Israeli Prime Minster Confirms Maritime Deal Signing Scheduled For This Thursday After putting down several legal challenges, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, along with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein verified that the deal will be officially signed on Thursday by representatives from each country. [Naharnet]
Fourth Attempt At Presidential Election Fails
According to Arab News, “Lebanon’s parliament failed on Monday to elect a president for the fourth time, with just a week left until outgoing President Michel Aoun’s term ends and warnings of a constitutional crisis growing louder. With parliament more fractured than ever after May’s elections, political blocs have been unable to reach consensus on a candidate to succeed Aoun.“ [Arab News]
Next Talks Of Maritime Demarcation Begin With Syria According to the Al Arabiya, “A delegation headed by Lebanon’s deputy speaker of parliament, Elias Bou Saab, is due to visit Syria on Wednesday to discuss delineating their maritime border.” [Al Arabiya]
Amnesty International And UNHCR Disapprove Of Returning Syrian Refugees According to L’Orient Today, “The first Syrian refugees in Lebanon to return home under a new repatriation scheme will leave Wednesday, but few in worn-down camps in the central Bekaa Valley said they would sign up. Rights groups fear the program may not be as voluntary as it purports to be, at a time when concerns are growing about a policy of coercion they say is already in force in Turkey, where 3.6 million Syrians who have fled their country are registered.” [L’Orient Today]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Be Of Good Cheer From Lebanon Jean AbiNader
AbiNader writes, “While there’s not much to be shouting for joy about, there are some small treasures worth exploring for the upcoming holidays that come straight from the heart. I’m talking about a book collection, cuisine elements, and a food emporium ready to serve you.”
The Policy Initiative How Do Lebanese Political Parties Win Elections? Georgia Dagher, Sami Atallah, Najib Zoughaib
Georgia Dagher et. al. writes, “Lebanese political parties have resorted to several electoral strategies to win the hearts and minds of voters. These strategies are rarely built around policy programs, and are rather often aimed at restricting competition. With that in mind, TPI monitored political parties and candidates’ behavior on the ground and their campaigning efforts in the run-up to the 2022 parliamentary elections to identify the strategies they employed to secure electoral success. Monitoring such behavior is imperative as electoral strategies can often distort voters’ freedom of choice and competing candidates’ ability to campaign. We identified three main strategies: the provision of incentives to attract supporters, the use of public institutions to promote electoral campaigns, and the use of violence and campaign suppression to control competing candidates’ behavior.“
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.
