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Lebanon Media Roundup (January 2016)

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[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Lebanon and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Lebanon Media Roundup editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each roundup to info@jadaliyya.com]

Significant Legal Rulings

Lebanese judge affirms trans man right to change gender “Lebanon's Court of Appeals granted a transgender man the right to rectify his legal status in civil registry after taking into account his psychological, sexual, moral and social status, a source told The Daily Star Friday [15 January].” 

تغيير الجنس في حكم قضائي جديد: احترام حق الفرد في تغيير حاله The Legal Agenda examines the recent Lebanese court of appeals decision regarding the legal status of a transgender man.

إستعادة الجنسية: مخالفة رد الطعن تفتح باب الاجتهاد Examining the effects of a new law, passed late last November, that allows the descendants of male Lebanese nationals to “reacquire” Lebanese citizenship, without the need to even live in Lebanon.

القضاء يخسر معركتين في سبعة أيام A brief examination of two important “losses” in the Lebanese judicial system, both taking place within the span of a week: rejecting the appeal to overturn the citizenship law, and the military court’s decision to release Michel Samaha.

Protests

مدينتي، ومن حقي البقاء فيها The National Campaign to Support the Cause of Tenants, which is comprised of a number of activist and human rights groups, is calling for the repeal of an April 2014 law that burdens poorer residents of Beirut.

For more background on the April 2014 rent law, read this article: New rent law threatens to change Beirut demographics

Palestinians protest against UNRWA cuts in Beirut “Hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon held a sit-in in front of the UN headquarters in Beirut today to protest the cuts in health services provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). They demanded the agency withdraw its decision.”

Lebanon Protest Movement: Its History and Current Struggles A Status discussion of the protest movement in Lebanon, from the points of view of a historian, a human rights lawyer, and an activist.

Refugees in Lebanon

اللاجئون السوريون في شتائهم الرابع:الدفء ممنوع Winter is a particularly difficult time of the year for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, with the snow and cold weather exacerbating an already-difficult situation.

فلسطينيو "نهر البارد" بين تأخير الإعمار وتقليصات "الأونروا" A description of the situation for Palestinian refugees in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon, including important historical developments and the effects of UNRWA’s recent decision to reduce their services.

اللاجئون السوريون في لبنان: شروط الإقامة تسهل الاساءة الينا Syrian refugees say that new residency requirements in Lebanon make it easier to be mistreated and exploited.

“I Just Wanted to be Treated like A Person” How Lebanon’s Residency Rules Facilitate Abuse of Syrian Refugees Lebanon, which hosts more than one million refugees from Syria, last year adopted stricter residency regulations that make it more difficult for Syrians to stay in Lebanon legally. Human Rights Watch examines the implications in this report.

Lebanon says HRW report biased Lebanese government officials, responding to a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report criticizing Lebanon’s residency laws and their effect on refugees from Syria, say that HRW—and the refugees themselves—would be better served by pressuring the international community to provide more funding to humanitarian programs and countries, such as Lebanon, that struggle to host such large numbers of refugees.

Lebanon Hopes for Additional Funding at Syria Donors Conference At an upcoming 4 February conference in London, which is being convened in an attempt to increase funding for those affected by the war in Syria, Lebanon will submit a document listing their most pressing needs in facing the effects of the conflict.

Expelling the Palestinians from Lebanon: a systematic policy UNRWA’s (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) decision to reduce health services to refugees in Lebanon amounts to “a plan prepared to vacate the vital political geography of the Palestinians surrounding historical Palestine in preparation for eliminating the right of return.”

Read the preceding article in Arabic:تهجير الفلسطينيين من لبنان.. سياسة ممنهجة

The Garbage Crisis and The Environment

الباحثة ميرفت الهوز:تقنية بيئية لتحويل النفايات الزراعية سماداً طبيعياً The garbage crisis in Lebanon has spurred researchers to launch new projects to find and develop innovative and environmentally friendly approaches to waste management.

Report: Trash Will be Exported in Less than a Month The Lebanese Cabinet in December approved of a plan to export the country’s overflowing trash. According to a government source, “Everything is going well so far, and the preparation for exporting the trash have started. We expect the process to kick off in less than a month.”

Lebanon’s rubbish: Another kind of security threat The Lebanese government’s inability to deal with the garbage crisis is creating an “environmental and public health disaster.”

Sierra Leone Denies Claims it Will Receive Lebanon's Trash Despite indications that Lebanon is moving forward with plans to export its trash, the government has not announced where the trash will go.

Chehayeb: waste export is the only viable option Lebanon reached preliminary agreements in December with two foreign companies to export the country’s trash, but no concrete actions or plans have yet been taken.

Report: Berri Against Exporting Lebanon's Waste Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri reportedly supports the creation and expansion of Lebanese landfills to solve the country’s waste crisis. Meanwhile, one of the two companies who had agreed to export Lebanon’s trash has withdrawn their services.

عرض جديد لترحيل النفايات: 85 دولاراً للطن بدلاً من 123! Another company has submitted a new—and lower—bid to export Lebanon’s trash.

"الجنوبيون الخضر": مشروع مرفأ عدلون كارثة The Green Southerners Association is trying to protect the historical and archaeological sites of Adloun from commercial investments, which the group calls a “major cultural and humanitarian disaster.”

مرفأ عدلون يدمّر مدينة «مآروبو» الفينيقية The new Nabih Berri Port project in Adloun will seize 164 square meters from a public beach and will destroy the remains of the ancient Phoenician city of Marubo.

How the Historic Adloun Coast is Becoming "Nabih Berri" Port Beirut Report provides an excellent summary of the issues at stake, bringing together various media reports and videos, while drawing on the author's own previous research on the Lebanese coast.

Michel Samaha’s Release

Lebanon ex-minister accused of 'terrorism' granted bail A military court released on bail former Information Minister Michel Samaha, who was charged in 2012 with planning terrorist attacks, with the aid of Syrian security services, in Lebanon. Samaha is also a former adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.

Samaha's release sparks uproar; ex-minister vows to continue his political career Members of the March 14 coalition are outspoken in their condemnation of a military court’s decision to release Michel Samaha on bail. Samaha was convicted in 2015 of terrorism charges and initially sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

نص قرار المحكمة العسكرية بتخلية سبيل سماحة The full text of the military court’s decision to release Michel Samaha.

ميشال سماحة من الريحانية إلى الأشرفية: «الثقة.. الثقة.. الثقة»! Recently released Michel Samaha travels from the military court to his home in Ashrafiyeh, Beirut, as journalists, security officials, and others crowd the scene.

هكذا تلغى المحكمة العسكرية! In light of Samaha’s release from prison, An-Nahar provides a brief history of military courts in Lebanon.

The Economy

2016 .. عام الفوائد في لبنان Examining the potential effects on Lebanon of the US Federal Reserve’s decision to slowly raise interest rates.

Why so many Lebanese are looking abroad An exploration of the economic, political, and social conditions that drive Lebanese emigration.

How Lebanese banks are handling US sanctions on Hezbollah Because Hizbullah has its own banking system and does not conduct business with US currency, at least one banking expert does not think new US sanctions will negatively affect the organization.

Lebanon's banks to pay price of sanctions on Hezbollah “New US sanctions against Hezbollah are adding pressure to Lebanon’s already struggling banking sector, further burdening the country’s economy.”

ضرائب لبنان.. بلا "فائدة" In Lebanon, citizens pay taxes to the state but receive no benefits in return.

Macroeconomic implications of windfall oil and gas revenues in Lebanon A policy paper from The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies.

The Presidential Void

Lebanon's Christians United in Hope of Effective Presidency The International Crisis Group's senior Lebanon analyst discusses what the shifting alliances undergirding the new presidential consensus mean.

Electing a President Will not Solve our Ills Lebanon’s political system perpetuates the interests of the political elite, and politicians have little regard for the interests and needs of their constituents. Electing a new president—whenever that may happen—will not change this structural problem.

Report: National Dialogue to Continue in Spite of Saudi-Iranian Tensions While some in Lebanon are worried that mounting tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran—in the aftermath of Saudi’s execution of Shi‘i cleric Nimr al-Nimr—will further derail Lebanon’s already-tenuous “national dialogue” plans, a source from the March 8 coalition confirmed that the dialogue will proceed as planned.

هل "الحوار الثنائي" كافٍ لحماية لبنان؟ The limits of bilateral dialogue and the role regional forces play in Lebanon.

Report: Contacts over Presidency 'Frozen' due to Saudi-Iranian Tensions March 8 coalition sources describe Lebanon’s presidential process as in a “waiting phase” until a resolution between Saudi Arabia and Iran is reached.

Presidential Elections Postponed Again as MPs Warn of 'Lebanon's Collapse' A 7 January parliamentary session intended to elect the next president was postponed until 8 February as a result of just thirty-six out of 128 members of parliament being present at the session. The presidential vacuum—ongoing since May 2014—is the result of a stalemate between the rival March 8 and March 14 coalitions regarding a “compromise candidate” for president.

Geagea expected to endorse Aoun's presidential bid Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF) party, will back Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) member Michel Aoun in his presidential bid. Aoun already has the support of Hizbullah, but it is unclear if the Future Movement (FM) party—which has already nominated a different presidential candidate—will support Aoun’s bid.

Saudi-Iranian tensions not to blame for Hariri's failure Saad Hariri’s initiative to elect Suleiman Franjieh as president could fail, not because of rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but because Franjieh supports the Taif Accord and no new electoral law based on proportional representation—a stance that is unacceptable to Hizbullah and the March 8 coalition.

لقاء الحريري – فرنجية الثاني: العودة إلى الهدوء! Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his nominee for president, Suleiman Franjieh, meet to discuss the changing political climate in the wake of rising Saudi-Iran tensions and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s surprising endorsement of Michel Aoun for president.

Mustaqbal: Hizbullah, FPM, Iran Fully Responsible for Presidential Void In an official statement, the Future Movement (Tayyar al-Mustaqbal in Arabic) points to the political boycotting and demands for preconditions from Hizbullah and the FPM—with Iranian backing—as the reasons for the ongoing presidential vacuum in Lebanon. FM argues that those three entities are trying to “impose political hegemony over Lebanon and the Lebanese.”

Cabinet convenes amid protests in Beirut Civil Defense volunteers and members of the We Want Accountability movement staged separate protests in Beirut, while the Lebanese Cabinet convened once again but failed to discuss the appointment of several security and military officials.

Hezbollah, FPM boycott cabinet session Hizbullah and the FPM, which together hold four of the twenty-four cabinet seats, boycotted the first session of 2016 due to the cabinet’s decision to again postpone talks regarding the appointment of senior security and military officials.

Salam Surprised by Hizbullah Boycott, Appointments on Right Track Several leading politicians insist that, despite Hizbullah’s and FPM’s boycott of the cabinet session, progress has been made regarding the appointment of several military officials, thanks to discussions between Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Jumblatt, and other top officials.

Bassil: No Partisan Interests Were Involved in Military Council Appointments “The government approved on Thursday [28 January] the appointment of three Military Council officers, a long-time demand of the Free Patriotic Movement, which along with Hizbullah and the Tashnag Party have boycotted recent cabinet sessions.”

Lebanon’s national dialogue harms state institutions A Lebanese member of parliament and deputy general manager of the daily newspaper An-Nahar argues that all political parties should ditch the ineffective national dialogue and instead utilize regular parliamentary and cabinet sessions to solve Lebanon’s problems. 

Read the preceding article in Arabic:حوار يضرب المؤسسات!

Gemayel Urges 'Consensual President': We Won't Elect Our Rival Kataeb Party leader Sami Gemayel discusses presidential nominees, dysfunctional cabinet sessions, and the release of former Minister Michel Samaha—who was charged in 2012 of planning acts of terrorism in Lebanon—during an interview with LBCI television.

جعجع: عون مرشحنا للرئاسة Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea officially announces his party’s backing of Michel Aoun for the presidency.

Lebanon’s Christian foes become friends A deeper examination of the Geagea-Aoun reconciliation and a synopsis of their historical feud.

نصرالله يبتهج بمشهد المرشّحَين الحليفين: انتخاب عون... أو استمرار التعطيل! An analysis of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s speech on 29 January, in which he reiterated his party’s support for Aoun as the next president.

حتى إشعار آخر لا انتخابات رئاسية ولا بلدية والبديل بالتفعيل الحكومي Despite some positive developments, Lebanon continues to operate in a political stalemate and elections remain a distant objective, “until further notice.”

Reverberations of the Saudi-Iranian Struggle

Hizbullah Accuses U.S. for Riyadh's Execution of Nimr, Blames it for 'Covering up' Saudi Crimes Hizbullah blames Nimr al-Nimr’s execution on the United States’ continual shielding of Saudi’s “crimes against its people and those of the region.”

Nasrallah: Nimr's execution will lead to 'Al Saud's downfall' Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah said, in an interview shortly after Nimr’s execution, “As history has shown, the blood spilled will mark the end of the Al-Saud regime.” Former Lebanese Prime Minister and Saudi ally Saad Hariri condemned Nasrallah’s speech.

Report: Initiative to Nominate Franjieh First Victim of al-Nimr's Execution Some Lebanese media outlets suggest that escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran will halt Saad Hariri’s initiative to elect Suleiman Franjieh as president.

تضامن لبناني مع محاصري مضايا An editorial in Al-Modon expresses Lebanese solidarity with the people in the besieged town of Madaya.

March 14 Denounces Madaya Siege, Says Hizbullah Involvement 'Shameful' In a statement addressing the Syrian government’s starvation siege of the town of Madaya, the March 14 coalition said, “The Lebanese, who in principle refuse Hizbullah's participation in the war against the Syrian people, see that Hizbullah’s involvement in the siege and starvation is a shameful act that contradicts its 'political ethics,' which the party claims to uphold.” Hizbullah has denied any role in the siege.

تضامناً مع مضايا، وباقي المناطق السورية الخاضعة للحصار An invitation to a demonstration taking place at the National Museum in Beirut on 14 January, protesting and “breaking the silence” about Madaya and other besieged Syrian towns.

The impact of Saudi and Iranian muscle-flexing on Lebanon An outline of several key events that have taken place since the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, and their effects on Lebanese politics and society, including Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s verbal attack on Saudi Arabia, as well as Lebanon joining the Saudi-led “Islamic alliance against terrorism.”

Lebanon feels aftershocks of Saudi-Iran crisis Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shi‘i cleric Nimr al-Nimr has pushed tensions between it and Iran to new heights, which is complicating the already-fraught and often-postponed presidential election process in Lebanon.

العقوبات على "حزب الله" تتصاعد..مع رفع العقوبات عن إيران! A source for Al-Modon argues that with the Iran nuclear agreement and easing of sanctions, tensions will rise between Iran and its enemies in the region. Knowing this possibility, the US and its allies are attempting to limit the role of Iranian allies—chiefly Hizbullah—through sanctions that will dry up their financial resources.

حزب الله:لا حلول قبل رفع العقوبات عن إيران Hizbullah is committed to the national dialogue and wants peace and stability in Lebanon, but the party claims that long-term solutions will not happen until sanctions on Iran are lifted.

مأزق "حزب الله".. معه لبنان Hizbullah’s decision to directly involve themselves in the Syrian war is changing the nature of the group as well as Lebanese perceptions toward it.

Paris, Tehran to Consolidate Stability of 'Friendly' Lebanon France and Iran will reportedly work together to help Lebanon end its presidential vacuum.

Conflict With Israel

Israeli army fires into south Lebanon The Israeli army launched an attack on the Lebanese town of Wazzani in response to an earlier attack by Hizbullah on an Israeli patrol in the disputed Shebaa Farms area.

Report: Hizbullah's Involvement in Regional Conflicts 'Has Not Distracted it from Israel' Though Hizbullah is committed to keeping an “open front” in the fight with Israel, the recent flare-up of attacks and retaliations will not develop into a major conflict, according to several sources.

Hezbollah's ineffective response to Israel “Despite two weeks of warnings and threats traded by Hezbollah and Israel following the December 19 assassination of Samir Kuntar, the latest escalation between the two enemies appears to have fizzled out with an anti-climactic and bloodless retaliation in the Shebaa Farms.”

Bassil Moves to Inform Security Council of 1,168 Israeli Violations in 2015 Lebanese diplomats will notify the UN Security Council of all instances in the past year of Israel breaching the sovereignty of Lebanon.

Miscellaneous

عمال دون نقابات، ونقابات من دون عمال “Workers Without Unions, and Unions Without Workers.” On the myth of the death of Lebanon’s working class, and the need to reconceptualize the modern working class.

النوبات الأخلاقيّة للسلطة: عباد الشيطان كمثال Governments have been known to suppress and subjugate in the name of “protecting morality.” In Lebanon, the failures of the state—as evidenced in the ongoing presidential vacuum, the garbage crisis, and Michel Samaha’s release, among other examples—give rise to an increasing need for the authorities to “prove” the need for their existence by imposing a “moral authority.”

حين تولدُ السياسة من رحم الجامعة الأميركية An examination of the role of the American University of Beirut in Lebanese political life, divided into three historical periods—from its founding in 1866 until independence; from the 1950s until the start of the civil war; and the post-civil war period through to the present.

مذكرات الإخضاع تعود الى الواجهة: منع مواطنة من تجديد جواز سفرها The case of Christine Tohme’s passport, and Lebanon’s security apparatus sidestepping the law and attacking individuals’ right to the freedom of movement.

الأمن العام يخالف قرار الحكومة: مذكرات الإخضاع مــستمرة More details in the case of Christine Tohme, whose passport renewal was rejected at the discretion of the Lebanese General Security Agency, acting against a previous ministerial ruling against such attacks on individual rights.

Legislating ‘for their Own’ Necessity Lebanese parliamentarians circumvented the constitution and passed thirty-eight new laws despite the country lacking an elected president. The new laws share one thing in common—they advance the interests of Lebanon’s political and economic elite, without addressing the needs of the majority.

Read the preceding Article in Arabic: التشريع "للضرورة الخاصة بهم"

France, Britain Warn their Airlines Would Stop Services to Beirut France and Britain have issued a warning that they could stop all landings in Rafik Hariri International Airport unless the airport resolves several problems, including “weak inspection of luggage and the failure to implement a plan to equip the facility with more lighting and security cameras.”

مطار بيروت:تحذيرات..لا مخاطر Despite France and Britain’s warning, sources from the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority assert that the airport’s security situation has improved.

Was Beirut airport threat real or political conspiracy? “Some say rumors of a potential bombing at the Beirut airport could be designed to pressure Lebanon to agree on a political settlement to elect a president.”

Lebanon arrests suspected mastermind of November Beirut bombing Lebanese Internal Security Forces arrested the man accused of coordinating the November terrorist attacks in Beirut that killed forty-three civilians.

2 Lebanese Abducted in Libya, Conflicting Reports on Motive According to the captors of two Lebanese men, their fate is now tied to that of Hannibal Qaddafi—son of the now-deceased former dictator of Libya—who has been in the custody of Lebanese security forces since mid-December 2015. The Lebanese foreign ministry, however, says that the kidnapping in Libya is related to a “financial dispute.”

المختطفان في ليبيا: الخارجية تتهرب من مسؤولياتها! The Foreign Ministry is trying to evade its responsibility in claiming that the case of the two Lebanese men kidnapped in Libya is unrelated to the case of Hannibal Qaddafi.

«كلام الناس» أم «كلام السلطة»؟ Marcel Ghanem, host of the Lebanese talk show Kalam Ennas (The People’s Words), claims to be a champion of the people, but in reality he advocates “the authority’s words.”

عمليات احتيال مالية باسم مجموعة "إم بي سي" Scam artists are sending text messages to cell phone users in Lebanon, pretending to be from the Lebanese media group MBC. Often times these messages contain promises of cash prizes and other fake contests in order to capture information or steal money from a prepaid phone card.

Meet one of Hezbollah's teen fighters An interview with an eighteen-year-old Lebanese boy who joined Hizbullah to fight in Syria.

Ex-foreign minister Fouad Boutros dies at age 95 “Many considered Boutros to be a moderate voice in the Cabinet, able to mediate between the old feudal families and the party heads that rose to prominence during the Civil War.”

REPORT: Former Minister Fouad Boutros dies at 95 A video of LBC’s television report on the passing of former Minister Fouad Boutros (video in Arabic).

On the death of a great man in Lebanon A tribute to former Lebanese Foreign Minister Fouad Boutros after his recent passing at the age of ninety-five.

Read the preceding article in Arabic: رحيل كبير من بلادي

Reports and Special Issues

The Legal Agenda, issue 34 (in Arabic) December 2015 publication from the Beirut-based NGO.

 

Selected Jadaliyya Articles on Lebanon (2010-2015)

Art

Economy

Gender

Historical and Contemporary Protests

Public Institutions

Space and Environment 

Migrants and Refugees

Presidents, Cabinets, and Parliament

Politics 

In Memoriam

Other

 


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