Another Arab Citizen Flees to Lebanon without Israeli Army Detection

 A general view shows central Tel Aviv backed by the Mediterranean Sea January 23, 2012. REUTER/ Nir Elias
A general view shows central Tel Aviv backed by the Mediterranean Sea January 23, 2012. REUTER/ Nir Elias
TT

Another Arab Citizen Flees to Lebanon without Israeli Army Detection

 A general view shows central Tel Aviv backed by the Mediterranean Sea January 23, 2012. REUTER/ Nir Elias
A general view shows central Tel Aviv backed by the Mediterranean Sea January 23, 2012. REUTER/ Nir Elias

Another Arab citizen from Israel has managed to cross the border into Lebanon without the Israeli army detecting them. The Israeli army was only aware of the situation after Lebanese media had reported on the matter.

The Israeli army spokesman said that intelligence services were examining Lebanese reports about an unidentified individual slipping across the border fence from Israel to Lebanon on Sunday.

According to the reports, the individual was arrested by the Lebanese intelligence after crossing the border in the Marj Oyoun valley.

He is currently being investigated by the Lebanese judiciary.

This is the second time within a week that a person crossed the border fence from Israeli territory into Lebanon.

Last week, Lebanese media reported that another person entered through the border with Israel.

The person crossed the border near the village of Dahira, which is parallel to the village of Aramsha on the Israeli side in the Western Galilee. It was reported in this incident as well that the Lebanese intelligence caught the suspect and put him under investigation.

Lebanese media also reported that the person who crossed the border last week is Farid Nizar Taher, a 30-year-old Arab Israeli.

The Israeli army said that “a person has been identified who crossed the border fence from Israeli territory into Lebanese territory. A dialogue is taking place in the coordination and liaison channels.”

An Israeli army spokesman revealed that his country was contacting intermediaries like UNIFIL to return the citizen home.

Last March, forces from the Israeli army discovered that a young man had crossed the border into Lebanon, so soldiers pursued him and arrested him while he was on Lebanese soil and returned him to the country, where the intelligence services interrogated and arrested him.

Borders between Israel and Lebanon extend over 145 kilometers, from Ras al-Naqoura on the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Shebaa Farms and Mount Hermon in the east.



Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
TT

Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo

A petition signed by prominent Tunisians and civil society groups was published on Saturday urging that rejected candidates be allowed to stand in the October 6 presidential election, Agence France Presse reported.

Signed by 26 groups including Legal Agenda, Lawyers Without Borders and the Tunisian Human Rights League, it welcomed an administrative court decision this week to reinstate three candidates who had been disqualified.

They are Imed Daimi, who was an adviser to former president Moncef Marzouki, former minister Mondher Zenaidi and opposition party leader Abdellatif Mekki.

The three were among 14 candidates barred by the Tunisian election authority, ISIE, from standing in the election.

If they do take part, they will join former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel in challenging incumbent President Kais Saied.

Saturday's petition was also signed by more than 180 civil society figures including Wahid Ferchichi, dean of the public law faculty at Carthage University.

It called the administrative court "the only competent authority to adjudicate disputes related to presidential election candidacies.”

The petition referred to statements by ISIE head Farouk Bouasker, who on Thursday indicated that the authority will soon meet to finalize the list of candidates, "taking into consideration judicial judgements already pronounced.”

This has been interpreted as suggesting the ISIE may reject new candidacies if they are the subject of legal proceedings or have convictions.

The administrative court's rulings on appeals "are enforceable and cannot be contested by any means whatsoever,” the petition said.

It called on the electoral authority to "respect the law and avoid any practice that could undermine the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.”