عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Lebanese President Accused of Violating Constitution to Expand Caretaker Cabinet’s Role

President Michel Aoun chairs the meeting of the Higher Defense Council at Baabda Palace on Thursday. Dalati and Nohra photo
President Michel Aoun chairs the meeting of the Higher Defense Council at Baabda Palace on Thursday. Dalati and Nohra photo
TT
TT

Lebanese President Accused of Violating Constitution to Expand Caretaker Cabinet’s Role

President Michel Aoun chairs the meeting of the Higher Defense Council at Baabda Palace on Thursday. Dalati and Nohra photo
President Michel Aoun chairs the meeting of the Higher Defense Council at Baabda Palace on Thursday. Dalati and Nohra photo

A former Lebanese prime minister has criticized President Michel Aoun who has called for a greater role for the caretaker cabinet in dealing with the country’s economic situation.

The ex-PM, who refused to be identified, told Asharq Al-Awsat in remarks published Saturday that Aoun is seeking to change the interpretation of the constitution or the Taef Accord to try to circumvent international pressure to swiftly form a new government.

Aoun’s call was made during an extraordinary meeting of the Higher Defense Council that he chaired at Baabda Palace on Thursday.

“The current situation in the country is an extraordinary situation that requires an extraordinary follow-up and taking decisions to deal with this delicate situation,” he said.

The cabinet “is serving in a caretaker capacity. But the current circumstances require some expansion of the caretaker work in order to meet the needs of the country and citizens until a new government is formed,” he added.

But the former prime minister accused Aoun of acting as the head of a revolutionary council and rejecting to abide by the constitution.

In his proposal to expand the role of the caretaker cabinet, the president is planning to transfer the authorities of the executive authority to the Higher Defense Council, he said.

Following Aoun’s statement, Lebanon’s former prime ministers have engaged in consultations with PM-designate Saad Hariri for an appropriate response, he added.

A source in the opposition also told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun is setting the stage for a coup on the Taef Accord.

Aoun’s call on the caretaker cabinet of Hassan Diab to act to tackle the country’s problems came a day after an international conference to drum up humanitarian aid to Lebanon urged rival parties to act to quickly form a new credible government tasked with enacting reforms.

But Hariri has so far been unable to form the cabinet of experts to implement reforms, a major condition by the international community to release billions of dollars in promised international assistance to Lebanon.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Israeli Rights Group Accuses Prison Authority of Failing Palestinian Prisoners after Scabies Outbreak

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a discussion called on by the opposition on the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel, 18 November 2024. (EPA)
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a discussion called on by the opposition on the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel, 18 November 2024. (EPA)
TT
TT

Israeli Rights Group Accuses Prison Authority of Failing Palestinian Prisoners after Scabies Outbreak

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a discussion called on by the opposition on the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel, 18 November 2024. (EPA)
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a discussion called on by the opposition on the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel, 18 November 2024. (EPA)

An Israeli rights group said Monday that more than a quarter of all Palestinian prisoners currently held by Israel had contracted scabies since an outbreak was identified in May, and accused the prison authority of improper care and prevention.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel said that more than 2,800 prisoners had caught the rash-like infection, with more than 1,700 still actively infected. The outbreak was seen in five different detention facilities, the group said. It was citing figures it said came from the Israel Prison Service.

The group said it filed a legal petition calling on the prison service “to eradicate the scabies epidemic,” accusing the authorities of failing “to implement widely recognized medical interventions necessary to contain the outbreak.”

It said that it halted the legal proceedings after it received a commitment from the prison service to address the outbreak. The prison service said the court had cancelled the petition because the prisons had shown they were dealing with the outbreak in a “systematic and thorough” way.

Nadav Davidovich, an Israeli public health expert who wrote a medical analysis for the group’s court proceedings, said the outbreak was a result of overcrowding in prisons and apparent neglect from prison authorities. He said such outbreaks could be prevented if prisoners were held “in more reasonable conditions.” If the first infections were treated as needed, such an outbreak could have been avoided, he said.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel also said that the Israel Prison Service had cited scabies as a reason for postponing lawyers' visits and court appearances for prisoners. It said those steps “violate prisoners’ rights and serve as punitive measures rather than public health responses.”

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the prisons, has boasted about hardening conditions to the bare minimum required by law.