Lebanon: Dispute Rages Between Judges, Justice Minister

File Photo of Lebanese Justice Minister Selim Jreissati/NNA
File Photo of Lebanese Justice Minister Selim Jreissati/NNA
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Lebanon: Dispute Rages Between Judges, Justice Minister

File Photo of Lebanese Justice Minister Selim Jreissati/NNA
File Photo of Lebanese Justice Minister Selim Jreissati/NNA

A dispute between Lebanon’s judiciary and Justice Minister Selim Jreissati reached unprecedented levels after a number of judges began a walkout this week to protest a possible reduction in salaries and benefits.

The differences between the judges and Jreissati worsened when the minister sent a memo asking the Judicial Council to warn judges from the repercussions of their decision.

“The decision of some judges to interrupt their works holds several meanings, mainly the disruption of relations between the Lebanese Judiciary and the Higher Judicial Council,” Jreissati wrote in his letter.

His position drove a quick response from the Council, which announced that a Justice Minister does not have the right to send memos to Judges.

A copy of the Council’s statement received by Asharq Al-Awsat said: “Based on the sovereignty of the judicial authority, the higher Judicial Council is not considered an executive body of the Justice Minister’s decisions.”

The statement added that currently, judges feel threatened, not only at the financial level, but also at the level of their personal pride.

Judicial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that the minister did not have the authority to dominate the judiciary in Lebanon.

“The minister’s last memo to the Higher Judicial Council enraged judges,” the sources said, adding that the problem is not between the Council and judges, but between the Judiciary and the political authority.

“We absolutely reject that a Justice Minister addresses the judicial authority by giving orders and recommendations,” the sources said.

Last Monday, Lebanon's judges held a two-day strike in protest of a decision to decrease the budget of the Justice Ministry and therefore, limit their benefits and dry out sources of the solidarity fund, which provides judges a benefit of less than one month’s salary every three months, in addition to family medical and education benefits.



Israel Says No Humanitarian Aid will Enter Gaza

A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
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Israel Says No Humanitarian Aid will Enter Gaza

A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP

Israel said Wednesday it would keep blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, where a relentless military offensive has turned the Palestinian territory into a "mass grave", a medical charity reported.

Air and ground attacks resumed across the Gaza Strip from March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas that had largely halted hostilities in the territory.

However, Israel has halted the entry of aid into Gaza since March 2, as the humanitarian crisis continues to grow amid ongoing military assaults which rescuers said killed at least 11 people Wednesday.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday Israel would continue preventing aid from entering the besieged territory of 2.4 million people.

"Israel's policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population," Katz said in a statement, AFP reported.

"No one is currently planning to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and there are no preparations to enable such aid."

Top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly cited military pressure as the only way to secure the release of the remaining 58 hostages held in Gaza.

Medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Israeli military operations and the blockage of aid had transformed Gaza into a graveyard for Palestinians and those who help them.

"Gaza has been turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance," said MSF coordinator Amande Bazerolle.

"With nowhere safe for Palestinians or those trying to help them, the humanitarian response is severely struggling under the weight of insecurity and critical supply shortages, leaving people with few, if any, options for accessing care," she said.

- 'Worst' humanitarian crisis -

The United Nations had warned on Monday that Gaza is facing its most severe humanitarian crisis since the war began in October 2023.

"The humanitarian situation is now likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities," said the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In a statement, OCHA said no supplies had reached the territory for a month and a half, and medical supplies, fuel, water and other essentials are in short supply.

Israel tightly controls the entry of vital international aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since the Israeli offensive resumed.

On April 28, the International Court of Justice is set to open hearings on Israel's humanitarian obligations towards Palestinians.

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution in December requesting that The Hague-based top court give an advisory opinion on the matter.

It calls on the ICJ to clarify what Israel is required to do to "ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population".

Although ICJ decisions are legally binding, the court has no concrete way of enforcing them. They increase the diplomatic pressure, however.

Israel continued to pound Gaza on Wednesday.