July 3, 2021
US, France, and Saudi Arabia Discuss Lebanon at G20
US House Reps Introduce a Bill Challenging Assistance to the LAF
Lebanon’s Neglected North Erupts in Protests
US, France, and Saudi Arabia Discuss Lebanon at G20
This week Secretary Blinken discussed Lebanon several times throughout his week-long European tour including visits with Pope Francis and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. At the G20 summit, Blinken and his French and Saudi counterparts met on the sidelines to discuss the need to pressure Lebanon’s political leaders toward overdue economic reforms. [Al Arabiya]
ANALYSIS
“For those wondering if Lebanon is a priority of the Biden administration, the early answer appears that it is. Could this be the beginning of a US-French led effort for the international community to speak with one voice and strategy? The Lebanese government should take heed of this new development, which suggests a growing consensus among the international community to use all means in support of the people of Lebanon as they demand a government capable of addressing their needs.”
-ATFL President Edward M. Gabriel
US House Representatives Introduce a Bill Challenging Assistance to the LAF
US House Representatives Elaine Luria (D-VA) and Lee Zeldin (R-NY) introduced a bill this week intended to enforce a mandate to disarm Hezbollah. The legislation asks for the State Department to describe national security interests that the US has in assisting the Lebanese Armed Forces, and requests to identify the extent of Hezbollah’s influence. [Jewish Insider]
ANALYSIS
“It is counterintuitive to me that former members of the military now serving in Congress just don’t get it…they don’t understand the value of the LAF in maintaining equilibrium in Lebanon’s stability and key role in ensuring its security along the southern and eastern borders. They should consult with the Departments of Defense and State to understand how conditioning aid to Lebanon serves neither US interests in Lebanon nor the LAF’s capabilities to sustain the only bulwark against the country’s disintegration and control by forces hostile to US interests.”
-ATFL Policy Director Jean AbiNader
Lebanon’s Neglected North Erupts in Protests
Northern Lebanon may be facing some of the worst of Lebanon’s dire conditions resulting from the country’s multiple crises. [Reuters] In an area that has long been neglected, protests erupted last weekend as the Lebanese pound hit a record low at LL18,000 to the dollar. Protesters said they took to the streets to denounce the currency depreciation and the difficult living conditions. [Al Jazeera]
ANALYSIS
“Tripoli, once the center of industry and manufacturing in Lebanon, has experienced some of the worst challenges to Lebanon’s survival – first from Palestinian and pro-Syria militias during the Civil War, then ISIS and al-Qaeda related terrorist groups, continuous smuggling across the border with the connivance of corrupt Lebanese, Syrian, and local militias, and now the destruction of its economic resilience thanks to the pandemic, government mismanagement, and lack of local capacity for revival and survival. Yet Tripoli remains center to the potential private sector recovery of the North and the international assistance community should expand its efforts to build capacity in the region – despite the corrosive effect of the government and local leaders who abstain from effective solutions.”
-ATFL Policy Director 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.