A political process and diplomatic talks aimed at establishing a permanent ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel must be made top priorities, the head of the UN peacekeeping force Unifil said on Monday, warning the prospect of de-escalation remains fragile despite US and French mediation.
Lt Gen Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, Unifil’s force commander, told the UN Security Council that while a monitoring mechanism was set up after hostilities flared in November, only military-to-military contact has since taken place.
“This is still a fragile process,” he said. “A political layer will be required to get the parties on track to a full implementation of [UN Resolution] 1701 and facilitate open discussions on a potentially contentious border delineation process.” Lt Gen Lazaro also emphasised sustained diplomatic engagement was critical in preventing renewed escalation and advancing long-term stability.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah to an end, calls for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of armed groups from southern Lebanon. However, sporadic clashes over the disputed Blue Line border persist.
"Since the cessation of hostilities, which came into effect on November 27, and in the absence of a permanent ceasefire, one of the main obstacles has always been that the parties interpret differently their obligations under resolution 1701," Lt Gen Lazaro said. "The strategic context and the balance of forces have now significantly changed, and we may finally see slow process towards a more permanent ceasefire. But this may still take a long time."
He said internal processes in Lebanon, as well as addressing the roles of Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups, are crucial for moving forward with a viable political track between Lebanon and Israel.
Israel has continued to launch strikes on Lebanon since the truce largely halted more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war.
Authorities said an Israeli strike on Sunday had killed two people in south Lebanon's Zibqin, but the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah operatives in the area. Israeli strikes last week hit other sites in the south and even Hezbollah's bastion of southern Beirut.
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Palestine and Israel - live updates
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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When: 7pm kick off
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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Started: 2016
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
