عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Libya: MPs Refuse to Recognize the Constitution Drafting Assembly

Rescuers from Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) distribute life jackets to migrants on a rubber dinghy in central Mediterranean on international waters off Zuwarah, Libya, April 14, 2017.REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi
Rescuers from Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) distribute life jackets to migrants on a rubber dinghy in central Mediterranean on international waters off Zuwarah, Libya, April 14, 2017.REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi
TT
TT

Libya: MPs Refuse to Recognize the Constitution Drafting Assembly

Rescuers from Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) distribute life jackets to migrants on a rubber dinghy in central Mediterranean on international waters off Zuwarah, Libya, April 14, 2017.REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi
Rescuers from Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) distribute life jackets to migrants on a rubber dinghy in central Mediterranean on international waters off Zuwarah, Libya, April 14, 2017.REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

Libya's Constitutional Drafting Assembly (CDA) requested the help of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to complete the constitution, while members of the Libyan Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) rejected Monday the Assembly calling for the formation of a committee of experts to amend the 1951 Libyan Constitution instead.

Head of the CDA, Noah Abdullah, indicated in a letter sent yesterday to Ghassan Salame, head of the UN mission, that any attempt to disrupt or obstruct the constitution or allow internal or external parties to interfere in its formation is an infringement of the people's will.

He called on the UN mission to "provide the necessary assistance" to meet the constitutional deadline and to urge Libyan authorities, namely HoR, to honor their duties in the constitutional declaration and Libyan laws in force.

Meanwhile, 18 members of the parliament rejected the CDA calling for the formation of a committee of experts to amend the 1951 Libyan Constitution instead.

The HoR members said in a joint statement that the ruling of the Supreme Court is not valid, therefore they decided not to recognize the constitution drafting assembly. The members representing eastern Libya, called on their fellow MPs to introduce a limited amendment to the independence constitution.

The members also refused to issue a referendum law on the draft constitution until a committee of experts is formed to verify the authenticity of the Libyan identity.

The CDA voted last July on a draft constitution and presented it to the parliament for endorsement.

Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court in Tripoli ruled to the jurisdiction of the administrative court to consider the case against the CDA, noting that Baydaa court of appeals ruled in August the suspension of bill to vote on the constitution.

Last week, the Supreme Court overturned legal appeals from lower courts against the constitution's draft, paving the way for a possible referendum and moving towards elections.

The United Nations hopes to hold elections by the end of this year, but the draft faces other possible obstacles, including the conditions of voter turnout or support, set by the parliament for the referendum. There is also the issue of organizing a nationwide vote at a time there are no national security forces, while some minorities in Libya say they were excluded from the drafting process of the constitution.

In other news, a handover ceremony was held in Tripoli between former Interior Minister, Aref al-Khawaja, and the newly appointed minister, Brigadier General Abdul Salam Ashour.

Ashour issued a number of orders to promote a number of lieutenants and officers, which also coincides with the 7th anniversary of the revolution against former regime of Muammar al-Gaddafi.

On Monday, Libyan navy announced that 324 African and Arab migrants had been rescued after their two boats broke down off the coast of the western city of Zuwara, some 120 km west of the capital Tripoli.

Libyan navy spokesman Ayoub Qassem announced the coast guards, in cooperation with a fishing bulldozer, had rescued 324 African and Arab migrants on two rubber boats that broke down seven miles north Zuwarha.

"The immigrants include 35 women and 32 Libyans," Qassem added.

"The two boats were towed and the migrants were taken to the port of Zuwarah, and then handed over to the Passport Authority and Immigrant Reception Center in Zuwarah," Qassem said.

Over 3,500 immigrants had arrived from Libya to Italy this year, 62% less than the same period last year, according to the Italian Ministry of Interior.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Italy Says It Stands Ready to Train Police in Gaza

Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)
Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

Italy Says It Stands Ready to Train Police in Gaza

Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)
Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)

Italy stands ready to help train police forces in Gaza and elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, its foreign minister said on Monday, as ‌Rome aims to ‌play a ‌role ⁠in stabilizing the ⁠Middle East.

"We are ready to train a new Gaza police force, and we ⁠are also ready to ‌train ‌a Palestinian police ‌force," Foreign Minister Antonio ‌Tajani told a news conference in Rome.

He confirmed that Rome ‌was ready to participate as an observer ⁠in ⁠US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace initiative, and Italy had been invited to attend a meeting of the group this week in Washington.

Arab World

Lebanon Says Army to Take at Least 4 Months for Next Stage of Hezbollah Disarmament Plan 

A damaged excavator sits on the rubble of a building that was hit in January by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qannarit, on February 16, 2026. (AFP)
A damaged excavator sits on the rubble of a building that was hit in January by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qannarit, on February 16, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Lebanon Says Army to Take at Least 4 Months for Next Stage of Hezbollah Disarmament Plan 

A damaged excavator sits on the rubble of a building that was hit in January by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qannarit, on February 16, 2026. (AFP)
A damaged excavator sits on the rubble of a building that was hit in January by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qannarit, on February 16, 2026. (AFP)

Lebanon's government said Monday that the army would need at least four months to implement the second phase of the military's plan to disarm Hezbollah in the country's south.

Lebanon's government last year committed to disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in a recent war with Israel, and tasked the army with drawing up a plan to do so.

The military said last month said it had completed the first phase of the plan, covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border about 30 kilometers (20 miles) farther south.

The second phase concerns the area between the Litani and the Awali rivers, around 40 kilometers south of Beirut.

Information Minister Paul Morcos told a news conference after a cabinet session that the government "took note of the army leadership's presentation" on the second stage of the plan.

"There is a timeframe of four months, extendable depending on available capabilities, Israeli attacks and hindrances on the ground," he said.

Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming, has criticized the army's progress as insufficient, and has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with the Iran-backed group.

Israel has also kept troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons north of the Litani.

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on Monday on the country's south killed two people, while the Israeli army said it struck Hezbollah operatives.

Also Monday, before the cabinet session, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said that "what the Lebanese government is doing in focusing on disarmament is a grave sin, because this issue serves the goals of the Israeli aggression".

"Stop all action to restrict weapons," he added in a televised address, saying the government's "successive concessions" were partly to blame for Israel's persistent attacks.

Arab World

Prosecutors Plan to Charge an Israeli Settler with Killing a Palestinian Activist in the West Bank

Israeli's sit on the roof next to a flag, as they monitor a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli's sit on the roof next to a flag, as they monitor a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 14, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Prosecutors Plan to Charge an Israeli Settler with Killing a Palestinian Activist in the West Bank

Israeli's sit on the roof next to a flag, as they monitor a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli's sit on the roof next to a flag, as they monitor a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 14, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli prosecutors said Monday that they plan to charge a settler in the killing of a Palestinian activist during a confrontation that was caught on video, opening a rare prosecution of violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Attacks from settlers and home demolitions by authorities have spiked dramatically over the past two years, but the death in July of Awdah Hathaleen has drawn particular attention due to his involvement in the 2025 Oscar-winning film “No Other Land,” which chronicled Palestinian villagers’ fight to stay on their land. The case also stands out because the confrontation between Palestinians and Yinon Levi, an internationally sanctioned settler, was captured on video from multiple vantage points.

In a video that family members say was taken by Hathaleen himself, Levi could be seen firing toward the person holding the camera. Another showed Levi firing two shots without showing where the bullets struck.

An Israeli judge released Levi from custody six months ago, citing a lack of evidence that he fired the shots that killed Hathaleen.

Israel’s State Attorney General’s office confirmed in a statement Monday that it had initiated proceedings to indict Levi. It did not specify the charges.

Eitan Peleg, an attorney for Hathaleen’s family, said the office had informed them it planned to indict Levi for reckless homicide, triggering a process that allows Levi to contest charges before they’re formally filed.

“Enforcement of the law in cases like this involving Palestinians in the West Bank is very rare, so this is unique,” Peleg told The Associated Press on Monday.

Israel’s military referred questions on the indictment to police, who have not yet responded. Both bodies enforce laws in the area.

More than 3.4 million Palestinians and 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Palestinians and rights groups say authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers or hold them accountable for violence. Under National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, investigations into settler attacks have plummeted, according to the Israeli rights group Yesh Din.

Khalil Hathaleen, Awdah’s brother, said the family was glad some measure of justice was being pursued but felt the charge of “reckless homicide” was insufficient.

“It was an intentional killing in broad daylight, with prior intent and premeditation,” he said.

Levi’s attorney, Avichai Hajbi, declined Monday to comment on the coming indictment, which he said he hadn’t received. After the shooting, he told The Associated Press that Levi acted in self-defense, without elaborating. Levi did not answer phone calls Monday.

Parts of the confrontation were filmed

Video released last year by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group showed Levi firing a gun toward the person filming. At the moment that B’Tselem says Hathaleen collapsed, the visuals are jostled but moans of pain can be heard. The group said it obtained the video from the family of Hathaleen, who said he filmed it.

Additional footage obtained by the AP last year showed Levi waving a pistol during the standoff in Umm al-Khair that was with a group of Palestinians over an excavator that had rolled down from a nearby settlement and damaged Palestinian property earlier in the day.

Alaa Hathaleen, a cousin who filmed the encounter, told AP at the time that he had approached Levi to tell him the group was unarmed and to stop the bulldozing.

In the video, one Palestinian insults Levi and another challenges him to shoot. Levi shoves someone just out of the frame, demands to know who threw stones, and later fires a shot, seemingly away from the crowd. He then fires again and yells toward the crowd to get away from the excavator.

The footage did not show where bullets struck, though other relatives said they saw Awdah Hathaleen fall immediately after shots were fired.

Levi was detained before being released to house arrest. That condition was eventually lifted, too.

Levi was among the Israeli settlers sanctioned by the United States and other Western countries over allegations of violence toward Palestinians in 2024. President Donald Trump lifted the US sanctions after taking office the following year.

Attacks spike as spotlight grows

Activists and crew members on the film “No Other Land” have said settler attacks have intensified on the village portrayed since the movie won the Oscar.

Hamdan Ballal, one of the film’s directors, said his family home in Umm al-Khair was subject to another attack on Sunday. Four relatives were arrested during the confrontation, he said.

Ballal said a soldier, who came to their home accompanied by another soldier and a settler-herder, grabbed his brother by the neck and tried to choke him. Neither the army nor the police responded to requests for comment on the incident.

“The year after I won the Oscar, the assaults increased significantly. On a daily basis, settlers come and destroy the fields, destroy the trees, destroy the crops around the house,” he said.

Israeli proof-of-ownership rules spark anger

As prosecutors move to indict Levi and violence persists across the West Bank, Israel is moving ahead with measures to deepen its control over land in the occupied territory.

On Sunday, it announced it would resume a land registration process across the West Bank to require anyone with a claim to land to submit documents proving ownership. Rights groups say the process could strip Palestinians of land they've lived on and farmed for generations and transfer vast swaths of land to Israeli state control.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the steps countered Palestinian Authority land registration efforts in areas where Israel maintains civil and military control.

The measures follow years of accusations by Palestinians that actions by settlers and the military — campaigns of violence, harassment and demolitions — have pushed them from their land.

The decisions have drawn widespread condemnation as violations of international law, including from countries involved in the ceasefire process in the Gaza Strip and Trump's Board of Peace.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry in a statement on Monday said the measures were part of Israel’s effort to impose a “new legal and administrative reality” that undermines prospects for peace and stability. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called the move a “flagrant violation” of international law, warning it would escalate tensions in the Palestinian territories and across the region.