Lebanon: veteran politician calls for sanctions on Israel

Walid Jumblatt

03 March 2022; MEMO: The head of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party yesterday slammed the international community for not imposing sanctions on Israel. Walid Jumblatt referred to the recent sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine when he made his comments.

"When will sanctions be imposed on Israel for occupying Palestine, as quickly as they were imposed on Russia?" asked Jumblatt on Twitter. He described international institutions and Western governments as a "lie", and accused the International Criminal Court of being "useless". The veteran politician insisted that Western governments are following a policy of "racial discrimination".

Jumblatt was recently reported to have contacted Ukraine's Ambassador to Lebanon, Igor Ostash, to express his solidarity with the Ukrainian people. In response, Ostash said that he respected Jumblatt "and his contribution to the history of Lebanon."