Crime against humanity: Why has a court found Belgium guilty of kidnapping?
A court has ordered Belgium to pay millions of dollars in compensation to five mixed-race women who were forcibly taken from their homes in the Belgian Congo as children, under a colonial-era practice that judges said was a “crime against humanity”. The landmark ruling on Monday by the Brussels Court of Appeal came after years of legal battle by the aggrieved women. It sets a historic precedent for state-sanctioned abductions that saw thousands of children kidnapped from today’s Democratic Republic of the Congo because of their racial makeup. An earlier ruling from a lower court in 2021 rejected the women’s claims. However, the Appeals court on Monday ordered the Belgian state to “compensate the appellants for the moral damage resulting from the loss of their connection to their mothers and the damage to their identity and their connection to their original environment”. The five women will receive 250,000 euros ($267,000) combined. Monique Bitu Bingi (71), one of the women who brought the case in 2020, told Al Jazeera she was satisfied with the ruling. Advertisement “I am very happy that justice has finally been delivered to us,” she said. ” And I’m happy that this was termed a crime against humanity.” Here’s what to know about the case, and why the court ruling is historic: In this June 29, 2020 file photo, clockwise from top left: Simone Ngalula, Monique Bitu Bingi, Lea Tavares Mujinga, Noelle Verbeeken and Marie-Jose Loshi [File: Francisco Seco/AP] Why were the women kidnapped? The five plaintiffs, including Bitu Bingi, were among an estimated 5,000 to 20,000 mixed-race children who were snatched from their mothers in the former Belgian Congo (today’s Democratic Republic of the Congo) and forcibly taken to faraway cities, or, in some cases, shipped to Belgium for adoption. Following the violent rule of King Leopold II, which resulted in the deaths and mutilations of millions of Congolese, the Belgian state took over the occupation and continued to operate an immensely exploitative system over the colony between 1908 and 1960. Belgium also controlled the then Ruanda-Urundi, or today’s Rwanda and Burundi, where hundreds, if not thousands of bi-racial children were also taken. Now called Metis, a French term meaning ‘mixed’, the children were kidnapped between 1948 and 1961, in the lead-up to Congo’s independence. Belgian colonial authorities believed that bi-racial children threatened the white supremacy narrative they had continually pushed and that they used to justify colonialism, experts say. “They were feared because their mere existence was shaking the very foundations of this racial theory that was at the core of the colonial project,” Delphine Lauwers, an archivist and historian at the State Archives of Belgium told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Authorities systematically discriminated against the children and referred to them as “children of sin”. While white Belgian men were not legally allowed to marry African women, such interracial unions existed. Some children were also born to women as a result of rape, in situations where African housekeepers were treated as concubines. Catholic missions were key to the abductions. From a young age, bi-racial children were snatched or coerced away from their mothers and sent to orphanages or missionaries, some in Congo or Belgium. The state justified the practice based on a colonial-era law that allowed for the confinement of bi-racial children to state or religious institutions. Some of the Belgian fathers refused to acknowledge paternity – because they were from supposedly reputable homes – and so, in many cases, the children were declared to be orphaned or without known fathers. Colonial authorities also changed the children’s names, first so they would not affect their father’s reputation, and also so the children would not be able to connect with their family members. It was not until 1959, when the three colonies were near attaining independence, that the kidnapping and shipping of children from the region began to abate. In Belgium, some of the children were not accepted because of their mixed backgrounds. Some never received Belgian nationality and became stateless. Metis said they were treated as third-class citizens in Belgium for a long time. Most of those affected can still not access their birth records or find their parents. A bust of Belgium former King Leopold II that has been daubed with red paint is removed by a city worker in Auderghem, near Brussels, on June 12, 2020 as several statues of the late monarch, a symbol of Belgium’s bloody history as a colonial power in central Africa, have been defaced [File: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP] Has Belgium apologised for the kidnappings? Advertisement In March 2018, the Belgian parliament passed a resolution recognising that there had been a policy of targeted segregation and forced abductions of mixed-race children in former Belgian colonies, and that redress was needed. Lawmakers ordered the Belgian state to investigate what means of repair would be proportional for the African mothers who had had their children stolen from them, and to the bi-racial children who had been harmed for life as a result. A year later, in 2019, the then Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel apologised for the colonial practice, saying Belgium had stripped the children of their identity, stigmatised them, and split up families. In his statement, Michel pledged that “this solemn moment will represent a further step towards awareness and recognition of this part of our national history.” However, Michel stopped short of naming the crimes of forced abductions. Experts say that was because it would have major repercussions for the state, which would then be forced to possibly pay reparations to thousands of people. Although rights groups pushed Belgium to take the apology a step further, the government did not budge. People walking in the village of the Brussels International Exposition, World’s Fair, Belgium, 1935; the theme of the World’s Fair was colonisation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Congo Free State [Herbert Felton/Hulton Archive/Getty Images] What led to the court case? In 2020, a group of five female Metis, including Bitu Bingi, sued Belgium on
This year, Arab-American political power came to the fore
One of the major political developments in the United States that has gotten little attention in the wake of the Democrats’ astounding loss in the November 5 elections is the success of Arab American political organising. A new generation of political activists has emerged that has earned representation in unprecedented numbers and impact for the 3.5-million-strong Arab-American community in elected and appointed political offices. It also put Arab Americans on the electoral map for the first time by launching the Uncommitted movement during the Democratic primaries and making a foreign policy issue – Israel’s genocide in Gaza – a national moral issue. The Democratic Party underestimated the power of this new generation and the intensity of citizen anger, which cost it dearly in the election. What happened in the Arab American community is a vintage all-American tale. They, like other communities, started their pursuit of political impact as a low-profile immigrant group who became dynamic citizens after political developments threatened their wellbeing and motivated them to take action. Advertisement Arab American mobilisation traces its beginnings to small-scale participation in Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns for the Democratic Party. Jackson was the first serious presidential candidate to include Arab Americans as Democratic Party convention delegates, part of his Rainbow Coalition of “the white, the Hispanic, the Black, the Arab, the Jew, the woman, the Native American, the small farmer, the businessperson, the environmentalist, the peace activist, the young, the old, the lesbian, the gay, and the disabled [who] make up the American quilt”. His campaign gave momentum to voter registration drives within the Arab American community, which continued in the following three decades. By 2020, nearly 90 percent of Arab Americans were registered to vote. By 2024, the Arab American voter block – in its expansive coalition with other groups – had grown large enough to impact outcomes in critical swing states, especially Michigan and Pennsylvania. The attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent backlash motivated Arab Americans even more to engage in meaningful politics. Many members of the community refused to live in fear, trying to avoid the intimidation and smears that had long kept their parents and grandparents subdued and quiescent politically. As Omar Kurdi, founder of Arab Americans of Cleveland, told me, “We were no longer silent because we saw the dangers to us of being quiet and politically inactive. We refused to live in fear of politics. Since then, we have been proud, confident, and active in public. We no longer accept crumbs, but want our share of the pie, and we understand now how we can work for that.” Advertisement As a result, over the past two decades, Arab Americans have entered the public sphere and politics at all levels: from local, city, and county positions to state and federal ones. Elected officials say they succeeded because their constituents knew and trusted them. Candidates who won state and national congressional seats – like Rashida Tlaib in Michigan – inspired hundreds of younger Arab Americans to enter the political fray. Successful experiences in city politics educated newcomers on how they could impact decision-making, improve their own lives, and serve the entire community. They mastered locally the basics of politics, one Ohio activist told me, “like lobbying, bringing pressure, protesting, educating the public, achieving consensus, and creating coalitions based on shared values, problems, and goals”. All of this momentum, built up over the years, coalesced into the Uncommitted movement in 2024. As the Biden administration unconditionally supported Israel to carry out genocidal violence in Palestine and Lebanon, Arab-American activists moved to use their newfound leverage as voters in electoral politics. They joined like-minded social justice activists from other groups that mainstream political parties had long taken for granted – including Muslim Americans, Blacks, Hispanics, youth, progressive Jews, churches, and unions – and sent a strong message during the primaries that they would not support Biden’s re-election bid unless he changed his position on Gaza. The campaign hoped that tens of thousands of voters in the primaries would send the Democrats a big message by voting “uncommitted”, but in fact, hundreds of thousands of Democrats did so across half a dozen critical states. These numbers were enough to send 30 Uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August, where they could lobby their colleagues to shape the party’s national platform. Advertisement One activist involved in the process told me they convinced 320 of the other 5,000 delegates to support their demand for a party commitment to a Gaza ceasefire and arms embargo on Israel – not enough to change the party position, but enough to prove that working from inside the political system over time could move things in a better direction. Intergenerational support and motivation were big factors in the success of the Uncommitted movement. Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry, who has been involved in such activities for three decades, told me that Arab Americans were always in political positions, but in small numbers, so they had little impact. However, they learned how the system works and provided valuable insights when the time came this year to act. She mentioned Abbas Alawiyeh as an example, who co-chairs the Uncommitted National Movement and worked as a congressional staffer for many years. The Uncommitted movement’s precise contribution to the Democratic Party’s defeat is hotly debated right now. One activist told me the movement “placed Arab Americans at the centre of Democratic Party politics, led the progressives, helped Harris lose in swing states, and nationally brought attention to Gaza, divestment, and moral issues in ways we had never been able to do previously.” All this occurs in uncharted territory, with no clarity if Arab Americans can influence both the Democratic and Republican parties who might now compete for their vote. One Arab-American activist in his 30s added, “We are liberated from the Democrats who took us for granted, and we Arab Americans are now a swing vote officially.” Advertisement Other activists I spoke to thought the election experience
Where was the Lebanese government as Israel waged war?
NewsFeed As Israel relentlessly bombed Lebanon, the country’s military largely stayed out of the war. In most countries, the government would be accused of abandoning its people. What makes Lebanon different? Soraya Lennie explains. Published On 3 Dec 20243 Dec 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Malaysia, Thailand brace for more rains after floods kill more than 30
With tens of thousands already displaced, both countries set up shelters, rescue teams and evacuation plans in anticipation of further downpours. Authorities in Thailand and Malaysia are on high alert for more intense rainfall after days of monsoon rains triggered devastating floods that killed dozens of people and displaced tens of thousands. Officials in both countries said on Tuesday they were setting up shelters and preparing evacuation plans in anticipation of further downpours in the days ahead. In southern Thailand, at least 25 people died in floods and more than 300,000 households were affected over the past week, according to the country’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. As of Monday, the country’s Ministry of Public Health said, 34,354 evacuees remained at 491 government shelters. Among the hardest hit provinces were Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Yala, where the government has deployed rescue teams and designated 50 million baht ($1.45m) in relief per province. The Thai cabinet has also signed off a 9,000 baht ($260) payment per affected family. Although water levels have receded in several provinces, Thailand expects more heavy rains through Thursday, putting the areas further at risk of flash floods. Authorities prepared shelter, water pumps, evacuation trucks and boats, and put rescue workers on standby to prepare for more downpours. Rescue workers deliver food rations to people staying in flooded houses in Sateng Nok, Yala province, Thailand, November 30, 2024 [Poh Teck Tung Foundation via Reuters] In Malaysia, five days of ferocious rainfall last week hammered its eastern coast, killing six people and wrecking homes and roads in the northeastern state of Kelantan and neighbouring Terengganu. Advertisement Some 91,000 people are still out of their homes, according to the National Disaster Command Center, and the damage is estimated to be worth $224m. While rain eased over the weekend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government braced for heavy rains on Tuesday, followed by another monsoon surge projected for Sunday. The floods have affected tourism, with Malaysian officials urging citizens to defer travel plans to southern Thailand, a popular holiday destination. While the two Southeast Asian countries experience annual monsoon rains, scientists say climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. A man dries items he removed from his flooded house in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Kelantan state Malaysia [Vincent Thian/AP] Adblock test (Why?)
Namibia set for first female president as disputed election count advances
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is leading the presidential race but could be forced into a run-off vote if she falls short of the 50 percent threshold. Namibia appears set to get its first female president, with Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah holding a healthy lead as the count from last week’s disputed election proceeds. With 65.57 percent of votes counted, results released early on Tuesday on the election commission’s portal showed governing party candidate Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, leading the race with 54.82 percent of the vote. Results were initially expected a few days after the November 27 poll, but voting was extended by three days at several polling stations following technical difficulties and ballot paper shortages. The main opposition Independent Patriots for Change, whose candidate Panduleni Itula trails with 28 percent, has already rejected the election as a sham. The votes counted so far are for 79 of 121 constituencies, including all but two in the capital, Windhoek. Of the nearly 1.5 million registered voters, 73 percent cast ballots, the electoral commission said. Currently vice president, Nandi-Ndaitwah of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), could be forced into a second-round run-off vote if she does not claim more than 50 percent of votes when all results are in later this week. Advertisement Namibians vote separately for members of the National Assembly, and with 66.4 percent of the votes tallied, SWAPO led the ballot with 56.38 percent. Independent Patriots for Change was running at 19.23 percent. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah casts her ballot at the Emma Hoogenhout Primary School polling station in Hochland Park, Windhoek [Simon Maina/AFP] Results were initially expected a few days after the November 27 poll, but voting was extended to November 29 and November 30 at several polling stations after some voters were unable to cast their ballots on election day due to technical difficulties. Logistical and technical problems, including a shortage of ballot papers, led to long queues that meant some voters gave up on the first day of voting after waiting for up to 12 hours. The opposition claimed the extension was illegal, undermining the vote in the Southern African country, which has a largely smooth history of elections and is praised as one of the region’s more stable democracies. SWAPO has led the mineral-rich country of about three million people since leading it to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, but high youth unemployment and enduring inequalities have disenchanted younger voters. Opposition parties have promised to challenge the validity of the election in court. Opposition leader Itula said there were a “multitude of irregularities” and no matter the result, “the IPC shall not recognise the outcome of that election”. “The rule of law has been grossly violated and we cannot call these elections by any means or measure as free, fair and legitimate,” he said on Saturday, the last day of the vote. Other opposition parties said they will join the case. “It is about our country, it’s about our democratic credentials, it’s about the country that must work for everybody, the poor and the rich. It cannot only work for those who want to remain in power by hook or [by] crook,” said McHenry Venaani, the leader of the opposition Popular Democratic Movement and a candidate in the presidential election. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Israel continues to pound Gaza, issue new evacuation orders
Israeli military has ordered areas of Khan Younis cleared while at least 14 people were killed in strikes in northern Gaza. Israel has continued to pound Gaza, killing dozens and issuing new evacuation orders. The Israeli military launched strikes overnight that killed at least 14 people in the north of the enclave, according to reports on Tuesday. Meanwhile, new evacuation orders were issued, calling on people to leave areas in the southern city of Khan Younis. Medics reported that eight people were killed in a series of overnight strikes in Beit Lahiya, while four others were killed in Gaza City. A further two people were killed in attacks in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps in the northern part of the Strip. Later, the Israeli army ordered residents in the districts of Khan Younis to flee, prompting a westward exodus in the early morning hours. “For your own safety, you must evacuate the area immediately and move to the humanitarian zone,” the army said a statement on X, citing rocket launches by Palestinian groups. Research states that there are no “humanitarian zones” in which people can find safety, and that evacuation orders do not help those fleeing to find safety or shelter from harm. Advertisement The use of these terms by Israel is aimed at bestowing legitimacy on forced displacement and creating the illusion of adherence to humanitarian law, the Action For Humanity nongovernment organisation stated. Palestinian and United Nations officials also say that there are no safe areas in the enclave. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been internally displaced, some as many as 10 times since the war began last year. Palestinian groups have accused Israel’s army of trying to drive people from the northern edge of Gaza with forced evacuations and bombardments to create a buffer zone. The army denies this and says it has returned there to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping in an area it had previously cleared. The Palestinian Civil Defence said its operations in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoon have been halted for nearly four weeks due to Israeli attacks on their teams and fuel shortages. On Tuesday, it said that 88 of its members had been killed, 304 wounded, and 21 detained by Israel since the war started, while 13 of 27 vehicles in the central and southern Gaza Strip were out of operation due to fuel shortages. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,013
These were the key developments on the 1,013th day of the Russia-Ukraine war. Here is the situation on Tuesday, December 3: Fighting Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia launched 110 drones to attack the country overnight. Of 110 drones, the Air Force shot down 52, while at least 50 were “lost”, it said. Russia’s air defence systems destroyed 15 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions overnight, state news reported, citing the country’s Ministry of Defence. A Russian contract soldier undergoes training in a T-72 tank during military drills held at a firing range in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region on December 2 [Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters] Military aid and diplomacy Ukraine needs more air defence systems to protect its important facilities from Russian missile attacks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukraine will need tens of thousands of uncrewed robotic ground vehicles next year to shuttle ammunition and supplies to infantry in the trenches and evacuate wounded soldiers, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told the Reuters news agency. Norway’s Ministry of Defence said it would deploy F-35 fighter jets and NASAMS (short to medium-range) air defence systems to a logistics hub in Poland that coordinates military aid for Ukraine. From early December, Norway will safeguard the airspace above the Rzeszow airport and will send approximately 100 soldiers in addition to the air defence systems and fighter jets. German military aid to be delivered to Ukraine in December includes IRIS-T air defence systems, Leopard 1 tanks and armed drones, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said, just hours after Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the deliveries during Monday’s surprise visit to Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a wave of pro-European Union protests in Georgia resembled an attempted Ukraine-style Orange Revolution – mass protests in 2004 that removed a pro-Russian government in Kyiv – and local authorities were trying to stabilise the situation, but Russia would not interfere. Advertisement NATO is highly unlikely to heed Ukraine’s call for a membership invitation at a meeting of the bloc set to be held on Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing senior NATO diplomats. In a letter to his NATO counterparts ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said an invitation would remove one of Russia’s main arguments for waging its war – preventing Ukraine from joining the alliance. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, held a meeting in which they discussed Russia’s use of new ballistic missiles, preparations for the next meeting of arms donors and plans for Washington’s military aid next year. The United States will send Ukraine $725m of missiles, ammunition, antipersonnel mines and other weapons, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed, as President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration seeks to bolster Kyiv before leaving office in January. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that stepping up support for Ukraine is essential to put Kyiv in a strong position for peace talks with Russia, as he conceded there could be a negotiated end to the war. A group of Bulgarian nationals accused of spying for Russia targeted an investigative journalist with the Bellingcat news outlet and tried to lure him into a “honey trap” via Facebook, prosecutors have told a London court. Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova and Tihomir Ivanchev, along with Orlin Roussev and Bizer Dzhambazov, also carried out surveillance on a US military base in Germany where Ukrainian forces were being trained. President Judge of the International Criminal Court Tomoko Akane said threats facing the institution, including possible US sanctions and Russian warrants for staff members, “jeopardise its very existence“. Russia issued an arrest warrant for the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan two months after the court in The Hague issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin is dragging Asia into the war in Ukraine with the use of Chinese-made drones and North Korean troops, German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock said during a visit to Beijing. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Musk’s $101bn Tesla pay package again rejected by US judge
Judge says Tesla’s ‘unprecedented theories’ do not support argument to reverse previous ruling scrapping pay deal. A judge in the United States has upheld a decision to deny Tesla CEO Elon Musk a multibillion-dollar pay package despite shareholders voting to restore the compensation deal. The decision by a Delaware judge on Monday reaffirmed an earlier ruling to void the pay deal on the basis that Tesla’s board was too close to Musk and had not sufficiently protected shareholders’ interests. Chancellor Kathaleen St Jude McCormick of Delaware’s Court of Chancery found that there was no legal precedent to reverse her earlier ruling and that if courts condoned “the practice of allowing defeated parties to create new facts for the purpose of revising judgments, lawsuits would become interminable”. “The large and talented group of defense firms got creative with the ratification argument, but their unprecedented theories go against multiple strains of settled law,” McCormick wrote in a 103-page opinion. McCormick also found that Tesla had made “material misstatements” to shareholders about the effect of their vote to reinstate Musk’s pay deal. Advertisement Tesla shares dropped 1.4 percent in after-hours trading following the ruling. McCormick also rejected a request for $5bn in fees sought by the lawyers of plaintiff Richard Tornetta, a Tesla shareholder who brought the original lawsuit accusing Tesla’s board of not acting independently of Musk, instead granting the amount of $345m. After McCormick’s decision to block the deal earlier this year, Tesla shareholders in June overwhelmingly voted to reinstate the package. Tesla on Monday said the court’s decision was “wrong” and that it would appeal the decision. “This ruling, if not overturned, means that judges and plaintiffs’ lawyers run Delaware companies rather than their rightful owners – the shareholders,”’ the electric car company said on X. Musk on X said that “shareholders should control company votes, not judges,” and described McCormick as an “activist posing as a judge”. Under the terms of his 2018 pay deal, Musk agreed to be paid in Tesla stock options each time the company reached certain goals instead of receiving a salary. Musk hit all of the targets, which focused on metrics including market capitalisation, earnings and sales, helping make him the world’s richest man. Musk’s compensation package was initially worth $56bn but is now valued at more than $101bn after Tesla’s stock price surged more than 40 percent following Donald Trump’s US presidential election win on November 5. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump to attend Notre Dame reopening in first overseas trip since election
US president-elect says he will visit Paris for ‘very special day’ celebrating restoration of fire-damaged cathedral. Donald Trump has announced he will attend the reopening of Notre-Dame, the Paris landmark gutted by fire five years ago, in his first overseas trip since winning the United States presidential election. The 12th-century Gothic masterpiece, which was badly damaged by fire in 2019, is set to reopen its doors to visitors and the Catholic faithful on Saturday and Sunday. Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the unveiling of the restoration, which French President Emmanuel Macron has likened to the healing of a “national wound”. “It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the magnificent and historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!” Advertisement During his first term in office, Trump weighed in on the fire at Notre Dame as pictures of the blaze were broadcast live worldwide, suggesting that “flying water tankers” could be deployed to put out the flames. “Must act quickly!” Trump said on Twitter, the former name for X. French authorities dismissed the suggestion, saying that using water-bombing aircraft could result in the collapse of the “entire structure of the cathedral”. Trump and Macron have had a complicated relationship. Macron was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his re-election and was the guest of honour at the former president’s first state dinner. But the two leaders also clashed over Trump’s scepticism of NATO and France’s moves to hike taxes on US tech giants. Notre-Dame’s restoration was made possible with 846 million euros ($887.4m) in donations provided by some 340,000 donors from 150 countries. The five-year effort, involving some 250 companies and hundreds of experts, had an estimated cost of nearly 700 million euros ($734.3m). Restoration chief Philippe Jost last month told a news conference that surplus donations of about 140 million euros ($147m) would be used for future preservation efforts. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli attacks kill two people in Lebanon; Hezbollah responds
Israel has killed two people, including a State Security officer, in separate attacks in Lebanon as it continues its assaults on the country since the ceasefire with Hezbollah came into effect last week. For its part, the Lebanese group said on Monday that it carried out a “preliminary defensive response” to the “repeated violations” of the ceasefire by attacking an Israeli military base in the hills of Kfar Chouba, a disputed area that Lebanon claims as its own. Hezbollah said Israeli breaches of the truce that went into effect on Wednesday include deadly air raids across Lebanon, shooting at civilians in the south, and flying drones and jets in Lebanese airspace, including over the capital, Beirut. The group said it launched its “warning” attack because “appeals by the relevant authorities to stop these violations did not succeed”. The renewed violence highlights the fragility of the ceasefire, which ended a devastating war that killed nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon and saw Hezbollah fire rockets daily at Israel. Advertisement Earlier on Monday, Lebanon’s State Security agency said an Israeli rocket killed officer Mahdi Khreis in the southern district of Nabatieh, calling the incident a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire and a dangerous escalation. Israeli bombardment in neighbouring Marjayoun killed another person, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said. A drone attack in the northeast of the country also injured a Lebanese soldier. Although the ceasefire calls on all parties to hold their fire, Israel has been launching near-daily attacks against Lebanon. Lebanese media have also reported that the Israeli military is using the truce to advance into new neighbourhoods in towns that it had entered during the war. Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said life in Lebanon “started resuming” after the ceasefire was reached with hundreds of thousands of displaced people returning to their homes. “Now, it seems with Israel’s insistence on violating the ceasefire, Hezbollah found it necessary to say … that these violations must stop or things might get out of control,” Hashem said. After months of low-level hostilities, Israel launched an all-out war on Lebanon on September 23 with the stated aim of defeating Hezbollah. The Lebanese group had been targeting Israeli military bases in northern Israel for months in an effort that it said was aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war on Gaza. Israel assassinated top Hezbollah military and political leaders early in the war, including the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah. Advertisement It also levelled thousands of buildings and homes across Lebanon with its focus on southern and eastern Lebanon and the Beirut suburbs of Dahiyeh – areas where Hezbollah is popular. Still, Hezbollah continued to fire rockets at northern and central Israel. The group also said it inflicted heavy losses on invading Israeli troops that crossed into the country. The truce, which was brokered by the United States and France, stipulates that the Israeli military must withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days and Hezbollah must move away from the border with Israel until it is north of the Litani River. During those two months, the Lebanese army is to deploy to southern Lebanon to be the only armed force there. Although Israel said its recent attacks are to “enforce” the truce, the agreement prohibits attacks by all sides. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who was Lebanon’s chief negotiator in the ceasefire talks, stressed on Monday that Israel has violated the truce more than 54 times, including by carrying out air raids and demolishing homes near the border. “All these activities represent flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement,” he said in a statement. On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz suggested the country is ready for further escalation, promising a “harsh response” to the Hezbollah attack. “We promised to act against any violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah – and that is exactly what we will do,” he said in a social media post. Advertisement But the US voiced confidence in the truce agreement on Monday. “Broadly speaking, it has been successful in stopping the fighting and getting us on a path where we are not seeing the daily loss of life that we had seen for two months prior,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. He said the US administration will work through a monitoring mechanism established by the agreement to address potential violations to the ceasefire. Adblock test (Why?)