Lebanon Daily News Brief 02/17/2020

Thursday, February 17, 2022

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DAILY NEWS

Ministry of Labor Launches Job Platform For Lebanese Workers
Minister of Labor Mustafa Bayram announced the launch of a digital platform targeting Lebanese citizens looking for job opportunities. According to L’Orient Today, “The platform, available on the ministry’s website and as a mobile application, connects job seekers to job offers and serves what Bayram described as ‘the prime part of the [Labor] Ministry’s mission, facilitating the employment of Lebanese workers.’ The labor minister said that the platform prevents companies seeking to hire Lebanese employees from “making excuses” about the unavailability of workers.” [L’Orient Today]

Nasrallah: Hezbollah Can Now Produce Drones, Precision Missiles
Secretary General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah said in a provocative speech that it has the ability to convert thousands of rockets into precision missiles and to produce drones from within Lebanon, without necessarily acquiring the weapons directly from Iran, adding, “whoever wants to buy them, submit an order.” [Reuters]

President Aoun Denies Involvement In Salameh Subpoena
Lebanese President Michel Aoun denied his involvement in the raids on the office and residences of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh that took place earlier this week. Aoun was responding to statements issued by the Future Movement accusing him of directing the subpoena against Salameh. [L’Orient Today]

Lebanese-Founded Shipping Company Offered Ten-Year Contract At Port of Beirut
The Lebanese government awarded the French container transportation and shipping company CMA CGM S.A. a ten-year contract to run the containers terminal at the Port of Beirut. As the third largest container shipping company in the world, CMA CGM chairman and CEO Rodolphe Saadé – a dual Lebanese-French citizen himself – said, “We will be launching shortly an ambitious investment plan that will transform Beirut port’s container terminal into a state-of-the-art facility that meets the best international standards.” [AP News]

OPINION & ANALYSIS

The National
A Way For Lebanon To Break Away From Hezbollah’s Hold
Michael Young

Young writes, “the notion that there is a silver bullet to the Hezbollah problem is an illusion. There is no military option, nor is there a prospective political deal that can be reached, at least for now, that would initiate a process of military demobilisation, let alone make the party embrace Lebanon’s legitimate constitutional order. Rather, if solutions are to be found, they may have to be considered in the confines of Lebanon’s sectarian system. Hezbollah can overcome many obstacles, but it has no way of indefinitely flouting the unwritten rules of sectarian relations and the pluralism they generate. For a party that represents a segment of a community that is itself a minority in Lebanon, understanding these rules is necessary. The sectarian Lebanese system is one reason why it is absurd to assume that Hezbollah and its Shiite supporters will consider breaking with Iran. Iranian sway in Lebanon is here to stay for as long as it is anchored in one of the country’s leading communities. But by the same token so is the influence of the Sunni Arab states, particularly the Gulf states, who remain a point of reference for most Sunnis.”

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L’Orient Today
A Quarter Of Lebanese Would Consider Voting For An Independent Figure In May’s Legislative Elections
Salah Hijazi

Hijazi writes, The survey also asks the Lebanese about their political priorities. Some 33.8 percent of respondents say that fighting corruption is the main issue for them, followed by the repatriation of illicit funds transferred abroad (13.5 percent) and the emergence of a new political class (13.3 percent). The disarmament of Hezbollah, one of the most divisive issues in Lebanese politics, comes only in seventh place, with 4.5 percent of respondents putting it at the top of their political priorities. In terms of foreign policy, 73.8 percent of respondents prioritize the resolution of conflicts between Lebanon and the Arab Gulf countries, with 38.4 percent of respondents also saying they trust Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy. While this score is higher than that of Syria (20.8 percent), Iran (22.4 percent), the United States (30.6 percent) or even Turkey (28.6 percent), it remains far behind France, the international actor that, according to the survey, is trusted by the largest number of Lebanese (51.4 percent).

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a non-profit, nonpartisan leadership organization of Lebanese-Americans.