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A30 world news
Diaranson 20 october 2021

Israel gives legal status to 4K in gesture to Palestinians

autocratic PA in order to firmed that a “first batch” of
weaken its militant Hamas ri- “The stronger the Palestin- 4,000 names had been ap-
vals, who rule the Gaza Strip. ian Authority is, the weaker proved and said the PA was
Other gestures include loan- Hamas will be,” Gantz was working to secure more.
ing some $155 million to the quoted as saying after his
cash-strapped PA and autho- meeting with Abbas. “And Israel, which controls all ac-
rizing an additional 15,000 the greater its ability to gov- cess to the occupied West
permits for Palestinian labor- ern is, the more security we’ll Bank, must approve any
ers to work in Israel and its have and the less we’ll have to changes to the Palestinian
settlements. do.” population registry, which
is administered by the PA.
Israeli Prime Minister Naf- The Israeli defense body that When the second Palestinian
tali Bennett is opposed to the oversees civilian affairs in uprising broke out in 2000,
creation of a Palestinian state the territories said it would Israel restricted new regis-
and has shown no interest in approve the registration of trations to children under 16
reviving peace talks, which 1,200 Palestinians who have with a resident parent.
stalled out more than a de- been living in the West Bank
(AP) — Israel said Tues- announced after a rare high- cade ago. Israel is also con- for many years but are not That and other Israeli policies
day it would grant legal level meeting in August be- tinuing to build and expand listed in the Palestinian popu- have left an estimated tens of
residency to 4,000 Pales- tween Israeli Defense Min- settlements in the West Bank lation registry. It will approve thousands of Palestinians in
tinians living in the occu- ister Benny Gantz and Pal- and east Jerusalem, territories a change of address for 2,800 the occupied West Bank and
pied West Bank and Gaza, estinian President Mahmoud it captured in the 1967 war Palestinians who moved to Gaza without legal status, se-
a gesture to the Palestin- Abbas aimed at strengthening that the Palestinians want for the West Bank from Gaza verely limiting their freedom
ian Authority that will al- the PA, which administers their future state. prior to 2007, when Hamas of movement. They include
low people who have lived parts of the occupied West seized power. foreign nationals — main-
under severe restrictions Bank and coordinates with But Israeli officials have ly Palestinians from other
for years to get official Israel on security. vowed to take steps to im- Hussein al-Sheikh, a se- countries — who married
IDs. prove the Palestinian econo- nior Palestinian official who Palestinians in the territories
Israel is trying to bolster the my and daily life in order to serves as the liaison with Is- and have families there.
It’s one of a series of gestures increasingly unpopular and reduce frictions. rael for civilian affairs, con-

Hezbollah brag of 100,000-strong force aimed at foes at home

(AP) — A boast by the Nasrallah’s claim about the The group’s recent campaign
leader of Hezbollah that Deadly gunbattles broke out size of the force.. Hezbollah Last week’s fighting was a against Tarek Bitar, the judge
he commands 100,000 last week in Beirut during a rarely comments on its mili- rare instance of members of leading the port blast investi-
fighters came as a sur- demonstration organized by tary structure, weapons or Hezbollah clashing with in- gation, is further pitting the
prise to many Lebanese, the two Shiite parties, after number of fighters. ternal rivals, something the group against many Lebanese
not least because it was their supporters came under group has repeatedly pledged who support him and seek
addressed to a domestic fire as they marched through Most estimates for the num- to avoid. justice and accountability.
audience rather than the Christian neighborhoods on ber of fighters, however,
militia’s archenemy Israel. their way to the Justice Pal- range between 25,000 and The group’s reputation took Civil strife pitting Hezbollah
ace. Clashes with machine 50,000, including 10,000 elite a major hit in 2008, after its fighters against rival Leba-
Experts say the figure, which guns and rocket-propelled troops known as the Radwan fighters overran predomi- nese groups would be disas-
exceeds the size of Lebanon’s grenades, reminiscent of the Force and a separate reserve nantly Sunni Muslim neigh- trous for the group, which
army by about 15,000 troops, 1975-90 civil war, played out force. Hezbollah is known to borhoods in Beirut. It was already lost popularity for its
is an exaggeration. But Has- for several hours along a for- have stepped up recruitment considered the first time He- involvement in Syria’s civil
san Nasrallah’s brag is likely mer front line separating the in the years after the 2006 war zbollah used its weapons in- war. Hezbollah officials have
to further ratchet up anxiety Muslim and Christian sec- with Israel. In the past de- ternally since the end of the repeatedly said the group will
about a return to sectarian tors of the city. cade, however, it lost nearly civil war in 1990. It came in not be pulled into an internal
fighting in the small country 2,000 members while fight- response to the then-govern- war — a weak point its oppo-
roiled by a series of devastat- The Iran-backed Hezbollah ing in Syria alongside Syr- ment of Prime Minister Fuad nents like the Lebanese Forc-
ing crises. accused the Christian Leba- ian President Bashar Assad’s Saniora’s decision to disman- es might be looking to exploit
nese Forces party of starting forces in that country’s civil tle Hezbollah’s crucial secret as a way to gain popularity
“This is more about flexing the fighting in which seven war. telecommunication network. ahead of general elections ex-
Hezbollah’s muscles to dem- Shiites were killed. Lebanese pected next spring.
onstrate its power against Forces leader Samir Geagea Nasrallah said in his speech Some observers say Nasral-
other opposing political par- denied his group was the ag- that those troops were armed lah’s implicit threats reveal Hisham Jaber, a retired Leba-
ties that want to undermine gressor, but said residents of and trained for warfare a degree of vulnerability of nese general who heads the
it,” said Dina Arakji, a re- Christian areas could not be against Israel, not for an in- Hezbollah, even though it is Middle East Center for Stud-
searcher at Control Risks, a blamed for defending them- ternal armed conflict. Arakji, the most dominant political ies and Political Research,
Dubai-based global risk con- selves against armed Hez- the analyst, said it was signifi- and military force in Leba- said Hezbollah will avoid
sultancy group. bollah militiamen marching cant that he chose a speech non. civil war at all costs.
through their neighbor- about the Lebanese Forces
Nasrallah made the declara- hoods. and last week’s Beirut vio- Hezbollah’s Shiite con- Hezbollah could easily take
tion Monday as part of the lence to reveal the figure. stituency, like other Leba- control of most of Lebanon
growing confrontation over a In Monday’s speech, Nasral- nese communities, has been militarily within a week, but
judicial investigation into last lah accused Geagea of seeking Hezbollah’s claim about a thrown into poverty by the this would hurt the group
year’s massive Beirut port ex- to reignite a civil war and said 100,000-strong fighting force country’s severe financial in the long term, Jaber said.
plosion that killed more than he was forced to announce was particularly jarring be- crisis. More Lebanese regard “Whenever they storm and
215 people and devastated the number of Hezbollah cause Lebanon’s army only the group, which once had control areas it will be the
parts of the city. Hezbollah fighters “not to threaten a has about 85,000 troops. The popular support across reli- countdown for its (Hezbol-
and its Shiite allies from the civil war, but to prevent one.” country’s financial crisis and gious sects for its resistance to lah’s) existence, because their
Amal Movement led by Par- currency collapse have se- Israel, as being part of a cor- presence in Lebanon is a re-
liament Speaker Nabih Berri Hezbollah is a largely secre- verely impacted the military rupt ruling class that drove sistance movement and not a
want the lead judge removed, tive organization and it is dif- as an institution, and affected the country to bankruptcy. force to fight in a civil war,”
accusing him of bias. ficult to independently verify troop morale. he said.