The US president warns the parties to respect the ceasefire. Netanyahu fans the conflict and continues to attack Lebanon. Aoun wants to free the country from Iran’s intolerable hold. Addressing the Israelis, he asked them whether they are fed up with a war that has been going on since 1948.
In the last Christian village in the West Bank, provocations by Israeli settlers are increasing in intensity. For Father Bashar, the atmosphere is one "of fear and intimidation”. Residents appeal to the authorities and NGOs to intervene "urgently”. A parish report documents the attacks that occurred in May.
While the parties work towards a ceasefire, the pro-Iranian party remains opposed to "direct negotiations" with the Jewish state. Lebanon’s capital is experiencing hours of relative calm, but tensions remain in the south. The Druze House hosts a summit of religious leaders. Among the population, a growing consensus calls for peace with the Israelis and normalisation of relations.
A new chapter in the silent war on heritage in the West Bank. The tomb of the prophet, north of Jerusalem, managed by the Islamic Waqf, has been seized in the latest act of the “Judaization” of Palestinian sites. Peace Now: the aim is to “expand and deepen the annexation”. Rumours of a plan by the Netanyahu government to strip Jordan of custody of Islam’s third holiest site.
Scores have died in Israeli attacks in the south of the country, including across the Litani River. Israel aims to expand the territory it controls by up to 30 kilometres. So far, the capital, Beirut, has been spared, since the United States has designated it “off-limits”. A new round of talks is scheduled for 2 and 3 June in Washington, where the Lebanese delegation will insist on the need for an immediate and simultaneous cessation of hostilities.
The axis between Israel (and the US), the United Arab Emirates, and India is being countered by a bloc that includes Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Turkey is refocusing on the idea of an alliance of Muslim countries to minimise “dependence on outside the region.” At home, the row over the leadership of the main opposition party has reopened wounds that had never healed.
