Without a ceasefire and full implementation of UN Resolution 1701, Lebanon remains in a political stalemate. Iranian pressure prevents House Speaker Nabih Berry from freeing himself from Hezbollah's grip. Invited to the Vatican for the Synod on Lebanon in 1995 and the one on the Middle East in 2010, the senior Sunni leader tells AsiaNews that he hopes Lebanon will learn from past tragedies, and return to the Arab fold through the Saudi "gateway".
The vicar of Anatolia describes a "widespread feeling" that unites the government and the population, which is experiencing "great concern" like the whole region. The Jewish state continues to strike, from Gaza to Lebanon: at least 22 dead in Beirut, while the UNIFIL mission was targeted in the south. A synagogue was vandalised in Izmir. As the pope said, even in this conflict the "economy of arms" prevails.
While they may be divided over the conflict between the Party of God and the Jewish State, Lebanese movements and parties are united in defending the country’s territorial integrity. The humanitarian emergency is getting worse as more and more people are displaced, but expressions of solidarity are also multiplying. Political analyst says the Israeli prime minister is trying to cause a religious war within Lebanon, splitting Lebanese society.
The family of the 32-year-old migrant worker held a vigil in a church in Udon Thani province, demanding his release. Together with five of his compatriots and at least one Nepali, he is the forgotten face of this tragedy. His tearful mother Wiwwaro calls for an end to this "brutal war" in which "Everyone has suffered enough". Last week, Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra met with the Iranian president asking him to mediate his release.
In a letter to the region’s Catholics on the anniversary of 7 October, the pontiff expresses his closeness to all those who suffer because of the war. “Blood is still being shed, as are tears. Anger is growing, along with the desire for revenge, while it seems that few people care about what is most needed and what is most desired”. And directly to Catholics, he writes, “thank you for being able to pray and love despite everything.”
On the first anniversary of the massacre in his kibbutz in Neti HaAsara, the testimony of an Israeli businessman among the protagonists of the movement calling for the relaunch of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. ‘We can forgive each other for what we did in the past and even for what is happening today, but we will not be able to forgive each other if we do not work to build a future together’.
