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No Flights Under New Rules Yet for West Bank Palestinians

Israeli soldiers check a Palestinian woman as she waits to cross the Qalandiya checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem, to attend the second Friday prayers in the al-Aqsa mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on April 23, 2021. (AP)
Israeli soldiers check a Palestinian woman as she waits to cross the Qalandiya checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem, to attend the second Friday prayers in the al-Aqsa mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on April 23, 2021. (AP)
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No Flights Under New Rules Yet for West Bank Palestinians

Israeli soldiers check a Palestinian woman as she waits to cross the Qalandiya checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem, to attend the second Friday prayers in the al-Aqsa mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on April 23, 2021. (AP)
Israeli soldiers check a Palestinian woman as she waits to cross the Qalandiya checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem, to attend the second Friday prayers in the al-Aqsa mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on April 23, 2021. (AP)

A group of Palestinian passengers flew to Cyprus from an Israeli airport on Monday, but the flight was not organized under a promised arrangement easing travel restrictions for residents of the occupied West Bank, an airports authority spokesperson said.

Israeli authorities agreed earlier this month, following pressure from the United States, to ease some of the strict travel restrictions which prevent Palestinians from using Israeli airports - including Ben Gurion, Israel's main international hub - without special permission.

Israel's Airports Authority said on Aug. 9 it would allow special flights from Ramon Airport, near the Red Sea resort of Eilat, to take Palestinian passengers to some destinations in Turkey, Reuters reported.

The program had been due to start this month but was delayed for unspecified reasons by the airport authority, according to a statement on Sunday.

The change came amid continuing tensions on the West Bank where Israeli troops have conducted near daily operations against suspected militant groups and clashed repeatedly with Palestinian protesters.

An airports authority spokesperson said the Palestinian passengers departing from Ramon Airport for Cyprus on Monday were not part of the program but were leaving under a separate arrangement.

"It's a regular scheduled flight. I'm not checking who the passengers are on a scheduled flight," the spokesperson said, referring any further questions to the carrier, Arkia Israeli Airlines.

Amir Assi, a strategic consultant to Arkia, described it as a "private" initiative coordinated with the relevant Palestinian and Israeli authorities.

The travellers - from the cities of Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Jericho - gathered at Meitar checkpoint in the southern part of the West Bank and were taken directly to the airport, he said.

Assi said he has previously organized similar trips for Palestinian passport holders out of Ben Gurion Airport.

Palestinians from areas Israel occupied in a 1967 war cannot fly from Ben Gurion, near Tel Aviv, without special permission. They typically travel to Jordan to catch international flights, a trip that entails crossing checkpoints and can take hours.

Ramon Airport, which opened in 2019, is about 300 km (185 miles) from Jerusalem and designed to take any planes re-routed from Ben Gurion.

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Shiite Forces Boycott Meeting with Vatican Secretary on Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Shiite Forces Boycott Meeting with Vatican Secretary on Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Representatives of Lebanon's Supreme Islamic Shiite Council and Shiite deputies boycotted a meeting of the heads of sects and parliamentary blocs with Vatican Secretary Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki on Tuesday.

The meeting, which focused on the presidential crisis, was held at Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai's invitation.

Addressing the gatherers, Parolin underlined the need to preserve the “Lebanese model” in the turbulent region. He called on the different parties to cooperate to resolve the crisis and reach solutions that “bring hope to Lebanon and its people.”

“I convey to you the greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis, who is carefully following the developments in Lebanon...” he stated, adding: “Today, Lebanon must remain a model of coexistence and unity in light of the ongoing crises and wars.”

He said he was in Lebanon to help end the crisis, namely the failure to elect a president of the republic.

The presidency has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022.

For his part, al-Rai emphasized that the meeting was a “gathering of the Lebanese family” and an opportunity for dialogue and mutual understanding, especially during these challenging times.

Shiite representatives boycotted the meeting despite an invitation being sent to the Supreme Shiite Islamic Council.

An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision was a response to remarks made by al-Rai during the Sunday mass sermon, in which he said that the resistance against Israel in the South has turned the area into an arena for terrorist acts that destabilize the security and stability of the region.

According to the same source, the Shiite community has no problem with the Vatican, as Parolin is scheduled to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri - a Shiite - on Wednesday.

Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan sent a letter to the Vatican secretary, criticizing al-Rai’s position without naming him and saying: “Some spiritual leaders in my country view what the group of its resisters are doing as abhorrent terrorism that must be deterred and prevented.”

“We do not accept that the Church uses positions that serve Zionist terrorism and global crime,” he added.

Regarding the election of a president, Qabalan stressed: “We want a Christian president for the Muslims, who is as eager as the Muslim resistance [Hezbollah] and its sacrifices for the sake of the Christian churches. This can only be achieved through consensus that safeguards the homeland of Muslims and Christians.”

Christian parties quickly slammed Qabalan’s remarks. In a statement, the Kataeb Party said the letter “contained clear incitement against the role of Bkirki and hateful sectarianism that we have never heard before even at the peak of the Lebanese [civil] war.”