Lebanon: Pressure Mounts on Mikati’s Government for Failing to Confront ‘Hezbollah’

Politicians stressed pressure on President Najib Mikati in light of the faltering efforts to settle the crisis caused by the Minister of Information George Kordahi (AFP)
Politicians stressed pressure on President Najib Mikati in light of the faltering efforts to settle the crisis caused by the Minister of Information George Kordahi (AFP)
TT

Lebanon: Pressure Mounts on Mikati’s Government for Failing to Confront ‘Hezbollah’

Politicians stressed pressure on President Najib Mikati in light of the faltering efforts to settle the crisis caused by the Minister of Information George Kordahi (AFP)
Politicians stressed pressure on President Najib Mikati in light of the faltering efforts to settle the crisis caused by the Minister of Information George Kordahi (AFP)

The crisis with Gulf states and its repercussions have become the focus of political stances in Lebanon, with many calling for expediting solutions and the resignation of Information Minister George Kordahi.

Some even called for Prime Minister Najib Mikati to step down alongside other ministers because of Hezbollah’s hegemony over the work of a rather “helpless” government.

“The Arab option must not fall at all, and all Lebanese parties must listen to the voice of reason,” urged Democratic Gathering Secretary, MP Hadi Abou al-Hassan, adding that Lebanon cannot withstand a row with fellow Arab countries.

“Kordahi’s resignation is the key to correcting the course of the relationship with the Kingdom (Saudi Arabia) and the Arab Brotherhood, and this requires dialogue and discussion and a return to diplomatic principles,” added al-Hassan.

For his part, Free Patriotic Movement lawmaker Mario Aoun also called for Kordahi’s resignation.

“It became clear that Mikati is desperately asking for the resignation of Kordahi,” said Aoun in a radio interview.

As for the cabinet convening over Kordahi’s dismissal, Aoun said “the subject is yet to be discussed.”

MP Nicolas Nahas, a member of Mikati’s parliamentary bloc, described the current political complications as “major,” noting that efforts are ongoing to curb the escalation with the Gulf states.

He added: “The issue requires a clear and integrated roadmap to rebuild confidence, and the first step begins with Kordahi following his conscience.

“If he does not resign, the president, the prime minister, and the parliament speaker would need to decide what measures to take.”

Nahas stressed: “Serious work is required, and it is not permissible in any way for the people to pay the price for political disputes.”

Former Lebanese Forces lawmaker Fadi Karam, for his part, warned that the government stepping down is “dangerous” and threatens upcoming elections.



Women and Children Scavenge for Food in Gaza, UN Official Says

 Palestinians walk on a destroyed street after Israeli forces withdrew from a part of Nuseirat, following a ground operation amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, November 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians walk on a destroyed street after Israeli forces withdrew from a part of Nuseirat, following a ground operation amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, November 29, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Women and Children Scavenge for Food in Gaza, UN Official Says

 Palestinians walk on a destroyed street after Israeli forces withdrew from a part of Nuseirat, following a ground operation amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, November 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians walk on a destroyed street after Israeli forces withdrew from a part of Nuseirat, following a ground operation amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, November 29, 2024. (Reuters)

Large groups of women and children are scavenging for food among mounds of trash in parts of the Gaza Strip, a UN official said on Friday following a visit to the Palestinian enclave.

Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights office for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, expressed concern about the levels of hunger, even in areas of central Gaza where aid agencies have teams on the ground.

"I was particularly alarmed by the prevalence of hunger," Sunghay told a Geneva press briefing via video link from Jordan. "Acquiring basic necessities has become a daily, dreadful struggle for survival."

Sunghay said the UN had been unable to take any aid to northern Gaza, where he said an estimated 70,000 people remain following "repeated impediments or rejections of humanitarian convoys by the Israeli authorities".

Sunghay visited camps for people recently displaced from parts of northern Gaza. They were living in horrendous conditions with severe food shortages and poor sanitation, he said.

"It is so obvious that massive humanitarian aid needs to come in – and it is not. It is so important the Israeli authorities make this happen," he said. He did not specify the last time UN agencies had sent aid to northern Gaza.

US WARNING

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin set out steps last month for Israel to carry out in 30 days to address the situation in Gaza, warning that failure to do so may have consequences on US military aid to Israel.

The State Department said on Nov. 12 that President Joe Biden's administration had concluded that Israel was not currently impeding assistance to Gaza and therefore was not violating US law.

The Israeli army, which began its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the group's attack on southern Israeli communities in October 2023, said its operating in northern Gaza since Oct. 5 were trying to prevent militants regrouping and waging attacks from those areas.

Israel's government body that oversees aid, Cogat, says it facilitates the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and accuses UN agencies of not distributing it efficiently.

Looting has also depleted aid supplies within the Gaza Strip, with nearly 100 food aid trucks raided on Nov. 16.

"The women I met had all either lost family members, were separated from their families, had relatives buried under rubble, or were themselves injured or sick," Sunghay said of his stay in the Gaza Strip.

"Breaking down in front of me, they desperately pleaded for a ceasefire."