Hezbollah Chief Vows ‘No One’ Will Extract Gas, Oil from Maritime Zones if Lebanon Unable to Do So Biden’s Talks With Israeli Leader Highlight a Split Over Iran
Russia Wins Fight to Limit Aid to Syrian Rebels to 6 Months Lebanon Just Recorded The Worst Population Decline In The World
Hezbollah Chief Vows ‘No One’ Will Extract Gas, Oil from Maritime Zones if Lebanon Unable to Do So During a televised address, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stated that “[i]f you don’t give us the rights that our state is asking for…then we could flip the table on everyone.” Lebanon is currently a participant in US-mediated negotiations with Israel to delineate a common maritime border which would help decide each country’s oil and gas resources. Israel has already begun operations on the Karish oil field through London-based Energean. On July 2nd, Hezbollah directed three unarmed drones towards the vessel, which Israel intercepted. Nasrallah has threatened further attacks, stating “Karish and beyond Karish.” [Reuters]
RESPONSE
Time is running out on closing a deal on the maritime border that is fair to both sides. Each side has to give up something to get something. Israel will continue drilling in its territories regardless of threats against it. Meanwhile the Lebanese will not be drilling in any contested areas without a resolution as oil exploration companies will not sign agreements to explore until there is a final agreement to the issue. If this problem remains unresolved, Lebanon could go another 10-20 years without seeing any remuneration from its offshore territories.
-ATFL President Edward M. Gabriel
Biden’s Talks With Israeli Leader Highlight a Split Over Iran In a joint news conference with US President Joe Biden, Israel’s caretaker prime minister Yair Lapid opened his remarks with a warning that if Iran “continue[s] to develop their nuclear program, the free world will use force.” President Biden notably did not repeat that commitment. [New York Times]
RESPONSE
Although President Biden is facing increased diplomatic resistance from the Iranians, he continues to emphasize a diplomatic way forward because he has to balance European interests on this dossier with US interests with its European counterparts to deny any strategic win for the Russians. The President should have however declared a deadline once and for all with the Iranians as part of his diplomacy approach.
-ATFL President Edward M. Gabriel
Russia Wins Fight to Limit Aid to Syrian Rebels to 6 Months On Tuesday Russia achieved a victory at the UN as the Security Council approved a resolution extending humanitarian aid deliveries to 4.1 million people in Syria’s northwest for six months. Last week, France, the UK, and the US supported a resolution for a yearlong extension. Most of the 15-member Security Council supported the idea, but Russia vetoed it. On Tuesday’s vote for a six month renewal, these same three countries abstained. U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills charged Russia with taking the “Security Council hostage” and remarked that Russia had ignored the humanitarian recommendations of both UN leadership and the international community. [AP]
RESPONSE
Hasn’t Russia created enough havoc in the lives of Syrians? First, it played a major role in Assad’s reversal of fortune in the Syrian Civil War. Secondly, it continues to veto sufficient humanitarian support for the Syrian people, claiming that direct aid through NGOs violates Syrian sovereignty. Its solution is to force renewal of a transit point for international aid and narrow it from four down to one, for a six-months period. Russia needs to clean up its own economic and social disasters at home and give the Russian people a fair chance at decent lives.
-ATFL Vice President Jean AbiNader
Lebanon Just Recorded The Worst Population Decline In The World According to Index Mundi, 2020 witnessed a -8.06% change in population. This ranks Lebanon as the country with the worst population loss in the world. Conversely, neighboring Syria recorded the highest increase in population (+4.64%). Many are concerned that Lebanese leaving the country are among its white collar labor force of doctors, nurses, and engineers. [The 961]
RESPONSE
Lebanon ranked 235th, at the bottom of the list of countries, with a -8.06% decline in population in 2020. The vast majority of emigres are professionals who are leaving for employment with greater economic and political stability elsewhere. This casts a pall over Lebanon’s traditional reliance on its human resources to enable it to survive and thrive. People are fed up with having to be “resilient,” and are saving that energy for reconstructing their livelihoods abroad. I wish them well, and hope that they will continue to support those left behind so Lebanon has the human anchors to survive this tempest.
-ATFL Vice President Jean AbiNader
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed 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.
