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Egypt Urges De-escalation in the Region

Egyptian Minister of Defense during a meeting with his British counterpart in Cairo. (Egypt's Armed Forces spokesman) 
Egyptian Minister of Defense during a meeting with his British counterpart in Cairo. (Egypt's Armed Forces spokesman) 
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Egypt Urges De-escalation in the Region

Egyptian Minister of Defense during a meeting with his British counterpart in Cairo. (Egypt's Armed Forces spokesman) 
Egyptian Minister of Defense during a meeting with his British counterpart in Cairo. (Egypt's Armed Forces spokesman) 

Egyptian Minister of Defense Mohamed Zaki emphasized on Thursday during a meeting with his British counterpart in Egypt, the need for collaborative efforts to "prevent escalation and bolster security and stability in the region”.
Discussions between the British defense minister, Grant Shapps, and Zaki focused on the "developments in the Middle East, bilateral cooperation, and the shared interests between the two countries," a statement by Egypt's Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Gharib Abdel-Hafez said.
Commending Egypt's significant regional role, especially in light of the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip, Shapps acknowledged its impact on international and regional stability and security.
Separately, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, in a statement released on Wednesday, warned against the "danger of military escalation in the Middle East region on multiple fronts."
During a meeting with the visiting Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Sisi emphasized the "vital need to defuse the current critical situation" through an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Furthermore, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Abul Gheit expressed deep concern over the potential multifront escalation, urging an end to the Israeli war on Gaza. He highlighted the horrific humanitarian crisis resulting from the conflict.
The Greek Foreign Minister affirmed Athens' commitment to preventing the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, emphasizing the urgency of a ceasefire and the pursuit of a sustainable political solution.
Gerapetritis warned of an expanded conflict if the crisis persists.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian security source denied reports of "launching a drone from Sinai to Eilat," following the Israeli army's interception of a "suspicious aerial target" over the Red Sea near Eilat, later declared a "false alarm."
In a separate development, the Egyptian Armed Forces reported the thwarting of a drug smuggling attempt, resulting in the death of three suspected traffickers during the operation. The military spokesman disclosed the interception of approximately 300 kg of various narcotics.
This follows another successful interception earlier in the week, where Egypt seized 174 kg of narcotics on its border with Israel, resulting in one fatality and the arrest of six individuals.

 

 

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Palestinians Receptive to Lebanon’s Call to Limit Possession of Weapons in Refugee Camps

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
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Palestinians Receptive to Lebanon’s Call to Limit Possession of Weapons in Refugee Camps

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)

Lebanon has started to exert serious efforts to restrict the possession of weapons inside Palestinian refugee camps in the country in line with President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech.

The president had demanded that the possession of weapons in the country and the camps be limited to the state.

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee met at the government headquarters in Beirut three days ago to discuss the issue.

All Palestinian factions attended the meeting, and the gatherers agreed to “completely” resolve the Palestinian possession of arms outside the camps. They also agreed to outline how to restrict weapons inside the camps in line with the president’s speech.

The Lebanese state has yet to come up with the mechanism to confiscate the weapons inside the camps.

A Lebanese security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the arms will be tackled through a political approach drawn up by the government. “It will be carried out by the army with the security agencies and in coordination with the Palestinian factions in the camp, led by the Fatah movement, which is the official representative of the Palestinian people,” it added.

The Palestinians have expressed their “complete understanding” of the issue, it remarked.

The laying down of weapons by Palestinian factions is a step towards all illegal weapons throughout the country being turned over to the Lebanese state, it went on to say.

“There are no longer any excuses for weapons to remain in possession of any organization,” stressed the source.

Lebanese groups will be demanded to lay down their arms after the Palestinian ones do, it added.

In a first, the Palestinian factions have been very receptive to a Lebanese head of state’s demand to cooperate in limiting the possession of weapons in the refugee camps.

Member of the Palestinian National and Central Councils Haitham Zaiter said that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) recognizes that the camps are part of Lebanese territories, so they come under the authority of the state and its laws.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “complete coordination” is ongoing between the Lebanese security agencies and PLO inside the camps where several wanted Lebanese and Palestinian suspects and others from other nationalities have been turned over to the authorities.

The suspects had sought refuge in the camps to avoid justice in the crimes they have committed, he acknowledged.

“The PLO is the sole representative of the Palestinian people inside Palestine and in the diaspora,” he stated.

Moreover, Zaiter explained that Palestinian weapons in Lebanon are either carried by the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) outside the camps or by non-partisan individuals inside the camps.

The PFLP-GC laid down its weapons as soon as the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed in December.

Heavy weapons inside the camps had been previously brought in with the aim to undermine the PLO, he added.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “has constantly called for coordination with Lebanese authorities to limit the possession of these weapons,” Zaiter said.