Egypt Designates 31 Muslim Brotherhood Members as Terrorist

A view of the Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)
A view of the Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)
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Egypt Designates 31 Muslim Brotherhood Members as Terrorist

A view of the Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)
A view of the Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)

An Egyptian court on Friday added 31 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood to terrorist lists for a period of five years.

Among them is Aisha Shater, daughter of the group’s deputy leader Khairat al-Shater.

She is facing charges of joining a terrorist group that was formed in violation of the law and of incitement against the state.

All 31 members were charged with corroborating in 2018 with a terrorist group in achieving its goals, receiving funding for terrorist purposes and taking part in a criminal conspiracy with the aim of committing a terrorist crime.

Egypt banned the Brotherhood in 2014, designating it as a terrorist organization.

It has been accused of involvement in violent acts that took place after the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi – a member of the group – in 2013.

Hundreds of its leaders and supporters, including its supreme guide Mohammed Badie, are on trial on charges largely related to incitement to violence. Several verdicts, including death sentences, have been issued against the suspects.



Lebanon, Israel Ceasefire Deal Will Take Place in Three Phases and ‘Simultaneous’ Withdrawals

 Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
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Lebanon, Israel Ceasefire Deal Will Take Place in Three Phases and ‘Simultaneous’ Withdrawals

 Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)

Informed sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that US-President elect Donald Trump agreed on the steps that President Joe Biden’s administration will take to ensure the success of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

Israel approved the ceasefire on Tuesday night after Lebanon had already agreed to it.

The sources, which followed up on the negotiations for the 60-day truce, said the steps call for the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters and their weapons from the South where the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is deployed. In return, Israeli forces will withdraw from southern Lebanon.

More negotiations through American mediators will take place throughout the process.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Trump “gave his blessing” to the process during his meeting with Biden at the White House two weeks ago.

A committee led by the US will oversee the implementation of the withdrawal. France, Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL are also part of the committee.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that Hezbollah’s withdrawal will take place in three 20-day phases. The first withdrawal will take place in the western sector.

It will coincide with an Israeli pullout from areas it occupied in that region. A strengthened Lebanese army force and UNIFIL troops will deploy in their place.

The second phase will cover the central sector and follow the same process.

The residents of the frontline southern villages will not be allowed to return to their homes immediately until they are deemed safe and after ensuring that no Hezbollah members or weapons remain there.

Residents of the so-called second and third line of villages south of the Litani River will be allowed to return to their homes immediately.

The source expected the US to play an “effective role” in the mechanism to oversee the withdrawal. It did not clarify whether any American forces will take part in the process.

It revealed that Britain and other countries will “exert special efforts to verify whether illegitimate weapons are being smuggled to Hezbollah.”

The five-member committee will not replace the tripartite committee already in place and that includes Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL.