COVID Archives

Lebanon Daily News Brief 12/2/2021

Posted on December 2, 2021 by admin2

DAILY NEWS

Registration Open for Lebanon’s Cash Card System
Yesterday Lebanon opened registration for assistance to 700,000 vulnerable families through its new cash card system. The launch comes after months of delay and with only partial funding secured including a $246 million loan from the World Bank. The estimated cost of the cash card program is $546 million to provide up to $126 a month for eligible families. Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar said, “these programs are not the solution,” and are only meant to provide temporary relief. [Al Jazeera]

Hezbollah and Amal Ministers Continue to Boycott Cabinet Meetings
Yesterday Prime Minister Najib Miqati met with President Michel Aoun regarding cabinet meetings and told a journalist afterwards, “the government is functioning but the Council of Ministers is not.” [Naharnet] Hezbollah and Amal sources say that their ministers will continue to boycott cabinet sessions until disputes over Judge Tarek Bitar are resolved. [Naharnet]

COVID-19 Prevention Measures Reintroduced This Month
Lebanon’s COVID-19 committee announced yesterday that the country will impose a night-time curfew starting December 17 for non-vaccinated people. The curfew will last for three weeks. Full vaccination will be mandatory for all workers in specified sectors, including health, education, tourism, and public transport as of January 10. [Reuters]

OPINION & ANALYSIS

War on the Rocks
Facing Up to Foreign Influence: How Outsiders Helped Create Lebanon’s Current Crisis
Nicholas Noe

Noe writes, “For Western policymakers who claim they want to help the Lebanese people fix their country, acknowledging the failure of previous approaches is the first step toward implementing better ones. A good place to start might be looking back at earlier U.S. wisdom on Lebanon. In the wake of the Eisenhower administration’s 1958 military intervention, the National Security Council recommended that America ‘support the continued independence and integrity of Lebanon’ without becoming too closely identified with individual factions in Lebanese politics. In other words, Washington should ‘provide Lebanon with political support and with military assistance for internal security purposes, stressing our support for the country as a whole rather than for a specific regime or faction.’ There is some evidence that President Joe Biden has started moving in this direction. The administration hasn’t opposed multiple European corruption probes into Salameh or the local case against another longstanding pillar of U.S. policy in Lebanon, former army commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji. Moreover, as of last month, the Biden administration saw fit to sanction businessman and key Saad Hariri backer Jihad al Arab for “endemic” cronyism, the first time Washington has ever taken such a step against a perceived ally in Lebanon.”

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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.

Lebanon Daily News Brief 11/11/2021

Posted on November 11, 2021November 16, 2021 by admin2

DAILY NEWS

Lebanon’s Ambassadors to the Gulf Express Concern for Lebanese Living in the Region
Lebanon’s ambassadors to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia expressed fear yesterday that the growing diplomatic feud with Gulf countries could be harmful for Lebanese living in the region. The ambassadors were recently asked to leave following the release of Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi’s comments on Saudi Arabia and the Yemen war. After the ambassadors’ meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Wednesday, the PM’s office quoted them as saying “every day of delay in solving the crisis will make it more difficult to fix relations and take them back to where they were.” [AP]

Gulf Countries Limit Visas to Lebanese Nationals
Kuwait has decided to limit the number of visas it issues to Lebanese nationals in the midst of an escalating diplomatic spat between Lebanon and the Gulf. A security source from the emirate said that Kuwait will be stricter in granting tourist and business visas to Lebanese. No visas have been suspended for current visitors. [Al Arabiya] Similarly, Saudi Arabia will limit visas to Lebanese nationals to only allow for humanitarian cases. [Naharnet]

Number of Lebanese Expats Registered to Vote Already Exceeds 2018 Numbers
November 20 is the deadline for Lebanese expatriates to register to vote in the 2022 parliamentary elections. Based on data released by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of Lebanese expats who have registered to vote in 2022 already exceeds the number that voted in 2018. Since yesterday, there are 101,088 registrants recorded, compared to 2018’s 82,965 registrants. [The 961]

If you’re a Lebanese expat, register to vote here!

First Trial for Sexual Harassment Case in Lebanon Postponed
Lebanon’s first trial for a sexual harassment case will be postponed due to a public sector strike over poor economic conditions. The trial will be delayed until April of next year, but the plantiff’s lawyer is hoping to have it moved up. [The National] The case is the first sexual harassment case that will be heard since a new law passed in December of last year that criminalized sexual harassment in Lebanon for the first time. [The 961] The lawyer representing five women who had filed the complaint said, “we want to change the mindset so that victims feel empowered to speak up.” [The National]

OPINION & ANALYSIS

Middle East Institute
Policy Brief: Leading a Resilient Lebanese Armed Forces Through Crises and for the Long Run
Joseph Sarkis

Sarkis writes, “Repeated crises in Lebanon, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have highlighted the need for resilience in the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Amid the current acute economic and financial crisis facing the country, there are warning signs about the LAF’s incapacity to continue, as the resources at its disposal and popular confidence in its effectiveness have both been degraded. In light of the current challenges and those that may lie ahead, the LAF needs to become more resilient, able to both adapt and strengthen as an organization, while also ensuring public security, the conditions of its personnel, and its own long-term status.”

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Lebanon Daily News Brief 7/27/2021

Posted on July 27, 2021 by admin2

DAILY NEWS

Prime Minister-designate Miqati Begins Efforts to Form New Government
Today Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati said that he would hold continuous meetings with President Michel Aoun until a new government is formed. [Naharnet] Sources say that the two have not yet gone into details regarding the cabinet line-up. [Naharnet] Miqait’s team members said that he is considering using the potential $900 million from the IMF for the building of two power plants in Deir Amar and al-Zahrani to help Lebanon’s electricity problem. [France 24]

The British Museum Will Restore Artifacts Damaged by Beirut Blast
The British Museum said it will help restore ancient glass artifacts from Lebanon that were damaged in the August 4 Beirut Port blast. The artifacts were stored in a display case at the American University of Beirut’s Archaeological Museum when the explosion shattered them into hundreds of pieces, mixed in with broken window glass. Out of 74 glass vessels, only 15 can be salvaged and only eight are deemed safe to travel to London. [Al Arabiya]

New Online Platform for the National Social Security Fund
Lebanon’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF) is creating a new website for the country’s social security services. The new platform is meant to create a more efficient process and allow Lebanese to take care of their inquiries online instead of needing to personally visit NSSF centers. The project is funded with help from the European Union. [The 961]

OPINION & ANALYSIS

Drowning in Corruption, Lebanon’s Water Supply Dribbles to a Halt
Jean AbiNader

AbiNader writes, “The availability of water for 1.7 million residents dropped in 2020 by 80% from 43.6 to 9 gallons of potable water a day. This has resulted in an increase of 35% in the price of private sector bulk water supplies, while the cost of bottled water has doubled. And where does the blame lay? There are no dollars to buy chlorine or spare parts for the municipal water systems – suppliers insist on being paid in real money, not Lebanese lira. Hard to blame them. Then there are the intermittent power supplies and blackouts interrupting the treatment, pumping, and distribution of water. That’s the government’s responsibility since it controls contracting and maintenance of the public water supply. And, about 40% of the safe water supply is wasted through faulty, corroded pipes and water being illegally diverted. Bad luck maybe, but more likely negligence on the part of the municipal and regional water authorities for ignoring or avoiding these issues for the past 20 years…Will 40 of Lebanon’s million/billionaires each please transfer $1 million to UNICEF, which is not a Lebanese entity, to enable UNICEF to carry out its commitment ‘to support, particularly as the global pandemic evolves, to ensure that the most basic right to clean water is met for children and families at this critical time for Lebanon?'”

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The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
Lebanon’s National Vaccination Plan: Public and Private Perspectives

Following LCPS’ recent Government Monitor focusing on Lebanon’s COVID-19 response and the national vaccination plan, LCPS researcher Ali Taha interviews Dr. Abdul Rahman Bizri and Dr. Georges Ghanem to investigate different aspects of the vaccination campaign from two perspectives: the public and private sectors.

Read the interviews here

Lebanon Daily News Brief 6/18/2021

Posted on June 18, 2021July 20, 2021 by admin2

DAILY NEWS

France Hosts World Powers Meeting to Raise Funds for LAF
Yesterday France hosted a meeting with world powers with the aim to raise tens of millions of dollars for the Lebanese Armed Forces. LAF Commander General Joseph Aoun appeared at the virtual event and warned that soldiers salaries are being significantly cut. [The 961] Participants in the meeting were not asked to provide LAF salaries directly but to provide food, medical supplies, and spare parts for military equipment. The meeting hasn’t produced funding yet, but most of the participants have shown they are ready to offer support soon. [France 24]

French and EU Officials Visit Lebanon to Pressure Cabinet Formation
Today French Envoy Patrick Durrell is in Beirut to push Lebanon’s political leaders to form a cabinet. The visit comes ahead of sanctions that the EU and France are preparing against those that have obstructed government formation. [Naharnet] This weekend EU High Representative Josep Borrell will also visit Lebanon to urge the formation of a government and implement key reforms. He will meet with political and military leaders as well as civil society. [Naharnet]

Lebanon’s Energy Minister Says Gasoline Subsidy to Come to an End Soon
Yesterday Lebanese Energy Minister Raymond Ghana’s warned that Lebanon’s gasoline subsidy would soon come to an end, noting that the system is unsustainable. The subsidy program costs Lebanon about $6 billion a year, and around half of that is spent on fuel. [Al Jazeera] The statement comes as Lebanese spend hours in car lines outside gas stations throughout the country. [Reuters]

OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
Lebanon’s Emerging Opposition: From COVID-19 to the 2022 Elections

LCPS writes: “With the country’s ruling parties entrenched in state institutions, having amassed significant financial and social capital through clientelistic networks, Lebanon’s budding opposition will no doubt face major obstacles. And whether prioritizing the 2022 elections is a viable and effective tool for structural change is a debate that appears to be nowhere near resolved. However, one thing independent political parities and groups all agree on is that they need to develop their programs, expand their membership base, and build formidable coalitions based on clear policy positions.”

ٍRead more here

Lebanon Daily News Brief 6/17/2021

Posted on June 17, 2021July 23, 2021 by admin2

DAILY NEWS

Shops, Government Offices, and Banks Go on Strike
Today Lebanon’s General Labor Union called for a strike in protest of the country’s dire conditions and delayed cabinet formation. The union called on “‘economic bodies, merchant organizations, and the Association of Banks in Lebanon” to allow employees to participate in the strike. [Naharnet] Shops, government offices, and banks followed the request and closed their doors today to accommodate the protest. Several roadblocks were set up around Beirut and other cities. Ironically, the political parties that are blamed for delayed government formation showed their support for the protest, drawing criticism from activists. [Washington Post]

Central Bank Statement on Subsidies and Fuel Shortages
In a statement yesterday Lebanon’s central bank called on the caretaker government to approve a plan to ration subsidies targeted toward people in need. It added that it would not use mandatory reserves to fund subsidies, also noting that the system for importing subsidized medical goods could not be sustained. In regards to fuel shortages, the Banque Du Liban said that it has paid banks to open up credits for fuel imports. [Reuters]

General Joseph Aoun to Visit the United States and United Kingdom
Amid concerns of the Lebanese Armed Forces worsening situation while Lebanon faces financial collapse, General Joseph Aoun is expected to travel to the United States and the United Kingdom to garner humanitarian and logistical support for the army. [Naharnet] Today France is holding a virtual meeting to raise tens of millions of dollars in emergency aid for the army. [Reuters]

OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
Lebanon’s Emerging Opposition: From COVID-19 to the 2022 Elections

ٍRead more here

Carnegie Middle East Center
A Military Lifeline
Michael Young interviews Aram Nerguzian

Nerguzian says: “What matters is that the LAF is losing quality officers and noncommissioned officers, the gray matter and capabilities the institution has spent more than a decade and a half developing. If this continues and there are no means of retaining critical talent and capabilities, it signals the entropy and possible decline of what has become one of the Arab world’s most capable militaries. Such a decline could be a harbinger of the kinds of instability not seen since the last time Lebanon’s political elites gutted or set adrift the LAF, namely in the five years leading up to the 1975-1990 civil war.”

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Lebanon Daily News Brief 6/4/2021

Posted on June 4, 2021July 8, 2021 by admin2

June 4, 2021

Daily News

Lebanon Bank Customers to Regain Access to Up to $800 a Month
Effective July 1, the Bank of Lebanon will restore limited access to dollar withdrawals and the equivalent amount in Lebanese pounds at an exchange rate close to market value. The decision will apply to depositors with accounts active as of October 2019. The Bank announced that further details are to be issued and will apply to the value of accounts as of March 2021. [Reuters]

World Bank Official: Lebanon’s COVID Fight Going in the Right Direction
A senior World Bank Official praised Lebanon’s COVID response on Thursday, saying that things were moving in the right direction despite problems encountered in the beginning. [Asharq Al-Awsat]

Lebanon Asks UN to Explore Ways to Fund Special Tribunal
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has asked the UN Secretary General to urgently look into alternative sources of funding for the UN’s Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Lebanon, which is supposed to fund 49% of the tribunal, has been unable to uphold its funding due to its ongoing financial crisis. The tribunal is investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. [Reuters]

Insect Pest Eats into Lebanon’s ‘White Gold’ Pine Nut Trade
An invasive insect species is devastating Lebanon’s pine forests and lucrative pine nut industry. The infestation is made worse by climate change, which is creating a more favorable environment for the pests. As a result, Lebanon’s annual pine nut harvest has dwindled from around 1200 tonnes in 2015 to less than 200 tonnes today. [France 24]

Opinion & Analysis

A Moral Calling from the Pope to Lebanon’s Christian Leaders
Jean AbiNader

AbiNader writes: “And just like that, the Vatican is challenging Lebanon’s Christian leadership to do what’s best for Lebanon. Most believe it would take a miracle, but maybe this is the beginning. After the noon prayer on Sunday, May 30, the Pope said “On July 1, I will meet in the Vatican with the main leaders of the Christian communities in Lebanon, for a day of reflection on the country’s worrying situation and to pray together for the gift of peace and stability.” The “Christian communities” would be quite large if he includes the Orthodox and Protestant churches, other Catholics such as the Melkites, and the leader of the Maronite Catholic Church…”

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