Lebanon blames Israel for exacerbating climate crisis

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati asserted on Saturday that Israel was responsible for exacerbating a climate crisis in the country through bombings and the deployment of white phosphorus.

He was speaking at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), the United Nations climate conference, where several countries condemned the Israel-Hamas conflict and called for an immediate ceasefire.

“The severe environmental deterioration in Lebanon is one of the effects of the Israeli aggression,” Mikati said.

“The Israeli use of indiscriminate weapons, such as white phosphorus weapons, causes the irreparable damage of more than 5,000 square kilometers of agricultural land and forests, which is destroying the livelihoods and revenue sources of our people,” the prime minister claimed, stressing the need to “recognize the disastrous consequences of war on the environment.”

He also appealed for Arab support in reconstructing a sustainable green economy in Lebanon, according to a statement issued by Lebanon’s Council of Ministers.

On October 31, Amnesty International accused Israel of firing artillery shells containing white phosphorus in operations along Lebanon’s southern border between October 10 and 16. Israel denied the claim.

The Foreign Ministry told The Jerusalem Post it had no comment on Mikati’s statements, which were made a day after President Isaac Herzog left Dubai and the climate conference to return to Israel.

Herzog stood in the traditional “family photo” with other world leaders, but did not give his scheduled address on Friday.

No other Israeli ministers attended COP28 this year in light of the ongoing war against Hamas.

Comments from Arab leaders 

During his less than two days in the United Arab Emirates, which began late Thursday evening, Herzog convened a series of strategic meetings with the primary objective of facilitating the safe return of the remaining hostages from Gaza to Israel.

The president started his meetings Thursday night with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Herzog pleaded with the sheikh to employ his total political weight to promote and speed up the return home of the hostages, according to his office.

The next day, Herzog met with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Qatar has used its influence to help secure the release of the majority of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7 – while harboring some of the terrorist group’s leaders within its borders.

The president also met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Britain’s King Charles III. In his meetings, Herzog emphasized the humanitarian duty of releasing the hostages and appealed to world leaders to join this effort. He also said it is Israel’s “right and duty” to defend itself against the security threat posed by Hamas to bring safety back to Israel.

Silva told Herzog that he had spoken with the leaders of South American nations and called on them to support the return of the hostages.

All the leaders Herzog engaged with unequivocally denounced the act of terror perpetrated by Hamas against the Israeli people on October 7. However, with the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas over the weekend, certain world leaders leveraged their platforms at COP28 on Friday to advocate for an immediate end to the ongoing war.

The war’s prominence in speeches at the Dubai event highlighted international divisions over the bloodshed and presented a distraction for a summit where nations try to find consensus on the shared threat posed by climate change.

“While discussing the climate crisis, we cannot ignore the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Palestinian territories right beside us,” Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan told leaders during his formal speech at the COP28 conference.

“The current situation in Gaza constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity; those responsible must be held accountable under international law,” he said.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa echoed the sentiment.

“South Africa is appalled by the cruel tragedy that is underway in Gaza. The war against the innocent people of Palestine is a war crime that must be ended now,” he said in his address.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II said it was difficult to focus on global warming while the fighting was going on.

“This year’s conference of the parties must recognize even more than ever that we cannot talk about climate change in isolation from the humanitarian tragedies unfolding around us,” he said.

Iran’s delegation left the Leaders’ Summit on Friday in protest of Israeli officials’ presence, state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian said the participation of Israeli representatives was “contrary to the goals and aims of the climate-change conference,” IRNA reported.

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid also called to end the war.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro linked environmental issues with the war.

“If Palestine could be free today, then tomorrow, humanity will escape alive out of the throes of the climate crisis,” he said.

Although before October 7, Israel had deemed 2023 the year to deal with the climate crisis and had plans to invest NIS 9 million ($2.42m) in a pavilion and top-level delegation at COP28, the country ultimately sent only around 20 ministry professionals. A handful of climate-tech companies from Israel’s South also joined the official delegation.

Reuters contributed to this report.