The American Task Force on Lebanon hosted a special debrief and moderated discussion with USAID Administrator Samantha Power on Wednesday, November 16th.

Just last week, Administrator Power was on official travel to Lebanon, where she focused on food security, higher education, energy, and other priorities. ATFL is grateful to Administrator Power for taking the time to engage with the Lebanese American community and friends of Lebanon in the US to share key findings from her timely visit.

Head of Lebanon’s Supreme Judicial Council Calls for ‘Revolution’ Against Interference in Judiciary
According to the Reuters, “Lebanon’s most senior judge on Friday said meddling by the political leadership in the work of the judiciary had led to a chaotic situation that required a ‘revolution in approaches’ to resolve, in a rare public rebuke of ruling elites.” [Reuters]

UNICEF Representative Calls Attention Toward Children in Lebanon
According to L’Orient Today, “Lebanon’s leaders must translate “commitment” to child protection into action despite the country’s economic and political woes, the UN special representative for violence against children said during a visit to Beirut Friday. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, arrived in Beirut Thursday to follow up on Lebanon’s progress — or lack thereof — on child protection over the past year. The visit came two days before World Children’s Day on Sunday.” [L’Orient Today]

One Million Dollar Burglary In Bekaa Valley
According to Naharnet, “Police in Lebanon, where a banking crisis has forced people to stash cash at home, said Friday that three people have been arrested after stealing over $1 million from a private residence.” [Naharnet]

Association of Lebanese Industrialists Criticizes Rollout of New Customs Policies
According to L’Orient Today, “The Association of Lebanese Industrialists strongly criticized the customs administration Thursday for having begun to collect, as a precautionary measure, the customs duty of three percent that Article 71 of the 2022 State budget law imposes on imported products subject to VAT. The measure has been in effect since the budget was published Wednesday in the Official Gazette. Article 71 also provides for the exemption of several imported products, including raw materials and equipment for local industry and agriculture. It also exempts imports for the security forces and the army, as well as gasoline.” [L’Orient Today]

Howard writes, “Captagon is a stimulant popular both in the Levant and in the Gulf. Its effects take about an hour to kick in and it gives one a sense of alertness or euphoria. For this reason, it is routinely used by combatants in the region’s conflicts, partygoers in the wealthy Gulf States, or those struggling to make a living . . . Lebanon’s key vulnerability in this situation is its border with Syria. Recent efforts to establish a shared maritime boundary between the two countries are encouraging.  However, more must be done to secure Lebanon’s land border with Syria as well. The LAF has called for an additional border unit and less political interference to be able to secure more of Lebanon’s borders. Increased support to the LAF is a crucial element to combating regional drug trafficking . . . Hopefully the Captagon Act [introduced by Rep. French Hill (R-AR) with 17 bipartisan sponsors] will become law [and launch an interagency strategy to destroy the Assad regime-backed network]. When it does, Lebanon will be at the centerpiece of US strategy to counter the trade, and the Lebanese people would greatly stand to benefit.

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