EU Warns Israel Against ‘Catastrophic’ Rafah Offensive https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/4863816-eu-warns-israel-against-%E2%80%98catastrophic%E2%80%99-rafah-offensive%C2%A0
EU Warns Israel Against ‘Catastrophic’ Rafah Offensive
Palestinian brothers warm up by a fire in front of a destroyed building during an Israeli military operation in the Al Nusairat refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 19 February 2024. (EPA)
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EU Warns Israel Against ‘Catastrophic’ Rafah Offensive
Palestinian brothers warm up by a fire in front of a destroyed building during an Israeli military operation in the Al Nusairat refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 19 February 2024. (EPA)
The European Union on Monday warned Israel against launching an offensive in Rafah that ministers said would create a disaster for the roughly 1.5 million refugees crammed into the city on the southern edge of Gaza.
"An attack on Rafah would be absolutely catastrophic ... it would be unconscionable," Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said before a meeting with foreign ministers from the 27 EU member states in Brussels.
"Over 1.5 million people are crowded into a very small corner of Gaza. They're weary, they are exhausted, they have nowhere else to go - how can anyone contemplate adding to that trauma?" he said.
Israel is preparing to mount a ground invasion of the enclave's southernmost city, which it has called a last bastion of Hamas control after nearly five months of fighting.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday the Israeli military (IDF) was planning operations in Rafah targeting Hamas fighters, command centers and tunnels, stressing that "extraordinary measures" were being taken to avoid civilian casualties.
Israel accuses Hamas fighters of hiding among civilians, something the militant group denies.
But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that avoiding those casualties would be impossible.
"We have to continue putting pressure on Israel to make them understand that there are so many people in the streets of Rafah, it will be impossible to avoid civilian casualties," he said.
"This, certainly, will be against the respect of humanitarian law."
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also called on Israel to respect humanitarian law, but added Israel had the "right to self-defense" as she said it was clear that Hamas fighters were still operating from Rafah.
"The most important thing would be that Hamas would lay down its weapons," she said.
"But Israel has to comply with international humanitarian law. Over a million people went to the south of Gaza because the IDF told them so. They can't just disappear in the sky."
Baerbock repeated her call for a "humanitarian ceasefire", to allow refugees to go back home in the north of Gaza.
Franjieh Withdraws from Lebanon’s Presidential Race, Backs Army Commanderhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5099296-franjieh-withdraws-lebanon%E2%80%99s-presidential-race-backs-army-commander
People look at a ballot box displayed inside the parliament building, a day ahead of Lebanon's parliament's attempt to elect a new head of state in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, January 8, 2025. (Reuters)
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Franjieh Withdraws from Lebanon’s Presidential Race, Backs Army Commander
People look at a ballot box displayed inside the parliament building, a day ahead of Lebanon's parliament's attempt to elect a new head of state in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, January 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Head of the Marada Movement Suleiman Franjieh announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing from Lebanon’s presidential election and backing the candidacy of army commander Joseph Aoun.
Lebanon is holding the much-awaited election on Thursday.
In a post on the X platform, Franjieh said: "Now that the conditions are ripe for the election of a president tomorrow, I am withdrawing my candidacy, which has never been an obstacle in the electoral process."
He added that Aoun "enjoys the qualities that would preserve the standing of the country’s top post."
He hoped "the nation would overcome this stage with unity, diligence and responsibility."
Parliament will try to elect a president on Thursday, with officials seeing better chances of success in a political landscape shaken by Israel's war with Hezbollah and the toppling of the group's ally Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria.
The post, reserved for a Maronite Christian in the country's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022. The former president is not related to army commander Aoun.
None of the political groups in the 128-seat parliament have enough seats to impose their choice, and they have so far been unable to agree on a consensus candidate. The vote marks the first test of Lebanon's power balance since the Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah - which propelled its then Christian ally Aoun to the presidency in 2016 - emerged badly pummeled from the war with Israel.
The Lebanese parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
It takes place against a backdrop of historic change in the wider Middle East, where the Assad-led Syrian state exercised sway over Lebanon for decades, both directly and through allies such as Hezbollah.
Before Franjieh withdrew from the race and reflecting the shifts, Hezbollah and its ally the Shiite Amal Movement led by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri dropped their insistence on Franjieh, their declared candidate for the last two years, and said they are ready to go with a less divisive figure, three senior sources familiar with their thinking said.
Candidates in focus include army commander General Joseph Aoun - said by Lebanese politicians to enjoy US approval - Jihad Azour, a senior International Monetary Fund official who formerly served as finance minister, and Major-General Elias al-Baysari - head of General Security, a state security agency.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he felt happy because "God willing, tomorrow we will have a new president", according to a statement from his office.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also expressed hope in comments to France Inter radio, saying the election was "a prerequisite for the continuation of this dynamic of peace" and also for Lebanon's economic and social recovery.
However, two of the sources and an analyst cautioned that it was not yet certain any candidate would be elected. To win, a candidate must secure 86 votes in a first round, or 65 in a second round.
Rice is thrown on Newly-appointed General Joseph Aoun (C) as army commander, upon his arrival at his family's house in Sin El Fil, northeast of Beirut, Lebanon March 8, 2017. (Reuters)
‘National awakening’
Joseph Aoun would still need 86 votes because his election requires a constitutional amendment, as he is a still-serving state employee, Berri has said.
A State Department spokesperson said it was "up to Lebanon to choose its next president, not the United States or any external actor".
"We have been consistent in our efforts to press Lebanon to elect a new president, which we see as important to strengthening Lebanon’s political institutions," the spokesperson said.
Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa said last week there was "no veto" on Aoun. But the sources said Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group by the United States, will not support him.
Aoun has a key role in shoring up the ceasefire brokered by Washington and Paris in November. The terms require the Lebanese military to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.
Still reeling from a financial collapse in 2019, Lebanon desperately needs foreign aid to rebuild. Much of the damage is in Shiite majority areas.
Hezbollah, its supply line to Iran severed by Assad's ousting, has urged Arab and international support for Lebanon.
Lebanon's Maronite Bishops called on lawmakers to elect a president, urging a "national awakening".
