Parliamentary Immunity Does Not Protect Hezbollah MPs From US Sanctions

Members of Hezbollah parliamentary bloc are seen during a regular meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Members of Hezbollah parliamentary bloc are seen during a regular meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Parliamentary Immunity Does Not Protect Hezbollah MPs From US Sanctions

Members of Hezbollah parliamentary bloc are seen during a regular meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Members of Hezbollah parliamentary bloc are seen during a regular meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The political and legal repercussions of the sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department against Hezbollah deputies and officials have not yet crystallized, pushing the party to express, for the first time, its concern over the internal and external effects of such sanctions. This comes amid leaking information about a new list that will include leaders of parties close to the movement.

Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc - headed by MP Mohammad Raad, who is under the US sanctions along with MP Amin Sherri - described the US recent move as “an aggression against Lebanon, its people and its choices,” describing it as “unacceptable and condemned by all sovereign and moral standards.”

“It will not change anything in our convictions or in our resistance to the Israeli occupation,” the bloc added.

Dr. Shafiq al-Masri, professor of international law at the American University of Beirut, said: “The sanctions are issued by one state and not by the international community; their effects are limited to any dealing of the concerned people with the Americans.”

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Masri noted that the US administration has merged Hezbollah’s political and military wings years ago, “while the European Union was still conservative on that, except for Britain, which is in the process of getting out of the Union.”

As for the impact of these sanctions on the parliamentary immunity enjoyed by the Hezbollah deputies, al-Masri said that parliamentary immunity was effective on Lebanese territory and did not extend to other countries. He pointed out that international treaties granted cross-border immunity only to the president of the Republic, the prime minister and the minister of foreign affairs.

Dr. Sami Nader, the director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, said that sanctions “go beyond the question of individuals and their interests to reach the Lebanese state since Hezbollah is an essential part of its structure.”

“There are no legal channels to circumvent the sanctions,” he underlined.



Egypt Strengthens Cooperation with Africa to Tackle Water Challenges

Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
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Egypt Strengthens Cooperation with Africa to Tackle Water Challenges

Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)

Egypt is continuing to strengthen its cooperation with African nations to confront the pressing challenges of water and food security.

“Water issues are a shared challenge that grows more severe due to climate change and resource scarcity, especially given Egypt’s near-total dependence on Nile water,” Egyptian Minister of Irrigation Hani Sewilam said, according to an official statement by the Egyptian Cabinet on Friday.

Speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister during a celebration at the Djibouti Embassy in Cairo marking Djibouti’s 48th independence anniversary, Sewilam emphasized that cross-border cooperation, rooted in principles of international law, is the optimal path to ensure sustainable water resources.

Egypt frequently raises the issue of water security, particularly amid the ongoing crisis over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia has built on the main tributary of the Nile since 2011 to generate electricity. Egypt and Sudan fear it will impact their water shares.

Ambassador Salah Halima, former Assistant Foreign Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Council for African Affairs, stressed that water security is closely linked to river management and dam operations. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egypt consistently underscores the importance of respecting international laws and agreements on managing water resources and criticized Ethiopia’s unilateral actions to impose a de facto situation regarding the dam.

Halima added that achieving water security requires cooperation among states in managing water resources and constructing dams, noting that Egypt has valuable experience African nations can benefit from.

Egypt faces a water deficit estimated at 30 billion cubic meters annually. Its share of Nile water amounts to 55.5 billion cubic meters per year, while consumption exceeds 85 billion cubic meters. The shortfall is covered by groundwater extraction, seawater desalination projects, and recycling agricultural drainage water, according to the Ministry of Irrigation.

On Friday, Sewilam highlighted the longstanding ties between Egypt and Djibouti as an example of cooperation amid complex regional and global challenges requiring greater unity and shared vision. He noted that the regional and international context demands an understanding of the magnitude of challenges, ranging from security and peace to sustainable development and socio-economic stability, especially in the Arab and African regions.

Egypt is finalizing a memorandum of understanding with Djibouti’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources to cooperate in fields such as integrated water resources management, desalination technologies, groundwater recharge, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and joint research.

In parallel, Egyptian Minister of Agriculture Alaa Farouk reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to working with African countries to develop more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural value chains. Speaking during FAO meetings in Rome, he said that strengthening these chains is central to food security, economic growth, and job creation, particularly in rural areas. Farouk also discussed promoting Egyptian investment in Africa to boost agricultural development and food security across the continent.