DAILY NEWS
EU Warns Sanctions Could be Imposed By the End of the Month
Yesterday the European Union warned that it may impose sanctions on Lebanese officials by the end of the month. It is currently working on an agreement of the legal framework for the sanctions that would include travel bans and asset freezes. Sanctions will be applied to politicians flagged for corruption, obstruction of government formation, financial misdeeds, and human rights abuses. [Reuters] French Foreign Trade Minister Franck Riester also threatened Lebanese officials with sanctions from Paris to those who obstruct government formation. [AP]
France Allocates $600 Million for Beirut Port Silo Area
During a tour of Beirut Port this morning, French Foreign Trade Minister Franck Riester announced that France has allocated $600 million for a project to reconstruct the silo area in the Port of Beirut. He continued to emphasize the French position that Lebanon’s politicians must form a government and implement reforms. [The 961]
Judge Bitar Refuses Parliament’s Request
Parliament has asked Judge Tarek Bitar, lead investigator of last year’s Beirut explosion, for more evidence in order to lift immunities given to three former MPs. Bitar has refused the request, saying that he has already provided the documents necessary and and further evidence might compromise the confidentiality of the investigation. Families and friends of Beirut blast victims continue their protests today outside of one of the MPs homes, former Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk. Protesters call for justice and for immunities to be lifted. [The 961]
UK Funds Educational Research in Conflict Zones Including Lebanon
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab just announced that the UK will be providing funding to countries that have been impacted by war, political unrest, and natural disasters and whose children have suffered in their education because of it. The funding will help research the best methods to provide schooling in conflict zones and countries facing long-term crises. Almost $19 million will fund the research project and focus on education in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Myanmar. [Naharnet]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
Interactions and Attitudes Between Lebanese and Syrian Communities in Lebanese Municipalities
Daniel Garrote Sanchez
Sanchez writes, “The presence of a large Syrian refugee population in Lebanon has had numerous impacts on the Lebanese economy and society. One main area of concern regards social cohesion between the local hosts and Syrian refugee communities. Various studies have suggested different, sometimes conflicting, theories on how the two communities engage with one another and what forms of interaction improve or hinder social cohesion. In order to better understand the dynamics and attitudes of the two communities, LCPS conducted in 2018 a survey of host and refugee communities in three mid-sized cities in Lebanon: Saida, Zahle, and Halba. Through the survey, we find numerous variations in attitudes between and among the two communities, as well as variations across the different municipalities arising from varying geographic, economic, and confessional factors. The policy brief concludes with recommendations on how to better improve social cohesion and move toward cooperation between the two communities.”
UN Web TV
Long-lasting Peace and Justice in the Middle East
In this UN session focused on sustainable development goals in Lebanon, experts from the UN and the World Bank discuss the prospects for peace and justice in the country. Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Star Lebanon Nadim Ladki interviews guests Joanna Wronecka, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and Kumar Jha, Regional Director of the Mashreq Department of the World Bank Group.
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.