterparts from Germany, Britain and France on Friday for renewed nuclear talks, amid warnings that the three European powers could trigger "snap back" sanctions outlined under the 2015 deal. The meeting in Istanbul was the first since Israel's mid-June attack on Iran, which sparked a 12-day war and targeted ...

France Pledges €75 Million to Lebanon in Joint Statement with PM Nawaf Salam

This is Beirut, 25/07 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday, July 24, at the Élysée Palace, marking Salam’s first official visit to France since his appointment in January. In a joint statement released at the conclusion of the visit, France and Lebanon reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ...

Macron Says France Will Recognise State of Palestine, Angering Israel

This is Beirut, 24/07 22:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron United Nations Palestine France

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move. At least 142 countries now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, according to an AFP tally -- though Israel and the United States ...

Gaza: UN Unable to Verify Number of Aid Shipments Awaiting Distribution Due to Lack of Access

This is Beirut, 24/07 17:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The United Nations said Thursday it does not know how many aid consignments are currently in Gaza awaiting distribution, as it has not been authorized by Israel to be present at the crossing points. The Israeli military denied on Wednesday that it was blocking humanitarian aid and claimed that 950 trucks were in Gaza waiting for international ...

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