Lebanon: Jumblatt, Nasrallah’s Aide Stress Need to Put Aside Differences

A file picture shows Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt addressing supporters at the House of the Druze Community in Beirut. (Reuters)
A file picture shows Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt addressing supporters at the House of the Druze Community in Beirut. (Reuters)
TT
20

Lebanon: Jumblatt, Nasrallah’s Aide Stress Need to Put Aside Differences

A file picture shows Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt addressing supporters at the House of the Druze Community in Beirut. (Reuters)
A file picture shows Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt addressing supporters at the House of the Druze Community in Beirut. (Reuters)

Following a long period of political rift between the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and Hezbollah, a meeting on Thursday brought together the PSP head, Walid Jumblatt, and the political assistant to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Hajj Hussein Al-Khalil.

The two sides emphasized the need to put aside differences and to maintain dialogue in the next stage.

In comments following the meeting, which was held at Jumblatt’s residence in Beirut, the head of the PSP underlined the need for dialogue “to reach the minimum level of consensus on matters that serve the interests of the Lebanese people.

“There are points of contention between us that we have put aside,” he said.

For his part, Khalil described the meeting as “friendly and frank,” saying: “There was a common will to meet, based on the financial, economic and living conditions. We reviewed many internal matters of political, financial and social benefits.”

He added: “Perhaps there are major political headlines that we disagree about, but this does not mean that the Lebanese do not discuss major strategic points...”

The meeting, which brought together two archenemies in politics, comes a few weeks before the presidential elections and follows striking positions expressed by Jumblatt, who stated that a dialogue with Hezbollah and other components was necessary to build a strong state.

“I asked to meet with representatives of Hezbollah, in order to discuss some issues that have nothing to do with the presidency, for the sake of electricity, and for the establishment of a sovereign oil company…” he had said in earlier remarks.



UN Agency Says Israel Shuts 4 Schools in East Jerusalem

A boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training center (KTC), run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was raided by Israeli forces earlier at the Qalandiya camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
A boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training center (KTC), run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was raided by Israeli forces earlier at the Qalandiya camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

UN Agency Says Israel Shuts 4 Schools in East Jerusalem

A boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training center (KTC), run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was raided by Israeli forces earlier at the Qalandiya camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
A boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training center (KTC), run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was raided by Israeli forces earlier at the Qalandiya camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says Israeli forces raided four of its schools in east Jerusalem, ordering their closure.

Israel has severed all ties with the agency, known as UNRWA, and bars it from operating in its territory. It says the agency allowed itself to be infiltrated by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, allegations denied by UN officials.

UNRWA said police entered a training center by force on Tuesday, firing tear gas and sound grenades and ordering its evacuation. It said 350 students and 30 staff were present during the raid on the Qalandiya Training Center.

It said police and city officials ordered the closure of three other schools in east Jerusalem, two of which proceeded with the school day.

Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne said police did not enter the UN buildings and that Jerusalem municipal authorities carried out the closures. He said police were deployed to protect the city workers, using “riot dispersal” means in one case where a crowd threw stones at them outside a UN facility.

Roland Friedrich, UNRWA director for the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, said the raids were an “unacceptable violation of United Nations privileges and immunities,” and a “denial of the right to education for children and trainees.”