PUBLISHING:

GENEVA: A decision by the language experts employed by publishers of reference books means the printing of dictionaries around the world can resume following an adjustment to the definition of a significant word.

President of the Geneva-based Lexicographers Union, Al Manac, (below) said an urgent online meeting involving its members who write dictionaries had debated the currently accepted definition of the word “ceasefire”.

“Our members suspended work on producing new dictionaries after being very concerned for some time about the definition of ‘ceasefire’ as it is now presented in the dictionaries they write,” Mr Manac said.

“A typical definition says that a ceasefire is ‘an agreement, usually between two armies, to stop fighting in order to allow discussions about peace’. But events in the Middle East have cast doubt on the validity of that definition.

“In the US-Iran war we have seen President Donald Trump lob bombs into Iran during a so-called ceasefire.

“It’s been even worse during the so-called ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza where we have seen Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, (below) continuing his genocidal assaults and ethnic cleansing activities by having the Israeli Defence Force attack and kill civilians including many innocent children during a ceasefire.

“Most recently – during the so-called ‘ceasefire’ – Netanyahu has taken a decision to have Israel seize control of 70% of Gaza in a bid to push out all Palestinians and leave the place empty for Israeli settlers to move in. (below)

“In April a ‘ceasefire’ was agreed between Israel and the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon, but Netanyahu has continued bombing southern Lebanon and Beirut, once again killing many civilians including children.

“These actions make a mockery of the word ‘ceasefire’ and union members were worried that they would bear the brunt of such mockery if the current definition of the word was allowed to stand.”

Mr Manac said the online union meeting had agreed to a new definition of “ceasefire” (main picture) that would be applied by lexicographers and allow production of dictionaries to resume.

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