Region

BEIRUT — Lebanon on Monday called for US mediation after Israel moved a gas production vessel into an offshore field, a part of which is claimed by Beirut.

The ship operated by London-listed Energean Plc. arrived in the Karish gas field on Sunday and will immediately commence operations, Energean said in a statement.

The move immediately drew condemnation from Lebanon's president and prime minister who held talks on Monday to discuss next steps.

The two agreed to "invite US envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut to look into restarting negotiations to demarcate Lebanon's southern maritime border" which stalled last May, said a statement by Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

"Any exploration, drilling or extraction carried out by Israel in the disputed areas constitutes a provocation and an act of aggression," the statement said.

Lebanon and Israel last fought a war in 2006, have no diplomatic relations and are separated by a UN-patrolled border.

They had resumed negotiations over their maritime border in 2020 but the process was stalled by Beirut's claim that the map used by the United Nations in the talks needed modifying.

Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometres of territory in the disputed maritime area but then asked for an additional 1,430 square kilometres, including part of Karish.

Disputed territory 

Lebanese officials said Sunday that any Israeli activity in disputed waters would constitute a "hostile act" and an "attack" on Lebanon's natural resources.

But for Israel, Karish lies “within Israel’s UN-recognised exclusive economic zone”, and not in disputed territory, a senior Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

An Israeli energy ministry spokeswoman told AFP that drilling was completed months ago and “the flow of gas from Karish should start in September”.

The production vessel that arrived on Sunday will be connected to Karish via pipelines, she said.

“Other pipelines will take the gas from the platform to the Israeli shores,” she said, referring to the ship.

Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hizbollah militant movement has warned Israel that it could seek to disrupt attempts to extract oil and gas from Karish and other disputed areas.

Lebanese energy expert Laury Haytayan said Lebanese authorities should sign a decree amending demarcation lines of the maritime border instead of turning to Washington for mediation.

“If Lebanese officials believe that an invitation for Hochstein to visit Beirut will stop work in Karish, this is a waste of time,” she told AFP.

BAGHDAD — An Iraqi court on Monday jailed a British retiree for 15 years for trying to smuggle antiquities he found on holiday, a judgement his family called “tantamount to a death sentence”.

His German co-defendant was acquitted.

The maximum penalty for the offence is death by hanging but the court decided on a lesser sentence for James Fitton, 66, “because of the advanced age of the accused”, the judge said.

Fitton’s lawyer said that he would appeal.

The court found “insufficient evidence” to convict co-accused Volker Waldmann, 60, who was visiting Iraq with Fitton on an organised tour when they were arrested in March at Baghdad airport.

War-ravaged Iraq’s tourism infrastructure is almost non-existent but the country is timidly opening to visitors.

Iraq has also been trying to recover antiquities that were looted over a period of decades from the country whose civilisation dates back thousands of years.

When the judge asked the men whether they were guilty or not guilty “of trafficking antiquities”, each replied: “Not guilty”.

‘Absolutely shattered’ 

They appeared in court dressed in yellow prisoners’ clothing, but not handcuffed, an AFP journalist at the hearing said.

They were charged under a 2002 law against “intentionally taking or trying to take out of Iraq an antiquity”.

Fitton’s son-in-law Sam Tasker, 27, told Britain’s PA news agency that his family was devastated at the sentence, and was launching an appeal.

“We are absolutely shattered by this news,” Tasker said. “For a man of Jim’s age, 15 years in an Iraqi prison is tantamount to a death sentence.”

Tasker also lambasted the British government for what he said was their “total lack of action in this case” to date.

“We are completely heartbroken that our own best efforts, a strong legal defence and constant campaigning, have led to this outcome,” he added.

Fitton’s MP, Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said it was “a devastating outcome”, and that the government had “failed to take action”.

“There is now no other option but for the foreign secretary to intervene at a ministerial level,” Hobhouse said, according to PA.

‘Extreme’ 

According to statements from customs officers and witnesses, Fitton’s baggage contained about a dozen stone fragments, pieces of pottery or ceramics.

Waldmann, a Berlin psychologist, allegedly had two pieces but at the trial’s opening on May 15 denied they were his.

When the judge asked Fitton why he tried to take the artefacts out of Iraq, he cited his “hobby” and said he did not mean to do anything illegal.

“I didn’t realise that taking them was against the law,” Fitton said, adding that some of the ancient sites were open and unguarded.

In his verdict the judge found that Fitton was “aware” that the location from where he collected the fragments was “an archaeological site” and that it was illegal to take them.

The judge concluded there was criminal intent.

Defence lawyer Thaer Saoud denied this, and called the judgement “extreme”.

In Waldmann’s case, the judge accepted the defence argument that the German did not know the pieces from Fitton were antiquities.

The two men were not acquainted before their trip to Iraq.

They heard the verdict two weeks after court had adjourned to allow time for further investigations at the request of Waldmann’s lawyer, Furat Kuba.

“We don’t have any more details: What site do these pieces come from? What era, what civilisation do they date back to?” Kuba said at the time.

NABLUS, Palestinian Territories — An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the West Bank early this year has killed thousands of livestock, pushing Palestinian farmers already living under occupation to the brink of bankruptcy.

Mohammed Basheer said he had to incinerate hundreds of his dead lambs after the outbreak devastated livestock across the West Bank, leaving him with more than just a stinging financial loss.

For Basheer, the ordeal underlines the unique challenges facing farmers in the occupied Palestinian territory, who complain that they are underserved by the Palestinian Authority and face constant threats from Jewish settlers.

"I got no help from the PA, not even a telephone call," Basheer, who owns thousands of livestock near the city of Nablus, told AFP, voicing frustration over what he described as inaction from the Palestinian agriculture ministry.

Palestinian farmers blamed the PA for halting a vaccinations programme that had proven essential in protecting livestock against an endemic disease.

And with animals absent from large stretches of grazing land, farmers fear land grabs from Jewish settlers, who have repeatedly set up illegal outposts on West Bank land they claim is unused.

The PA "should protect us because we protect the land," Basheer said. "The farms protect the land... If you remove the farmers, Israel takes the land."

Farmers 'destroyed' 

A new strain of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which causes potentially lethal fevers and blisters in young animals, was detected in livestock last November in Jordan.

It soon spread across the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967, and heavily reliant on agriculture.

But the PA’s agriculture ministry has not carried out a regular vaccination drive since 2019.

A ministry official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that a normal year sees 60 to 70 per cent of goats and sheep in the West Bank vaccinated against FMD.

That figure dropped to 20 per cent in 2020 and 2021, the official said.

The ministry blamed the coronavirus pandemic, saying FMD vaccines were harder to source as vaccine makers worldwide pivoted operations to meet demand for COVID jabs.

The ministry also blamed Israel, claiming it obstructed the PA from procuring sufficient supply.

The Israeli defence ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories (COGAT) told AFP that the allegation was false.

“There has been no formal request from the Palestinian Authority for the import of such vaccines,” a COGAT statement said.

“Nonetheless, considering the health requirement that has arisen, the State of Israel has transferred vaccine doses that were in its possession to the Palestinian Authority.”

The Palestinian ministry has officially confirmed around 2,000 animal deaths as a result of the FMD strain this year.

But farmers and the agriculture ministry official said livestock deaths were likely far higher than the acknowledged toll.

Basheer said FMD losses had cost him $150,000 and accused Israel of hoarding vaccines.

“Our occupiers had continuous vaccines for all farmers, but we haven’t had anything in three years,” he said.

“They’ve destroyed the farmers.”

‘Farmers can’t stand alone’ 

In the West Bank’s Area C, which remains under full Israeli control, vacant agricultural land is a prime target for Jewish settlement expansion, according to experts.

Eyal Hareuveni, a researcher at the anti-settlement watchdog B’Tselem, told AFP that settler land grabs are often backed by Israel’s “twisted interpretation” of an Ottoman-era law that says land not cultivated for three consecutive years can be claimed.

“Israel can designate this as state land and take it for their own use, even if it’s land that is registered as private Palestinian land,” Hareuveni said.

More than 475,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank in communities widely regarded as illegal under international law. Israel’s governing coalition has continued to approve new settler homes across the territory, while acting sporadically against new outposts.

With no new cases detected since April, PA officials say the FMD outbreak is now under control.

Abbas Milhem, executive director of the Palestinian farmer’s union, told AFP that by faltering on vaccinations, the PA had effectively given a boost to the settler movement.

“The real fight against occupation and annexation is in the land, but the farmers can’t stand alone,” he said. “We need some accountability for this.”

KHARTOUM — Noureddine Jaber, a musician with a unique part-guitar, part-tamboura instrument, is giving voice to Sudan’s long-marginalised eastern communities through a new album.

Hailing from the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, Jaber belongs to the Beja people, a group of nomadic herders and breeders with unique languages, culture, food and music. 

They have borne the weight of disenfranchisement especially under autocratic president Omar Al Bashir who was ousted in 2019. 

But the title of his first album, due out later in June, conveys a different message: “Beja Power”.

During Bashir’s three-decade rule, non-Arab groups complained that his government allowed Arab culture to dominate, giving little representation to the country’s many ethnic minorities. 

Also known as “Noori”, Jaber grew up devouring the rich heritage of distinct tunes of the Beja people who trace their roots back millennia. 

Though he first formed his band in 2006, it was only in recent months that he was able to record his first album, at the age of 47. 

“Beja music is the window to the struggles of its people,” said Jaber, who called his six-member band “Dorpa”, which means “the band of the mountains” in Bedawit, a Beja language. 

“The Beja have long been marginalised and we are trying to convey their voice through music.”

Though their region is a maritime trade hub known for its lush fertile fields, and rich gold mines, it is also one of the most impoverished parts of Sudan, itself one of the poorest countries in the world. 

At a studio in Omdurman, the capital Khartoum’s twin city, Jaber leads his band through rehearsal, producing a mellow, toe-tapping sound somewhat similar to jazz. 

“Let’s play the ‘Saagama’,” Jaber tells his bandmates: a bassist, saxophonist, rhythm guitarist, bongos player, and a conga drummer.

In his hand he holds his unique “tambo-guitar”, an instrument he fashioned from a guitar neck and his father’s vintage tamboura, a type of lyre played in East Africa. 

Jaber’s invention is embossed with small shells and a map of Africa.

‘Very special rhythm’

“Saagama”, which means migration in Bedawit, is one of the album’s most evocative tracks, inspired by ancient melodies from Sudan’s east. 

Unlike him, the rest of the band all hail from different parts of ethnically diverse Sudan. 

They say it took them years to learn the Beja music scales and tones, traditionally played on drums and the tamboura.

“I’ve never been to east Sudan. I only learned the music from Noori,” conga player Mohamed Abdelazim told AFP. 

“The way they play drums in the east is different, very distinct. It has its own very special rhythm.” 

According to Jaber, the Beja’s under-representation in Sudanese culture is part of why many fail to recognise their music. 

Under Bashir, he told AFP, “The rule was for the Arab culture to prevail while other African ethnicities fade.”

Beja musicians regularly faced restrictions, with authorities often stopping their performances. 

“It could be for anything, lack of permits or because the audience were mixed groups” of men and women together, in contrast to those of Arab performers, Jaber said.

Abdelhalim Adam, the band’s bassist, is originally from the ethnic Folani tribe of the Darfur region, on the other side of the country in Sudan’s west. 

For him, joining the band was particularly meaningful. 

“The Beja’s struggle is similar to our tribes in North Darfur,” Adam said. “They are as marginalised.” 

Darfur was ravaged by civil war that began in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir’s Arab-dominated government, which unleashed the Janjaweed militia blamed for atrocities.

Hundreds of thousands were killed and millions have been displaced since.

The Beja also rebelled against Bashir’s government for more than a decade. Communities in the east then joined nationwide calls for his ouster in the protests which began in 2018.

A glimmer of hope shone following Bashir’s overthrow and the installation of a fragile transition to civilian rule which pledged to end marginalisation in Sudan. 

But even then, Beja tribes complained of marginalisation. 

Last year, they blockaded the main seaport of Port Sudan shortly before a military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan upended Sudan’s transition. 

As Beja tribes continue to call for wider representation, Jaber has zeroed in on music as his avenue to highlight the struggles of his people. 

“It’s an effective way for our story to travel and attract the world’s attention,” he says. And it is also a way “to preserve our heritage”.

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia on Saturday welcomed its first batch of Hajj pilgrims since before the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted authorities to sharply restrict the annual ritual.

The group from Indonesia landed in the city of Medina and was set to travel south to the holy city of Mecca in the coming weeks to prepare for the Hajj next month, state media reported.

"Today we received the first group of this year's pilgrims from Indonesia, and the flights will continue from Malaysia and India," Mohammed Al Bijawi of the country's Hajj Ministry told the state-run Al Ekhbariya channel.

"Today we are happy to receive the guests of God from outside the kingdom, after a two-year interruption due to the pandemic," he added, describing Saudi Arabia as "fully prepared" to accommodate them.

One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj must be undertaken by all Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives.

Usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people participated in 2019.

But after the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities announced they would only let 1,000 pilgrims take part.

The following year, they increased the total to 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents chosen through a lottery.

Barring overseas pilgrims caused deep disappointment among Muslims worldwide, who typically save for years to take part.

In April, the kingdom announced it would permit one million Muslims from inside and outside the country to participate in this year’s hajj, which will take 

place in July.

The Hajj consists of a series of religious rites that are completed over five days in Islam’s holiest city, Mecca, and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.

This year’s pilgrimage will be limited to vaccinated Muslims under age 65, the Hajj ministry has said.

Those coming from outside Saudi Arabia, who must apply for hajj visas, are required to submit a negative COVID-19 PCR result from a test taken within 72 hours of travel.

KHARTOUM — A UN human rights expert on Sudan called on Saturday for accelerated investigations into killings of protesters and other atrocities, as the death toll since last year's coup nears 100.

Sudan has been rocked by deepening unrest and a violent crackdown against near-weekly mass protests since army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan's power grab on October 25 derailed a fragile transition to civilian rule.

"It is simply unacceptable that 99 people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured as a result of excessive use of force by the joint security forces," Adama Dieng told reporters, quoting a toll provided by pro-democracy medics.

He called on authorities "to expedite" investigations into the killings of protesters.

On what is his second visit to Sudan since last year's coup, Dieng has raised concerns during talks with senior officials over arbitrary and mass arrests of activists, sexual and gender-based violence, and "acts of torture and ill-treatment" during detentions.

He said a probe set up by Sudanese authorities has confirmed "four cases of sexual violence" during the protests.

The UN expert also pointed to an intensification of an existing economic crisis since the coup, which has seen Western donors return to the sidelines, after brief engagement with a civilian-military power-sharing government established in the wake of autocrat Omar Al Bashir's ouster in 2019.

Spiralling prices and a poor harvest are "forecast to dramatically increase the number of people living in poverty", he noted.

Dieng is scheduled to meet with Burhan later Saturday.

On Friday, thousands of protesters took to the streets across Sudan to mark the third anniversary of a crackdown that medics say killed 128 people in June 2019, when armed men in military fatigues violently dispersed a weeks-long sit-in outside army headquarters.

A protester was killed during Friday’s demonstrations despite calls by Dieng, echoed by Western diplomats, for security forces to “refrain from excessive violence against protesters”.

The UN, along with the African Union and regional grouping IGAD, have been pushing for Sudanese-led talks to break the post-coup political stalemate.

On Friday, UN special representative Volker Perthes announced the Security Council had voted to extend by one year the United Nations’ mission in Sudan.

Perthes, as well as AU and IGAD representatives, agreed with military officials to launch “direct talks” among Sudanese factions next week.

On Sunday, Burhan lifted a state of emergency in force since the coup to set the stage for “meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period”.

Since April, Sudanese authorities have released several civilian leaders and pro-democracy activists.

TUNIS — Tunisian police used pepper spray on Saturday to disperse protesters against President Kais Saied and a planned July referendum, nearly a year after he seized wide-ranging powers in what opponents decry as a coup.

The police blocked the protesters, who numbered around 100, as they attempted to reach the headquarters of the electoral commission, whose chief Saied replaced last month in a further extension of his control of state institutions.

Some at the protest in Tunis, organised by five small political parties, held up placards reading "the president's commission = fraud commission".

"The police... sprayed gas in our faces and attacked us," said Hamma Hammami, head of the Tunisian Workers' Party.

Saied on July 25 sacked the government and suspended parliament, which he later dissolved in moves that sparked fears for the only democracy to have emerged from the Arab Spring uprisings.

He has laid out plans for a referendum next month on a replacement of the 2014 constitution that had enshrined a mixed parliamentary-presidential system often plagued by deadlock and nepotism.

But the draft of the new constitution, which is to be put to the public in a simple yes/no vote, has not yet been published.

One placard at Saturday’s protest read: “I don’t need your referendum and I don’t care about your constitution.”

On April 22, Saied gave himself powers to appoint three of the seven members of the electoral commission, including the president.

Then last month he replaced commission chief Nabil Baffoun, a critic of the president’s July power grab, appointing former commission member Farouk Bouasker to the position.

Saturday also marked the start of a national dialogue organised by Saied but boycotted by opponents, including the powerful UGTT trade union, on the grounds that it excludes key civil society actors and political parties.

Saied’s opponents accuse him of moving towards an autocracy.

Some Tunisians however support his moves against a system they say achieved little in the decade since a 2011 revolt that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

RAMALLAH, Palestine — Israeli troops shot dead a teen in the West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, the fourth Palestinian killed in the occupied territory in two days.

The ministry identified the slain Palestinian as 17-year-old Odeh Odeh, who was hit in the chest by what it said was an Israeli bullet near the village of Al-Madiya, west of Ramallah.

It came hours after a Palestinian man was killed while Israeli occupation forces were conducting an arrest operation in the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem.

On Wednesday, a woman was shot, and later that day a man was killed in an Israeli raid in the northern West Bank.

The Israeli forces have stepped up their operations in the West Bank in recent months.

Late Wednesday, Israeli troops mounted an incursion into the village of Yabad outside Jenin to demolish the home of a Palestinian.

The health ministry said that after that raid a Palestinian man died in hospital in Jenin. He had been admitted in critical condition, having been "shot by live bullets in the chest and thigh".

Palestinian news agency Wafa said that six Palestinians were wounded in the Israeli raid.

On Wednesday morning, Israeli soldiers in the southern West Bank shot dead Ghofran Warasnah, 31, near Hebron after she "advanced" towards soldiers with a knife, the occupation authorities claimed.