TUNIS: Political talks in Tunis on Libya's future have reached a breakthrough, the United Nations acting Libya envoy said on Wednesday, paving the way towards elections within 18 months.
The participants reached a preliminary agreement on a roadmap to parliamentary and presidential elections that includes steps to unite Libya's institutions, Stephanie Williams said at a news conference in Tunis.
She said Tuesday's "heinous killing" of dissident lawyer Hanan Al-Barassi in the eastern city of Benghazi showed there was a crisis of accountability across Libya.
After years of chaos and warfare in Libya, with key institutions held by rival factions riven by political, regional and ideological divisions, and foreign powers pouring in arms, many Libyans remain sceptical of peacemaking efforts.
However, the Tunis talks, which began on Monday, follow a ceasefire agreed last month between the main warring sides - the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the west and the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA).
Libya talks reach breakthrough on election roadmap, UN envoy says
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Libya talks reach breakthrough on election roadmap, UN envoy says
- The participants reached a preliminary agreement on a roadmap to parliamentary and presidential elections that includes steps to unite Libya's institutions
- Williams said Tuesday's "heinous killing" of dissident lawyer Hanan Al-Barassi in the eastern city of Benghazi showed there was a crisis of accountability across Libya
Israeli FM urges Jews to move to Israel a week after Sydney attack
- “Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!” Saar said
JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Sunday for Jews in Western countries to move to Israel to escape rising antisemitism, one week after 15 were shot dead at a Jewish event in Sydney.
“Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere. But we see and fully understand what is happening, and we have a certain historical experience. Today, Jews are being hunted across the world,” Saar said at a public candle lighting marking the last day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
“Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!” Saar said at the ceremony, held with leaders of Jewish communities and organizations worldwide.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli leaders have repeatedly denounced a surge in antisemitism in Western countries and accused their governments of failing to curb it.
Australian authorities have said the December 14 attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach was inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State jihadist group.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Western governments to better protect their Jewish citizens.
“I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to fight antisemitism and provide the required safety and security for Jewish communities worldwide,” Netanyahu said in a video address.
In October, Saar accused British authorities of failing to take action to curb a “toxic wave of antisemitism” following an attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, in which two people were killed and four wounded.
According to Israel’s 1950 “Law of Return,” any Jewish person in the world is entitled to settle in Israel (a process known in Hebrew as aliyah, or “ascent“) and acquire Israeli citizenship. The law also applies to individuals who have at least one Jewish grandparent.zz
