Parliamentary Session Fails to Elect New President According to AP News, “Lebanon’s Parliament on Thursday failed to elect a new president, with the majority of lawmakers casting blank ballots and some walking out.” [AP News]
European Diplomats Express Unified Concern Over Situation in Lebanon In a statement issued immediately following a meeting with Lebanon’s president Michel Aoun, Ambassador Ralph Tarraf, representing the European Union’s diplomatic mission in Lebanon, said, “We feel extreme concern about the rapid deterioration of the economic, financial, security and social crisis.” [Reuters]
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Calls for ‘More Concerted Efforts’ on Presidential Election According to L’Orient Today, “Parliament’s first session Thursday to elect a president, which failed to do so, ‘should serve as a step towards more concerted efforts’ to choose the next head of state by the Oct. 31 deadline, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka said in a tweet the same day.” [L’Orient Today]
UNIFIL Head Reiterates Importance of Tripartite Framework During a routine tripartite meeting among Lebanese, Israeli, and UNIFIL military officials at the latter’s headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon, the Spanish head of mission Major General Aroldo Lazaro said, “Resolution 2650 [the UNIFIL mandate renewal] reiterated the importance of the tripartite mechanism, strongly urging the parties to make constructive and expanded use of this forum.” [L’Orient Today]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
For The Sake Of The Children Jean AbiNader
AbiNader writes, “It is saddening to assess the situation related to children in Lebanon. Two recent studies from UNICEF (UN International Children’s Emergency Fund) and the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) detail how a veritable lost generation has resulted from the pandemic and the Beirut Post blast which exacerbated the dislocation caused by the economic demise of the country. Twice a year, UNICEF carries out an in-depth analysis of both Lebanese and refugee children. Called the Child-Focused Rapid Assessment (CFRA), its most recent finding from this summer found that 84% of households could not cover the basic necessities and that one in four children had recently gone to bed hungry. With jobs evaporating and the value of the currency barely recognizable, household debt was on the rise.”
Arab News For Iran, The IRGC’s Regional Role Is As Important As The Nuclear Deal Nadim Shehadi
Shehadi writes, “Iran understood the importance of the anti-nuclear lobby in the West during the Cold War and is now using the appeal of the nuclear issue as an avenue to have its gradual takeover of the Middle East recognized and accepted. Iranian proxies like the Houthis, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and close to a dozen other militias in Iraq are not only acting locally, but they are also cooperating regionally and threatening US allies in the Gulf, with recent attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”
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.
