DAILY NEWS
US Treasury Imposes Sanctions on Three Hezbollah-Tied Businessmen
The Treasury Department added Adel Diab, Ali Mohamad Daoun, Jihad Salem Alame, and their company Dar Al Salam for Travel & Tourism to its list of sanctions. In a statement, they said, “through businessmen like those designated today, Hezbollah gains access to material and financial support through the legitimate commercial sector to fund its acts of terrorism and attempts to destabilize Lebanon’s political institutions.” [Reuters]
Lebanese Humanitarian Fund Allocates $6 Million on Behalf of Vulnerable Populations
As part of the Emergency Response Plan (ERP), the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) will start fourteen NGO projects this month providing assistance to Lebanon’s most vulnerable populations. [MTV]
Hezbollah, Amal Movement to End Boycott of Cabinet Sessions
Announced in a statement on Saturday, the two shiite political groups, Amal Movement and Hezbollah, declared an end to their ministers’ boycott of cabinet sessions after a three-month paralysis has limited the Lebanese government’s capacity to assuage its crises. [Al-Jazeera]
Shiite Scholar Attacks Hezbollah Leaders
Sheikh Abdul Salam Dandach denounced Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, as well as his deputy, Sheikh Naim Qassem, in a sermon published on his Facebook page. In his sermon, which was shared across social media, he said, “We resist the illness and ignorance that you caused in the region. We resist the destruction and havoc that you created.” [Arab News]
Judge Issues Freeze on Properties of Central Bank Governor
Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun issued a freeze order of all real estate and cars belonging to Riad Salameh, the Central Bank Governor. The freezes are another part of an ongoing legal complaint put forward by lawyers belonging to the civil society group, “People Want to Reform the System.” [L’Orient Today]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
L’Orient Today
The Battle to Save Lebanon’s Retirement Savings
Shaya Laughlin and David Wood
Laughlin and Wood write, “The General Confederation of Lebanese Workers (GCLW), an umbrella organisation for the country’s various trade unions, successfully negotiated with the government to increase annual wages amid inflation during the civil war. In the late 1980s, the GCLW organised several general strikes calling for an end to hostilities, which bridged sectarian divides. A united labour movement terrified Lebanon’s ruling class which — in the intervening years — went to great lengths to divide the nation’s workers and undermine professional syndicates and labour unions. These tactics have included creating new labour federations loyal to political elites and directly interfering in the GCLW’s elections. When protests broke out during the October 2019 thawra movement, syndicates were generally absent — signifying their inability, or unwillingness, to mobilise against Lebanon’s elites.”
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New York Times
32 Years After Civil War, Mundane Moments Trigger Awful Memories
Maria Abi-Habib
Abi-Habib writes, “Yes, war is pulverized buildings, the screech of ambulances, blood, funerals. But war can be boring for long stretches, and you pass the time by falling back on the trite and familiar. But some of those same crutches used to make it through a childhood scarred by conflict — like endless board games — are now a source of trauma for me and my friends. We grew up during Lebanon’s civil war and are now adults trying to live normal lives, raising our own families as the country crashes and burns yet again.”
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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.