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Libya's Ex-Interior Minister Registers for Presidential Bid

People gather along the beach in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, on October 15, 2021. Abdullah DOMA AFP/File
People gather along the beach in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, on October 15, 2021. Abdullah DOMA AFP/File
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Libya's Ex-Interior Minister Registers for Presidential Bid

People gather along the beach in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, on October 15, 2021. Abdullah DOMA AFP/File
People gather along the beach in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, on October 15, 2021. Abdullah DOMA AFP/File

Libya's former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha registered as a presidential candidate on Thursday for a planned December election that remains in doubt amid disputes over the rules.

Bashagha was the influential interior minister in the Government of National Accord (GNA) that ruled in western areas and was replaced in March by a new unity government.

He joins a field of prospective candidates that includes late ousted dictator Moammar al-Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar, and the eastern-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.

A UN-backed peace process calls for presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 24, but there has been no widespread agreement on the legal basis for the vote.

Disputes between rival factions and political entities have focused on questions over who should be allowed to run, the eventual role of the directly elected president and the voting schedule.

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Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Mosque in West Bank in Latest Violent Attack on Palestinian Villages

Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Mosque in West Bank in Latest Violent Attack on Palestinian Villages

Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and vandalized property in the northern occupied West Bank on Friday, the head of the Palestinian village council said, as Israeli police pledged to investigate the episode.

The West Bank has seen a surge in violence by Jewish settlers during the war in Gaza, and rights groups say the Israeli army often turns a blind eye.

Nasfat al-Khafash, the head of the council in Marda where the attack occurred, said a group of settlers arrived early in the morning, setting the mosque on fire and scrawling hateful messages on it.

Associated Press video showed spray-painted stars of David and the words in Hebrew, “the mosque will burn, the temple will be built,” an apparent reference to the ultranationalist desire to establish a Third Temple for Jews in Jerusalem at the holiest and most contested site in the Holy Land.

“These slogans reflect their upbringing and hatred towards Palestinians and Arabs,” said al-Khafash, adding that the settlers received “full support” from the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — the furthest-right government in Israel’s history.

Israel’s police, military and Shin Bet internal security agency said they were investigating the episode. “We view the incident seriously and will act with determination to bring those responsible to justice,” they said in a statement.

The UN’s humanitarian office said settler attacks on Palestinian farmers during this fall's olive harvest season “at least tripled” in 2024 compared to the each of the last three years.

In the West Bank and east Jerusalem, more than 700,000 Jewish settlers have Israeli citizenship, while the 3 million Palestinians in the territory live under Israeli military law.