Protests Erupt in Eastern Libya, Saleh Calls for Containment

Protesters angry over the area’s crippling electricity shortages, set fire to tires on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020 in Benghazi, Libya. AP
Protesters angry over the area’s crippling electricity shortages, set fire to tires on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020 in Benghazi, Libya. AP
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Protests Erupt in Eastern Libya, Saleh Calls for Containment

Protesters angry over the area’s crippling electricity shortages, set fire to tires on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020 in Benghazi, Libya. AP
Protesters angry over the area’s crippling electricity shortages, set fire to tires on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020 in Benghazi, Libya. AP

Cities like Benghazi and El Beida in eastern Libya were rocked with angry protests from Thursday through Friday over power cuts and poor living conditions.

Demonstrators called for the interim government headed by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani to step down.

Eastern-based House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh demanded that authorities in east Libya convene immediately to overcome the crisis.

Saleh called on al-Thani, the Governor of the Central Bank in Benghazi, Ali Al-Hibri, the Director of the Brega Company, and the heads of the Parliament's committees for an urgent meeting to meet the demands of the protesters in Benghazi.

Hundreds of young Libyans first flooded the streets of Benghazi and other eastern cities late Thursday, setting piles of tires ablaze.

Late Friday, dozens of men were seen returning to the streets, blocking traffic at major intersections.

Many demonstrators lit fires in the roads, chanting lyrics from popular anthems decrying government corruption.

Demonstrators denounced administrative and financial corruption in state institutions, lack of liquidity in banks and the devaluation of the currency in the black market.

“Living conditions in our regions have become unbearable, in light of the dollar soaring in the parallel black market, increased unemployment, and the absence of government services,” said Ali Emsaaed, a Benghazi resident.

“We hold al-Thani’s government, which failed to provide services to the people, responsible for the dreadful living conditions in Benghazi,” Emsaaed told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The Ministry of Interior withdrew all its forces to the outskirts of Benghazi, to avoid any skirmishes between security personnel and protesters.

Political and rights activist Jamal al-Falah, who is also a Benghazi resident, stressed that according to the constitution, peaceful protesting is an unalienable right to all Libyans.

Al-Falah also emphasized the need for people to keep the demonstrations peaceful.



Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners

Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners

Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Israel said early Sunday the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is delayed “until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies” at handovers of Israeli captives in Gaza.

The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office came as military vehicles that normally move in advance of the buses carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison, only to turn around and go back in.

The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been delayed for several hours and was meant to occur just after six Israeli hostages were released on Saturday. It was meant to be the largest one-day prisoner release in the Gaza ceasefire’s first phase.

Israel’s announcement abruptly put the future of the truce into further doubt.
The Palestinian Authority’s commission for prisoners’ affairs confirmed the delay “until further notice.” Associated Press video in the West Bank showed prisoners’ families, waiting outdoors in near-freezing weather, apparently dispersing. One woman was shown walking away in tears.

Five of the six hostages freed Saturday had been escorted by masked, armed militants in front of a crowd — a display that the UN and Red Cross have criticized as cruel after previous handovers.
The Israeli statement cited “ceremonies that demean the dignity of our hostages and the cynical use of the hostages for propaganda purposes.” It was likely a reference to a Hamas video showing two hostages who have yet to be released watching a handover in Gaza on Saturday and speaking under duress.
The six were the last living hostages expected to be freed under the ceasefire's first phase, with a week remaining in the initial stage. Talks on the ceasefire’s second phase are yet to start.
The six included three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival and another taken while visiting family in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the 16-month war in Gaza. The two others were held for a decade after entering Gaza on their own.
Five were handed over in staged ceremonies.

The 620 Palestinian prisoners meant to be freed include 151 serving life or other sentences for attacks against Israelis. Almost 100 would be deported, according to the Palestinian prisoners' media office.
A Palestinian prisoner rights association said they include Nael Barghouti, who spent over 45 years in prison for an attack that killed an Israeli bus driver.
Also meant to be released are 445 men, 23 children aged 15 to 19, and a woman, all seized by Israeli troops in Gaza without charge during the war.