UN Security Council Votes to Limit Humanitarian Aid in Syria During a session of the UN Security Council, a resolution was approved to extend the humanitarian aid deliveries to the 4.1 million people residing in Syria’s rebel-held northwest region. The extension, however, only sanctioned an additional six months’ worth of aid, in contrast to the proposal for a year-long extension that was nearly supported by the entire fifteen-member council, with the exception of Russia. [AP News]
Lebanon to Receive 35k Tons of Wheat from Ukraine and Russia According to the head of Lebanon’s mills association, Ahmad Hoteit, Lebanon will receive 35,000 tons of wheat from Ukraine and Russia this week amid serious wheat shortages occuring in the country. [Reuters]
Israeli UN Ambassador Submits Complaint to Security Council on Hezbollah’s Drones According to L’Orient Today, “Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan submitted Monday a complaint to the UN Security Council demanding to condemn the launch of the drones by Hezbollah towards the disputed Karish offshore gas field, adding that ‘the Lebanese government bears responsibility’ for such actions, according to a tweet by the ambassador’s official Twitter account.” [L’Orient Today]
PM Office Comments on ‘Escalation’ Should President Aoun Remain Past Tenure According to Al-Jadeed TV, “There will be an escalation in the coming period should the way begin to be paved for the possibility of (President Michel) Aoun’s staying in the Baabda Palace following the end of his tenure,” say sources close to Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. [Naharnet]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Will Lebanon Survive The Winter? Jean AbiNader
AbiNader writes, “According to a reliable source close to the Mikati government, three pieces of legislation that are already passed but not implemented – namely, the 2022 National Budget, a Capital Controls Law, and Banking Reform – are awaiting signatures and steps needed to secure their enactment. Still on the table is a Banking Restructuring Law that is being held up by objections from the Central Bank. Given that its Governor is opposed to the IMF package altogether, and that his reappointment in 2023 is bound to be hotly contested among the elites, any progressive legislation is due to generate heated debate. The recent referral of amendments to the Banking Secrecy Law to a subcommittee seems to show that certain quarters fear the reforms would expose some of the system’s corruption as well as its beneficiaries. But the referral itself is a long-standing parliamentary practice to fast-track the amendments . . . Maybe it’s time for Parliament to consider depoliticizing local development so that adequate sums can be allocated to support sustainable projects while Parliamentarians debate over Lebanon’s future. Free the people to help themselves through sustainable projects!”
Atlantic Council Evolving MENA power balances: What is next for US engagement in the region? Karim Mezran, Valeria Talbot, Jonathan Panikoff, Sanam Vakil, Maha Yahya, Mark N. Katz, Gangzheng She, and Julien Barnes-Dacey
Mezran et. al. write, “The war in Ukraine is further diverting US attention from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region where Russia and China have expanded their footprint over the past decade. US President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s upcoming visit to the Middle East—his first since he took office—provides an opportunity to assess the kind of role the United States will play in the MENA region in the future. The big question is whether the region is entering a post-US era and how the new regional order will be structured.”
Viewpoints Series, Wilson Center Can Iran Serve Biden To Overcome Yet Another Nadir In US-Saudi Relations? David Ottaway
Ottaway writes, “Major crises in US-Saudi relations over the past eight decades have brought the two countries to near divorce before. Twice they were overcome by finding a common cause to rebind and rebuild their troubled relationship. Iran may serve that purpose in the current crisis, and President Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia this week will likely signal whether or not it will . . . The question now is this: Will Biden’s meeting with the current Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler resemble more Bush’s first “ugly” meeting with Abdullah in 2002 or his second, kiss-and-make-up meeting in 2005? And will the two sides announce a new common cause in dealing with Iran and its nuclear ambitions?”
Arab Center Washington DC Biden’s Trip to the Middle East: Objectives and Potential Outcomes Thursday, July 14th, 2022 | 10:00 AM ET
Arab Center Washington DC is organizing a webinar to examine the objectives, implications, and expected outcomes of President Biden’s upcoming trip to the Middle East and assess whether his campaign promises of a foreign policy guided by the values of human rights and democracy will take a back seat to strategic, economic, and geopolitical considerations, especially in this US midterm election year.
House Foreign Affairs Committee, US House of Representatives Examining the U.S. Interest in Regional Security Cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa: Opportunities, Obstacles, and Objectives Thursday, July 14th, 2022 | 2:00 – 4:00 PM ET Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Room Number 2172, and Virtually via Cisco WebEx Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism
Our New Lebanon Speaker Series: Dr. Saade Chami Sunday, July 31st, 2022 | 3:00 PM ET
Our New Lebanon’s speaker series will feature Dr. Saade Chami, the Deputy Prime Minister in the caretaker government and principal architect of the Lebanese financial recovery strategy.
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.
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