BEIRUT: The parliamentary bloc of the Future Movement, to which Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri belongs, on Saturday declined to comment on the internal political turmoil caused by the unexpected resignation of Al-Hariri.
The bloc’s sources told Arab News that they had decided to wait for the outcome of Al-Hariri’s meeting with King Salman in Riyadh on Monday.
After the meeting, Al-Hariri shared a photo of him with King Salman on Twitter and tweeted: “I was honored to visit Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, in his office at Al-Yamama Palace.” The Saudi Press Agency stated that the meeting discussed the “recent developments in Lebanon.”
The meeting was attended by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud, Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, Minister of State for Arab Gulf Affairs Thamer Al-Sabhan and Minister of State and Cabinet member Musaed Al-Aiban, the official Saudi Press Agency said.
“We will not accept Lebanon to be in any way a platform for terrorism. It is up to its leaders to choose whether it is a state of terrorism or a state of peace,” Al-Sabhan said.
President Michel Aoun has not yet commented on Al-Hariri’s resignation, nor has he taken any constitutional step about it. The presidential palace has witnessed many meetings in which security and economic matters were discussed, aimed at preventing the repercussions of this recent unexpected political step.
“We understood from President Aoun that things are clear for him but he refuses to take any decision before meeting with Al-Hariri,” Salim Jreissati, minister of justice, said after a security meeting.
In a media statement after the Lebanese president’s meeting with security and judicial officials, Aoun said: “National unity remains the main pillar for maintaining security and political stability in Lebanon, and all efforts must be focused on preserving it, especially during this critical situation.”
Aoun told security officials to stay alert and ready for any development, especially in the pursuit of rumor makers who have been very active in the past few days in order to cause chaos. He also urged the media to refrain from circulating rumors and all that disrupts national unity and public safety.
Jreissati pointed out that “security officials have submitted promising reports, which did not show any unusual security incident in the last few hours and days.” He pointed out that Aoun stressed that “political, security, financial and economic stability in Lebanon are a ‘red-line’.”
Dar Al-Fatwa remains the main destination for political leaders in Lebanon, especially Sunni leaders. After his meeting with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Deryan, Interior Minister Nohad Al-Machnouk highlighted the importance of taking hold of the security situation to prevent any incident that may disturb the country’s stability.
“The Lebanese authorities did not have any information about the attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri, but a Western body might have communicated it directly to Al-Hariri,” Machnouk added, pointing out that “the meeting between King Salman and Al-Hariri has thwarted the rumors and Al-Hariri might come back to Lebanon any time soon.
“We should wait for Al-Hariri’s return to answer all these questions,” he said, adding that the Lebanese president “has made a bold and wise step. He managed to maintain stability despite the void caused by Al-Hariri’s resignation.”
Al-Arabiya television reported on Monday that “the technical interference that Hariri’s convoy encountered in Beirut was carried out with Iranian-made equipment, days before his resignation.”
Lebanon politicians await outcome of Saudi king’s meeting with Al-Hariri
Lebanon politicians await outcome of Saudi king’s meeting with Al-Hariri
Family of Palestinian-American shot dead by Israeli settler demand accountability
- Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community
LONDON: The family of a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man reportedly shot dead by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank have demanded accountability, amid mounting scrutiny over a surge in settler violence and a lack of prosecutions.
Nasrallah Abu Siyam, a US citizen born in Philadelphia, was killed near the city of Ramallah on Wednesday, becoming at least the sixth American citizen to die in incidents involving Israeli settlers or soldiers in the territory in the past two years.
Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community. Witnesses said that stones were thrown by both sides before settlers opened fire, wounding at least three villagers.
Abu Siyam was struck and later died of his injuries.
Abdulhamid Siyam, the victim’s cousin, said the killing reflected a wider pattern of impunity.
“A young man of 19 shot and killed in cold blood, and no responsibility,” he told the BBC. “Impunity completely.”
The US State Department said that it was aware of the death of a US citizen and was “carefully monitoring the situation,” while the Trump administration said that it stood ready to provide consular assistance.
The Israeli embassy in Washington said the incident was under review and that an operational inquiry “must be completed as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said troops were deployed to the scene and used “riot dispersal means to restore order,” adding that no IDF gunfire was reported.
The military confirmed that the incident remained under review and said that a continued presence would be maintained in the area to prevent further unrest.
Palestinians and human rights organizations say such reviews rarely lead to criminal accountability, arguing that Israeli authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers accused of violence.
A US embassy spokesperson later said that Washington “condemns this violence,” as international concern continues to grow over conditions in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli authorities routinely fail to investigate or prosecute settlers accused of violence against civilians.
Those concerns were echoed this week by the UN, which warned that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank may amount to ethnic cleansing.
A UN human rights office report on Thursday said that Israeli settlement expansion, settler attacks and military operations have increasingly displaced Palestinian communities, with dozens of villages reportedly emptied since the start of the Gaza war.
The report also criticized Israeli military tactics in the northern West Bank, saying that they resembled warfare and led to mass displacement, while noting abuses by Palestinian security forces, including the use of unnecessary lethal force and the intimidation of critics.
Neither Israel’s foreign ministry nor the Palestinian Authority has commented on the findings.
