palestinians

Revisiting History in the Lebanese Mind

In just a few hours, Lebanon will mark the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of President Bachir Gemayel—an event that altered the course of the Lebanese Civil War, establishing a new center of gravity within the conflict. Bachir’s election embodied the balance of regional and international power in Lebanon, from the dynamics of ...

Rubio Says US Warned France on Israel Annexation Moves

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday criticized France and other countries moving to recognize a Palestinian state, saying he warned them Israel may respond by annexing the West Bank. Rubio declined to join global condemnation of efforts by members of the Israeli government to annex the occupied West Bank in hopes of destroying prospects of ...

Army Collects Weapons from Palestinian Camps in South

The Lebanese Army on Thursday launched its largest weapons collection operation since the end of the civil war, targeting Palestinian refugee camps both south and north of the Litani River. The initiative is part of the government’s efforts to ensure that arms remain solely under state control. The campaign began in the Tyre region, ...

Geagea Calls for Full Compliance with Government Decision on Weapons

Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea stressed on Friday the need for all parties to abide by the government’s decision affirming the state’s exclusive control over weapons, following his meeting at the Grand Serail with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Geagea underlined that the decision, which asserts the government’s monopoly on arms, ...

Hebron's Short-Lived Tribal Emirate Dream

What if the future of Middle East peace lay not in a one-state or two-state solution, but in a network of tribal emirates forging direct ties with Israel? That is the provocative vision reportedly proposed by a group of influential Palestinian clan leaders from the Hebron region in the West Bank—chief among them the powerful Sheikh Wadih ...

FM Rajji Rejects Foreign Interference in Lebanon’s Internal Affairs

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji reaffirmed Lebanon’s stance against external interference and called for mutual respect in regional relations during his speech at the “Path to the State” conference on Saturday. Rajji stressed Lebanon’s commitment to a non-interventionist policy: “We do not want anyone to interfere in our internal ...

The Lingering Specter of the Islamic State in Lebanon

The Lebanese Army announced on Tuesday the arrest of a man identified as R.F., also known as “Qassoura,” who is believed to be the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Lebanon. The operation, conducted by the Directorate of Intelligence, led to the confiscation of a large cache of weapons, ammunition, electronic devices, and materials used ...

France 'Determined' to Recognize Palestinian State

France is "determined" to recognize a Palestinian state, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, condemning Israel for the "indefensible" situation in Gaza created by its military campaign and humanitarian blockade. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also reaffirmed that Paris backed a Netherlands-led initiative for a review of the cooperation ...

Yemen's Houthis Threaten Israeli Port Blockade

Yemen's Houthi rebels said Monday that they would imposed a "naval blockade" of the Israeli port of Haifa in response to Israel's escalation of the Gaza war. The Houthis would "begin working to enforce a naval blockade of the port of Haifa," said military spokesman Yehya Saree. "All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are ...

April 13 (1): A Sudden Spark or the Culmination of a Crisis?

Ain el-Remmaneh, Sunday, April 13, 1975. A religious ceremony is held around 10 in the morning, to mark the inauguration of a Melkite church in this working-class suburb of Beirut, a stronghold of Lebanon’s main Christian parties. Several prominent figures are present, including President Camille Chamoun and Kataeb leader Pierre Gemayel. During ...