Greek Authorities Arrest Five in Connection with Suspected Migrant Smuggling From Lebanon Five people were arrested on a Greek island yesterday on the charge that they were part of an attempt to smuggle around one hundred migrants into the European Union via Italy using an unsafe vessel. The vessel was suspected to have departed from Lebanon. [AP News]
Pope Francis: ‘Truth’ of Port Explosion Cannot Be Hidden Addressing his weekly general audience, Pope Francis made mention of tomorrow’s second anniversary of the port of Beirut explosion, commenting that, “the truth can never be hidden.” He also said, “My thoughts go to the families of the victims of that disastrous event and to the dear Lebanese people. I pray so that each one can be consoled by faith and comforted by justice and by truth, which can never be hidden.” [Reuters]
Several Media Outlets Referred to Judiciary Over Elections Coverage According to L’Orient Today, “The Supervisory Commission for Elections, which monitored the 2022 parliamentary polls, said Tuesday that it has referred several media outlets to the Publications Court for violating the commission’s rules for covering the elections . . . Contacted by L’Orient Today, a spokesperson for the commission said they could not reveal which media outlets had been referred to the court.” [L’Orient Today]
NGO’s Call on UN to Investigate Port Explosion File Various Lebanese and international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, called on the UN Human Rights Council to dispatch a fact-finding mission for the purpose of investigating the port of Beirut explosion on August 4th, 2020. [AP News]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
AP News Clergy, Bags Of Cash Set Off New Sectarian Brawl In Lebanon Kareem ChehayebChehayeb writes,“A Lebanese archbishop who carried more than $460,000 from Israel to Lebanon is at the center of the latest sectarian showdown in crisis-hit Lebanon, and the case could even spill over into presidential politics. The situation has ramped up discord between two powerful political camps: Lebanon’s Shiite Muslim Hezbollah group and the Maronite Church. The clergyman was briefly detained last month by Lebanese border agents who confiscated 20 suitcases stuffed with cash and medicine, arguing he violated Lebanon’s strict laws against normalization with Israel. Hezbollah’s opponents say the Iran-backed group has sway over Lebanese institutions and security agencies, and have used them to target the Maronite Church. The archbishop, Moussa el-Hajj, is a senior member of the Maronite Church, whose patriarch has become increasingly critical of the Iran-backed Hezbollah and its growing influence in Lebanon.”
Our New Lebanon Commemorating The Victims Of The Beirut Explosion Thursday, August 4th, 2022 | 10:30 PM ET | 7:30 PM PT
Los Angeles City Hall will light up with the colors of the Lebanese flag on Thursday, August 4 at 7:30 pm as a symbol of solidarity and love for the souls we lost on this day two years ago. This is not organized event, but we encourage you to attend, bring flowers, and raise our flag high.
To contact Our New Lebanon, please write to info@ournewlebanon.org .
Our New Lebanon Speaker Series: Dr. Saade Chami Sunday, August 7th, 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.
