UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – While talks for a ceasefire make no progress, the IDF bombs the Gaza Strip and violence intensifies on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
As tensions escalate on the Israeli-Lebanese border and the IDF bombs the Gaza Strip again, the ban on Al-Jazeera has been extended by 35 days in Israel. Le Figaro takes stock of the conflict which has lasted for more than 8 months in the Middle East.
Tensions increase on the Lebanese border
Violence is increasing on the border between Israel and Lebanon. The National News Agency of Lebanon (Ani) reported on Friday the death of a civilian and many injured in a strike by Israeli jets near Tyre, in the south of the country, after strikes on Thursday by Lebanese Hezbollah in northern Israel.
Hezbollah, which says it has carried out bombings over the past two days in retaliation for the death of one of its senior commanders in an Israeli strike, refuses at this stage to engage in talks until there is a cease. -the lasting fire in Gaza.
Israel bombs Gaza again
The Israeli army is carrying out bombings in the Gaza Strip on Friday, with no progress in ceasefire talks. In the early hours of Friday, witnesses reported Israeli strikes in different areas of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the center of the enclave.
A truce plan in Gaza announced on May 31 by Joe Biden, Israel’s main ally, has so far failed to materialize, with the Israeli government and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas sticking to their intangible positions.
Al-Jazeera ban extended for 35 days in Israel
Israeli justice has confirmed and extended for an additional 35 days the ban on the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera, in the crosshairs of the Israeli government for its alleged support for the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the Justice Ministry website said on Friday. “The Tel Aviv District Court confirmed (THURSDAY) instructions from the Minister of Communications to stop broadcasting the Al-Jazeera channel, close its offices in Israel, block access to its websites and seize equipment used to broadcast the channel’s content, for duration of 35 days”indicates the ministry.
The Israeli government had already approved on May 5 the decision to ban the broadcast of the channel in Israel and to close its offices there for a renewable period of 45 days. But on June 9, the Supreme Court, hearing a petition from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel contesting the closure of the channel, sent the case back to the Tel Aviv District Court.
Before this court, the government requested confirmation of the ban for 45 days. Citing procedural flaws, the judge authorized it for 35 days. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi responded in a statement calling Al-Jazeera a “spokesperson for terrorism in the service of Hamas”. “For absurd legal reasons, we are obliged (to ask) its closure in Israel every 45 days. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to cleanse the region of terrorism and incitement.” to violence, he added.