Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For December 18-19/2019 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 63th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
December 19/2019
Tites For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 18-19/2019
Amal, Hezbollah and FPM to nominate Hassan Diab for PM as Hariri backs out
Socio-economic position paper by organisations and activists on the current situation in Lebanon
Lebanon: Hariri Says Will Not Be PM, Security Tightened After Nights of Violence
Lebanon: Violence Moves to Tripoli as Cleric’s Office Attacked
Pressure on Lebanon’s Schools as Tough Times Force Children Into State System
Report: Hale’s Visit to Beirut Coincides with Talks to Name PM
Shiite Cleric Lashes Out at Hizbullah, AMAL Movement
Report: Army Chief Cautions of ‘Revolution of the Hungry
Berri, Daryan Warn against Attempts to Stir Sectarian Strife
Reports: Berri Asks Hariri to Talk to Bassil, Consultations on Ti
Berri: No Political Cover for Those who Harm Civil Peace
Mob Attacks Cleric’s Office in Tripoli, Burns Christmas Tree
Security Measures Upped at Protest Sites after Violence
Sethrida Geagea Lauds Hariri’s ‘Wise National Stance’
Bassil Lauds Hariri’s ‘Positive Step’, Urges Him to Pick ‘Credible’ Candidate
Lebanese-Australian Brothers Jailed for Etihad Airways Bomb Plo
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 18-19/2019
Amal, Hezbollah and FPM to nominate Hassan Diab for PM as Hariri backs out
Christina Farhat/Annahar/December 18/2019
Hariri cited the developments that have transpired as a principle reason for pulling out of the race for Prime Minister.
BEIRUT: Amal, Hezbollah, and Free Patriotic Movement bloc have come to the consensus decision to nominate Hassan Diab, former Minister of Education in Najib Mikati’s cabinet, for Prime Minister. Diab’s nomination comes to light as caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced he was withdrawing his candidacy to head Lebanon’s upcoming government earlier today. Binding parliamentary consultations to nominate a new premier are set to take place Thursday. “Since submitting my resignation fifty days ago in response to the cry of the Lebanese, I have strived to meet their demands with the formation of a government of specialists that I saw were the people capable of dealing with the serious social and economic crisis facing our country,” Hariri said in a statement issued Wednesday. Hariri cited the developments that have transpired as a principle reason for pulling out of the race for Prime Minister. “Despite my commitment to forming a government of specialists, certain positions have emerged in the last few days that could not be reconciled,“ he said. Massive protests across Lebanon have objected to Hariri possibly regaining his post as Prime Minister in recent days.
The Free Patriotic Movement welcomed Hariri’s decision, saying that it reflects ”a positive step and hope that Prime Minister Saad Hariri will finish off his duties by proposing a reliable and capable person to work on forming a government that has the support of the people and the Parliamentary blocs as well as the international community.”The Lebanese Forces then noted that caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s statement echoes the voice of his father, Martyr and former Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri. “I cannot fail to mention this wise national position, which reminds us of the positions of the martyr Prime Minister Rafik hariri. He used to say:” No one is greater than his country,” MP Setrida Geagea said in a statement. As the political elite grapple over arriving at political concurrence, over appointing a new Prime Minister, three Lebanese Banks were downgraded to “SD” on revised deposit terms and conditions by S&P ratings.Bank Audi, Blom Bank, and Bankmed were downgraded to SD from CCC following Bank Du Liban’s circular requesting banks to pay half of the interest due on customers USD denominated term deposits “existing and not matured” before December 5, 2019. “We lowered our ratings to SD because in our opinion private individuals lack of access to their bank deposits on time and in full different remuneration from the original contractual terms and constraints to their ability to transfer funds abroad constitute a risk for depositors of losing the benefit of their agreements and therefore a selective default,” said the statement issued by S&P Global Ratings. S&P also stated in their report that they expect the economic conditions in Lebanon to “remain stressed in coming years.”
Socio-economic position paper by organisations and activists on the current situation in Lebanon
CLDH – Lebanese Center for Human Rights/December 18/2019
The following paper has been drafted by a group of organisations and individuals to assert our position pertaining to the people’s revolution, which has been ongoing since October 17th to date. It aims to clarify the prevailing realities and dynamics which have catalysed the revolution, without addressing demands to a polity which has lost its legitimacy. This position paper solely represents the perspectives and opinions of its signatories.
This revolution, characterised by an unprecedented geographic spread, is the inevitable consequence of the predominant practices of an exclusionary, corrupt, unaccounted for, and feuding political apparatus, characterised by its various regional and international allegiances. The interplay of these dynamics has stripped the legitimacy away from the former government, as the people clarified that the current political class does not represent them.
Indeed, this revolution is the outcome of accumulated non-inclusive and unsustainable socio-economic policies used to further politicise and further sectarian and horizontal divides, and dismantle social solidarity.
These marginalising policies, based on clientelistic capitalism, a rentier economy, the incitement of ideological prejudice, and the neglected provision of public goods, have served to benefit an affluent minority whose interests coincide with the continuity of a segregated sectarian system. A system which has brought on the current national social movement, enraged by incidents of exploitation, and violations of basic human rights.
Following the end of the civil war, instead of formulating a sustainable reconciliation plan in order to rebuild a social contract, and hold perpetrators accountable for their grave human rights violations, the Lebanese polity obscured the realities of the war, and its residues, with the issuance of an unjust amnesty law doubly exploiting victims, and facilitating the warlord’s capture of the state. Indeed, they have institutionalised and integrated their militias into the political system, further exacerbating class segregation and sectarian strife .
Additionally, the collusion and intersection of interests among influential elites, businessmen and statesmen has contributed to the construction of a patron-client network, at the expense of the people, further compounding socio-economic grievances.
Furthermore, the capture of state resources, notably through the policies of privatization and capitalism, have led to the collapse of Lebanon’s economic and social fabric.
The foreign interests of our decision makers, both political and economic, have led to the absence of effective nationally-oriented policies, the accumulation of human rights violations, and state’s relinquishment of its responsibilities towards the rightful demands of the people.
Hence, during this historic moment in Lebanon, we strongly reinforce our commitment to the following principles:
Lebanon is a secular, democratic civil state based on a social contract, and citizenship and social justice principles. Freedoms and human rights are to be guaranteed without discrimination, through a unified personal civil status law, shifting towards fair, effective and accountable participatory institutions, as well as ensuring comprehensive socio-economic, environmental and cultural rights .
Protecting, preserving and respecting the dignity of all citizens and residents on Lebanese territory without any discrimination, notably by granting women their full rights as Lebanese citizens without discrimination, such as the right to pass on citizenship to members of their family, and equal inheritance.
Building a social policy which promotes solidarity and trust within the society, and includes ensuring universal social protection, through the provision of universal health coverage, pension plans, motherhood insurance, unemployment insurance, and end of service benefits.
Building the foundations of a productive economy, that is based on solidarity, in addition to developing economic policies aiming to enhance efficiency, and ensuring the alleviation of inequality and poverty, and environment preservation.
Adopting an equitable progressive tax system based on the incomes of individuals, companies, and banks, all the while reducing indirect taxes.
Through this paper, we reaffirm our support to the ongoing revolution. Read More at: Copyrights © 2019 Lebanon Support. All rights reserved.
Lebanon: Hariri Says Will Not Be PM, Security Tightened After Nights of Violence
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 18 December, 2019
Lebanon’s Saad al-Hariri said on Wednesday he was not a candidate to be prime minister of a new government, leaving no obvious alternative to head a cabinet that must tackle the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Hariri, the outgoing prime minister and Lebanon’s leading Sunni politician, made the statement on the eve of formal consultations to designate the new prime minister, a post reserved for a Sunni in Lebanon’s sectarian system. “I announce that I will not be a candidate to form the coming government,” Hariri said in a statement.
“I am heading tomorrow to take part in the consultations … on this basis, insisting that they not be delayed for any reason,” he said.
Hariri did not say who he would nominate for the post in the consultations which President Michel Aoun is due to host on Thursday. Aoun, a Maronite Christian, is required to designate the candidate with the most support among Lebanon’s 128 MPs. The only candidate with the support of Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim religious establishment, Hariri had appeared the only candidate for the job earlier this week despite political tension with adversaries including Aoun. But the picture was complicated when the Christian Lebanese Forces said it would name neither Hariri nor anyone else in the consultations, meaning his candidacy would not enjoy the support of either of Lebanon’s two main Christian parties. Hariri resigned as prime minister on Oct. 29, prompted by protests against a political elite accused of overseeing rampant state corruption. In a related development, security was tightened around protest centers in central Beirut Wednesday, after several nights of violence disrupted two months of largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations. Barricades were erected overnight to block or control access to protest sites in the capital where counterdemonstrators have previously tried to attack protesters, AFP journalists said.
An officer who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said the concrete barriers were intended to help security forces better control the sites and prevent further clashes. After violence between protesters and security forces in Beirut on Saturday and Sunday night, and between counterdemonstrators and police on Monday night, the capital remained calm on Tuesday. The unprecedented protests started on October 17 against a political elite deemed inept and corrupt. Protesters demand a complete overhaul of the ruling class and a new government formed of independent experts. On Tuesday night, young supporters of the Shiite Amal movement threw stones at anti-government protesters in the southern Shiite stronghold of Nabatieh, a witness said.
Unknown perpetrators set fire to a Christmas tree in the northern city of Tripoli, an AFP correspondent said. On Monday night, dozens of supporters of the country’s two main Shiite political parties set fire to cars and clashed with security forces trying to prevent them from reaching Beirut’s main protest square. Pressure to form a new government is compounded by the near collapse of the economy, already weakened by years of political deadlock and the impact of the eight-year-old war in neighboring Syria.The World Bank estimates that Lebanon is in recession, and has warned that the number living in poverty could increase from a third to half the population.
Lebanon: Violence Moves to Tripoli as Cleric’s Office Attacked
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 18 December, 2019
Unknown assailants attacked the office of Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli, smashing its windows early on Wednesday, reports said. They then moved to one of the city’s main squares and set fire to the municipality’s Christmas tree. The military said that it later detained four suspects in Tripoli and confiscated their motorcycles. The military said men on motorcycles gathered outside Shaar’s home and rioted, “used profanity” and smashed property. The mob then moved to the square and threw fire bombs at the Christmas tree, setting it on fire. The violence indicated that the tensions that recently gripped the Lebanese capital, Beirut, over an online video deemed offensive to the country’s Shiites are spreading to Tripoli, the country’s second-largest city. On Tuesday, anger boiled over in Beirut after the offensive video was widely circulated online, showing a Tripoli resident railing against the leaders of the country’s two main Shiite groups, Hezbollah and Amal and religious Shiite figures and using expletives. Their supporters descended on a protest camp in Beirut as security forces intervened to push them back, setting off hours of pitched street battles.
Angry assailants also attacked protest camps in the northern district of Hermel and in the southern city of Sidon and Nabatiyeh on Tuesday. The violence threatened to plunge Lebanon further into chaos and ignite sectarian strife after anti-government protests erupted on October 17 forcing the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri. This week Shaar called Amal movement leader Speaker Nabih Berri to apologize for the rant against him. Hezbollah and Amal supporters have been intolerant of the protesters’ criticism of their leaders and have tried for days, even before the video emerged, to attack the protest camps. The anti-government protests have spared no Lebanese politician, accusing the ruling elite of corruption and mismanagement, and calling for a government of independents. They have been largely peaceful, sparked by an intensifying economic crisis. Berri and Hariri met on Tuesday and urged the Lebanese not to be “drawn toward strife” and adding that some parties they didn’t name are working to incite violence in the country.
Pressure on Lebanon’s Schools as Tough Times Force Children Into State System
Asharq Al Awsat/December 18/2019
Lebanon’s economic crisis is forcing families to pull tens of thousands of children out of the private schools that educate most pupils in the country, and into a long-neglected state education system that is already struggling to cope. Unlike in many countries where private schools are often mainly for the wealthy, Lebanon relies on them to educate two thirds of pupils, with working-class families scrimping to afford hundreds of dollars a month in fees. Those who cannot afford it end up in an under-funded state system that educates 300,000 Lebanese pupils and has put on a second shift in recent years for 200,000 Syrian refugees. With the worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war having struck this year, 36,000 extra pupils have moved from private school into the state system, Education Minister Akram Chehayeb told Reuters. He expects still more children to follow, with no additional funds or staff to teach them. “The pressure will increase on public schools,” he said. “Due to the 2019 budget, we can’t hire new teachers, while 1,400 retire every year.” Eid Ramadan, a hairstylist, struggled to find more than $6,000 a year in total for private school for his two sons. This year he was forced to pull his younger son out. “My kids are thankfully smart and understanding,” he said. “They know we were doing the impossible to keep them (in private school). But we’ve reached a point where we couldn’t. We’ve hit a brick wall.” The country’s long-brewing economic troubles have spiraled into a financial crisis since October, when protests erupted against the ruling elite. Businesses have closed, workers have been laid off and wages cut. Banks are restricting access to cash and the Lebanese pound has slumped. “The majority of the people can no longer pay thousands of dollars for tuition every year,” said Ramadan. Salwa Hemadeh moved her 14-year-old daughter into a state school this year, having previously moved her three sons out of private education as the economy worsened and her husband’s job as a plasterer brought in less income. “She didn’t adapt well to the new school because it was so big and there were so many students. But we laid out the truth: either you get your education at this public school or you get no education,” she said.
Report: Hale’s Visit to Beirut Coincides with Talks to Name PM
Naharnet/December 18/2019
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale is expected to visit Beirut on Thursday in line with Lebanon’s parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister, media reports said on Wednesday. Hale is scheduled to meet President Michel Aoun before noon on Friday and Speaker Nabih Berri and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun later during the day, al-Joumhouria daily said. His visit comes amid nationwide protests in Lebanon demanding an overhaul of the entire political class and an unprecedented economic crisis. Quoting unnamed sources, Hizbullah’s al-Akhbar newspaper said Hale will pay a “classic” visit and will meet senior Lebanese officials. “Hale does not carry radical political or economic solutions. He is conducting a political showdown,” said the sources ruling out any discussion of “military solution” for Lebanon’s political crisis. “There is no room for a military government in the presence of President of the Republic. Voices from the street praising the military and their assumption of power have previously emerged due to excess enthusiasm. It is no longer on the table today,” said the sources.PM Saad Hariri stepped down under street pressure less than two weeks into the October 17 protests. But no consensus has yet been reached on a replacement and parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister have twice been postponed, the latest on Monday.
Shiite Cleric Lashes Out at Hizbullah, AMAL Movement
Naharnet/December 18/2019
Prominent Shiite cleric Ali al-Amin lashed out at Hizbullah on Wednesday after the latter’s accusations that he is “normalizing ties with Israel.”“Treason campaigns against me by Hizbullah are not something new and are due to my rejection of the Iranian project they carry to Lebanon and the region,” said al-Amin in a press conference. Hizbullah denounced the participation of Amin in a religious forum in Bahrain attended by “Zionist figures” and accused him of “normalizing” ties with Israel. Amin said: “My disagreement with Hizbullah and AMAL (movement) is not new, and I will remain supportive of the Lebanese people’s uprising.”He accused the party and the “mother Shiite institution” in Lebanon of launching “treason campaigns and fabrications.”On his participation in the Bahrain forum that allowed the participation of Israel, he said: “I took part in the forum without knowing the participants’ names,” noting it was also attended by Lebanon’s ambassador to Bahrain. “I will remain opposed to Hizbullah’s policy of oppression and domination. The Shiite duo’s policy only brings harm upon the Shiite community,” he concluded.
Report: Army Chief Cautions of ‘Revolution of the Hungry’
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 18/2019
Army chief General Joseph Aoun reportedly warned many Lebanese officials of the “revolution of the hungry,” saying the military can not do much to prevent the “genuinely poor class” when they take to the streets in protest at dire economic conditions, media reports said Wednesday.
Media reports attributed remarks to Aoun as saying that the military has been able to absorb and control systematic or spontaneous attempts to destabilize security, but that politicians do not have the luxury of time because living conditions in the country warn of more dangerous scenarios.
Officials have not yet reached consensus on a new prime minister as Lebanon grapples with an economic crisis unprecedented in its history. According to informed sources, the army chief was clear and determined to prevent any attempts tampering with security by some parties making “street” moves, but he was clear in warning of the real consequences shall the genuinely “poor class” go out into the street because of the economic collapse. Warning of the “revolution of the hungry,” he reportedly said the army will not be able to maintain stability or carry out its tasks because it “will not confront the poor” in the streets.
Aoun sounded the alarm to more than one political official by saying, “beware the revolution of the hungry.”
Berri, Daryan Warn against Attempts to Stir Sectarian Strife
Naharnet/December 18/2019
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan held phone talks Wednesday in the wake of the latest Sunni-Shiites tensions in the country. In their discussions, Berri and Daryan emphasized on “the unity of Muslims within national unity and the unity of the Lebanese,” the National News Agency said. They also stressed the need to “be vigilant in order not to fall into the trap of the roving sedition attempts.”
Reports: Berri Asks Hariri to Talk to Bassil, Consultations on Time
Naharnet/December 18/2019
Speaker Nabih Berri has advised caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri to communicate with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil over the FPM’s participation in the new government, al-Jadeed TV reported on Wednesday.“But so far no meeting has been scheduled between Hariri and Bassil,” al-Jadeed said. Adding that Hariri “will not visit the Baabda Palace today,” the TV network reported that Hariri will inform the parties this afternoon of his final stance on whether or not he wants to head the new government. LBCI TV meanwhile reported that the binding parliamentary consultations to name a new PM “will be held on time Thursday” and that Berri and his bloc will nominate Hariri for the post. Baabda sources meanwhile told the Central News Agency that Berri has told President Michel Aoun that he suggested two government formats during his talks with Hariri. “The first involves 18 ministers – six technicians and 12 experts – and the second involves 14 ministers – four technicians and 10 experts,” the sources said. Under the second format, Hariri would “name the independents or those whom he considers to be technocrat figures.”“Berri is still awaiting Hariri to respond to the suggestions and the caretaker PM has asked for some time,” the sources added.
Berri: No Political Cover for Those who Harm Civil Peace
Naharnet/December 18/2019
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday stressed that there will be no “political or partisan cover” for anyone who “harms unity and civil peace,” in the wake of the latest sectarianly-charged incidents in the country. Speaking during his weekly meeting with lawmakers in Ain el-Tineh, Berri warned of “the scary scenes, the sectarian and regional slogans, infiltrators and those tampering with the fate of the people and the country.”“Sunnis and Shiites are two sects of the same religion and there will be no political or partisan cover for anyone who harms unity and civil peace,” he added. “We would commit suicide rather than give orders to ignite strife,” he said, calling on security and judicial authorities to prosecute “strife agitators.”Separately, he said that the binding parliamentary consultations to pick a new premier should take place “inside the institutions,” urging all parties to “offer concessions.”
Mob Attacks Cleric’s Office in Tripoli, Burns Christmas Tree
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 18/2019
Assailants attacked the office of a Sunni Muslim religious leader in the northern city of Tripoli, smashing in windows early on Wednesday, the National News Agency reported. The mob then moved to one of the city’s main squares and set fire to the municipality’s Christmas tree. The violence indicated that the tensions that recently gripped the Lebanese capital, Beirut, over an online video deemed offensive to the country’s Shiites are spreading to Tripoli, the country’s second-largest city. The state-run National News Agency reported that the military later detained four assailants in Tripoli but did not provide other details. The military said a mob of men on motorcycles gathered outside the home of Sunni Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar and rioted, “used profanity” and smashed property. The mob then moved to the square and threw fire bombs at the Christmas tree, setting it on fire. The military said it arrested four men and confiscated their motorcycles. On Tuesday, anger boiled over in Beirut after the offensive video was widely circulated online, showing a Sunni resident of Tripoli railing against the leaders of the country’s two main Shiite groups, Hizbullah and AMAL and religious Shiite figures and using expletives. Their supporters descended on a protest camp in Beirut as security forces intervened to push them back, setting off hours of pitched street battles. Angry assailants also attacked protest camps in the northern district Hermel and in the southern Sidon and Nabatiyeh on Tuesday. The violence threatened to plunge Lebanon further into chaos and ignite sectarian strife amid two months of anti-government protests and a spiraling financial crisis. The daily An-Nahar said the assailants in Tripoli were angered because the Sunni mufti, al-Shaar, had called the powerful Shiite parliament speaker and head of Amal, Nabih Berri, to apologize for the video. Supporters of Hizbullah and its close ally, the Amal movement, have been intolerant of the protesters’ criticism of their leaders and have tried for days, even before the video emerged, to attack the protest camps. The anti-government protests, which erupted in mid-October, have spared no Lebanese politician, accusing the ruling elite of corruption and mismanagement, and calling for a government of independents. They have largely been peaceful, sparked by an intensifying economic crisis Berri, the parliament speaker, and outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri met on Tuesday and urged the Lebanese not to be “drawn toward strife” and adding that some parties they didn’t name are working to incite violence in the country.
Security Measures Upped at Protest Sites after Violence
Naharnet/December 18/2019
Security forces increased their presence around protest centers in central Beirut Wednesday, after several nights of violence disrupted two months of largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations. Barricades were erected overnight to block or control access to protest sites in the capital where counterdemonstrators have previously tried to attack protesters, AFP journalists said. An officer who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said the concrete barriers were intended to help security forces better control the sites and prevent further clashes.
After violence between protesters and security forces in Beirut on Saturday and Sunday night, and between counterdemonstrators and police on Monday night, the capital remained calm on Tuesday. But tensions were recorded elsewhere in the country, as Lebanon awaits scheduled parliamentary meetings to name a new premier on Thursday, a required step to form a cabinet. The unprecedented protests started on October 17 against a political elite deemed inept and corrupt. Protesters demand a complete overhaul of the ruling class and a new government formed of independent experts. Prime minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29, but bitter divisions between political parties have twice seen parliamentary consultations to name a new premier postponed. On Tuesday night, young supporters of the Shiite AMAL movement threw stones at anti-government protesters in the southern Shiite stronghold of Nabatieh, a witness said. Unknown perpetrators set fire to a Christmas tree in the northern city of Tripoli, an AFP correspondent said. On Monday night, dozens of supporters of the country’s two main Shiite political parties set fire to cars and clashed with security forces trying to prevent them from reaching Beirut’s main protest square.Pressure to form a new government is compounded by the near collapse of the economy, already weakened by years of political deadlock and the impact of the eight-year-old war in neighboring Syria. The World Bank estimates that Lebanon is in recession, and has warned that the number living in poverty could increase from a third to half the population.
Sethrida Geagea Lauds Hariri’s ‘Wise National Stance’
Naharnet/December 18/2019
MP Sethrida Geagea of the Lebanese Forces bloc on Wednesday lauded caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s decision to withdraw his nomination for the PM post as a “wise national stance.”Geagea said Hariri rejected to head a government not comprised of experts because it “would not meet the demands of the Lebanese people in this critical period in Lebanon economically and financially.”“I cannot but laud this wise national stance, which reminds us of the stances of martyr premier Rafik Hariri, who used to repeat the ‘no one is bigger than their country’ slogan, and it also reminds us of March 14’s martyrs, from Rafik Hariri to Wissam al-Hassan and Mohammed Shatah,” Geagea added. Commenting on the LF’s announcement that it would not nominate Hariri or any other candidate for the premiership and accusations that “the LF was not loyal to its allies,” Geagea disclosed the details of her phone call with Hariri on Sunday night. “I told him, ‘Your friend is the one who is honest with you, we in the Strong Republic bloc cannot nominate you,’” Geagea said. “This led to postponing Monday’s consultations and his eventual withdrawal from the race, and this has ultimately preserved the patriotic political alignment that he is leading,” the MP went on to say.
Bassil Lauds Hariri’s ‘Positive Step’, Urges Him to Pick ‘Credible’ Candidate
Naharnet/December 18/2019
Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Wednesday lauded caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s decision to withdraw his nomination for the PM post, urging him to suggest a “credible and capable” candidate. “We appreciate the responsible stance that Mr. Prime Minister Saad Hariri took by announcing that he is no longer nominated to head the next government and that he will go to the binding parliamentary consultations tomorrow,” Bassil said in a written statement. “We see in this stance a positive step, which we hope he will complete by suggesting — in light of his position vis-à-vis the National Pact – a credible and capable figure on whom there can be consensus,” Bassil added. He said the political parties would then seek an agreement with the PM-designate on “the formation of a government that would enjoy the confidence of the people and the influential parliamentary blocs, in addition to the Arab and international communities.” Bassil however criticized Hariri for “putting the country and the people in the face of the unknown through his recent resignation.”The FPM chief also said that Hariri should not have made his choice “in the last moment before the binding parliamentary consultations” and that he should not “demand postponement or seek to impose a date for the consultations as he wishes and in a selective manner that serves his own interest.”Setting a date for the consultations or postponing them is “an exclusive jurisdiction for the President who uses it in a manner that preserves the public interest and the Constitution,” Bassil added.
Lebanese-Australian Brothers Jailed for Etihad Airways Bomb Plot
Beirut – Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 18 December, 2019
Two Lebanese brothers were handed lengthy jail terms in Australia Tuesday for plotting to bring down a Sydney to Abu Dhabi flight with a bomb carried in a meat grinder by their unwitting brother. Brothers Khaled and Mahmoud Khayat, who also hold the Australian nationality, were convicted of terrorism offenses for trying to bomb an Etihad Airways passenger jet in July 2017 under instructions from ISIS. Khaled was sentenced to 40 years with a minimum of 30 years without parole, while Mahmoud received 36 years’ jail time and ordered to serve at least 27. The improvised device was to be smuggled inside the luggage of a third, unwitting brother. A fourth brother, who is said to have fought with ISIS in Syria, is accused of directing the plot from overseas. The plan was aborted at the airport when the plotters decided it was too risky to get through customs after airline staff said their bags were overweight. In handing down her sentence, judge Christine Adamson said despite no one being killed, the offenders had succeeded in “creating terror” because the public was made aware of the plot. “The conspiracy to which both offenders were parties plainly envisaged that a large number of people would be killed,” she said.
Titles For The Latest Lebanese LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 18-19/2019
Amal, Hezbollah and FPM to nominate Hassan Diab for PM as Hariri backs out/Christina Farhat/Annahar/December 18/2019
Socio-economic position paper by organisations and activists on the current situation in Lebanon/CLDH – Lebanese Center for Human Rights/December 18/2019
Dr. Mohammad Baydoun a Lebanese-American doctor finds cure for Quadriplegia/Roula Mouawad/Annahar/December 18/2019
Impoverished Beirut Neighborhood Becomes Starting Point for Attacks on Protesters/Sanaa el-Jack/Asharq Al Awsat/December 18/2019
Lebanon’s Vital Future Battle/Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/December 18/2019
The Lebanese Revolution and the Four Dragons/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/December 18/2019
Hezbollah, Blood Diamond and the End of an Era/Elizabeth A. Harris/The New York Times/December 18/2019
Lebanese families find feast plans curtailed or canceled this year/TK Maloy and Ghadir Hamadi/Annahar/December 18/2019
Lebanon’s Filipino community prepares for a difficult Christmas/Sunniva Rose/The National/December 18/2019
The Latest Lebanese LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 18-19/2019
Dr. Mohammad Baydoun a Lebanese-American doctor finds cure for Quadriplegia
Roula Mouawad/Annahar/December 18/2019
BEIRUT: Lebanese-American neuro and brain surgeon Dr. Mohammad Baydoun, found a cure for one of the most complex types of paralysis known as Quadriplegic Paralysis, which is a disease that affects thousands of athletes yearly. Dr. Baydoun’s research was conducted over a period of 5 years on 10 patients. The cure functions by a newly developed technological technique, which functions by the extraction of stem cells from the patient’s belly fat and then injecting these into their spinal cord. “The results of our research revealed positive effects on patients. Some patients cured entirely while others saw improvements in some areas of their body,” Dr. Baydoun said. The cure was tested on Chris Parr at Mayo Clinic, who suffered from three years of Quadriplegic Paralysis from his neck to the tips of his toe as a result of a water ski accident. He cured two weeks post-test.
For the surgery to deem effective, Baydoun explained to Annahar that “the spinal cord must be at least a little bit suspended. In the rare cases of complete rupture, patients do not benefit from the cure.”He continued to explain that no patients were harmed during the research. The cure has also shown positive effect on many patients suffering from involuntary urination, defecation, and erection. Dr. Baydoun explained to Annahar that the research is not over yet. The next step includes implementing the method on 40 more patients and the last step includes experimenting technically on a number of patients.
“The research is currently being experimented on patients whose injuries were a result of an accident or strong fall. As for those whose injuries were a result of bullet wounds, for example, these will participate in the coming stages,” Dr. Baydoun explained. “We are using genetic testing, which help us in knowing the condition of each patient more accurately.”
*The article was adapted into English by Chiri Choukeir.
Impoverished Beirut Neighborhood Becomes Starting Point for Attacks on Protesters
Sanaa el-Jack/Asharq Al Awsat/December 18/2019
The name of the area al-Khandaq al-Ghameeq near central Beirut has been associated with confrontations with anti-government Lebanese demonstrators who took to the streets on October 17. Their attempts to contain those attacking them from that area were not fruitful, whether through mothers’ marches from neighboring areas, a visit by members of the Tripoli Municipality that emphasized that Lebanese pain is one, or by the protesters’ chants through megaphones against sedition.
Almost one week ago, the Khandaq youth assaults on protesters in central Beirut and their confrontations with the security forces and their use of Molotov, sticks, and stones, dominated the headlines and live coverage, until the events that took place on Tuesday, including burning cars in an attempt to create tensions and force protesters out of Beirut’s squares.
Al-Khandaq al-Ghameeq is located right next to central Beirut and spans from Basta Tahta to Fouad Chehab Bridge, known as Ring. Its buildings carry the marks of Lebanon’s 1975-1990 Civil War and are in apparent contradiction with the fancy buildings next to the financial center.
Mukhtar of Bashoura Mesbah Eido tells Asharq al-Awsat that “al-Khandaq spans 500 meters and ends at the French Hospital that was razed to the ground before the 1975 war started. A real estate company bought it out a while ago but stopped after finding an archaeological area there. Al-Khandaq was a line of contact during the war, ending at the Ring. Inside its neighborhoods, life was normal. A Christian majority and some minorities inhabited the area. The Syriac church is still there under reconstruction, along with Christian properties. This area, however, was invaded by displaced persons during the civil war, who were compensated by the displaced fund and the owners retrieved their properties.”
Al-Khandaq is adjacent to Zaroob al-Haramiye [Thieves Alley] that separated it from Bashoura graveyard, the oldest in Beirut. It is simultaneously famous for comic and horrific stories. Al-Hajj Ali, an elderly from the area, tells Asharq al-Awsat, “These alleys would beat with stories about strong men dominating the entrances to downtown Beirut and would follow leaders’ commands. However, there is a big difference between the movements of the forties and fifties of the last century, where a gallant strong people would help those in need and would protect families, and today’s thugs, hooligans working for their interest or for whoever pays.”
In Eido’s opinion, what is happening from al-Khandaq is “the result of poverty and negligence due to the state’s indifference to the people.”
Mahdi, the owner of a newspaper distribution company, tells Asharq al-Awsat that the protesters’ constant attempts to block the Ring road “harms the people in al-Khandaq as it stops them from entering the area. They have always demanded that the road is blocked from the Ashrafieh side and not theirs, but they were not heard.”
He insists that “people from al-Khandaq are peaceful, but the provocations have gone beyond the limit. Every leader has his group. When social media shows cursing and news of buses from Tripoli and Akkar headed to protect the protesters from al-Khandaq’s residents, motorcycles start gathering, and the young men prepare themselves to defend their rights and dignity.”Mahdi points out that the Sunni families in al-Khandaq are very few, alongside two Christian families predating the civil war.
One of the young men from al-Khandaq does not agree with Mahdi, saying that “the area is Shiite and poor, and the predominant population there is Shiite, mostly unemployed and affiliated with Amal Movement or the Resistance Brigades. However, Hezbollah does not have much dominance there.”
Its young people do not deal with Amal supporters because they are organized and committed to a partisan direction. Amal and the Resistance Brigades assemble, get a call, and mobilize. It’s not important whether they get called by official parties, perhaps they are being mobilized by some fifth column, he says.
Lebanon’s Vital Future Battle
Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/December 18/2019
In contesting the political class, independents must consider the importance of municipal elections.
The uprising in Lebanon has reached a critical stage. Protestors are caught between the euphoria that characterized their demonstrations last October, when people took to the streets, and the need to think about where their movement has to go in the future.
As the country’s financial situation continues to collapse and people lose their jobs, thinking about new forms of dissent and renewal has become a necessity. People are now too preoccupied with the basics of survival to give as much attention to demonstrating, when the priority is to get a government in place that can deal with the international community. But the effort to change Lebanon for the better will not stop, which is why the protest movement has to transform itself into a more lasting challenge to the politicians.
One of the more promising ways it can do so is by focusing on municipal elections, which take place every six years. This was well understood by civil society activists in the last municipal elections of 2016. There are several reasons why engagement in local politics may create valuable openings for those dissatisfied with the status quo.
First of all, municipal councils affect citizens in their everyday life. As the uprising has made clear, the Lebanese revolted largely because they felt that their lives had become an insult, with people paying ever higher prices for deteriorating services. Everything from trash management to green spaces for children to imposing filters on poisonous neighborhood generators are within the remit of municipal councils. If anything can persuade citizens to vote for alternative leaders to their sectarian politicians, it is to offer them the means to dramatically ameliorate their daily surroundings.
Second, municipal councils are not elected on a sectarian basis, even if some cities respect a sectarian balance to ensure that councils are more broadly representative. Why does this matter? Principally, because if councils are less sectarian and are less affected by sectarian considerations, it means, potentially, that they are influenced less by sectarian leaders and parties. More important, because of the limited sectarianism of the councils, sectarian leaders are inclined to view municipal elections as less of a challenge to their communal leadership, giving local councils more latitude to act freely.
Third, and deriving from the second, because municipal elections are not sectarian, they are influenced less by the sectarian impulses among voters. In parliamentary elections, for instance, voters are much more liable to vote on the basis of their sect, regarding their failure to do so as representing a loss for their sectarian community at large. That is why relatively few people voted for civil society candidates in the 2018 parliamentary elections. At the municipal level such considerations have less of an impact, allowing independent candidates to appeal to a wider cross-section of voters.
Fourth, at the municipal level there is often a sense of local solidarity and sense of belonging that make the outcome of elections very unpredictable. The immediacy of the vote and pride in one’s neighborhood, town, or village mean that voters are more likely to be sensitive to personalized messages from candidates looking to persuade them that they can bring improvements to their living conditions. This can cut across party or political loyalties, and if exploited properly can have a major impact on voters’ choices.
The protest movement should begin to prepare for municipal elections in Lebanon’s major cities and towns. Those are the essential targets for 2022. Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon, Tyre, like Nabatiyyeh, Bourj Hammoud, Bint Jbeil, and Zahleh are all places in need of municipal reinforcement or revival. Why the larger areas? Because it is more difficult for the government to starve such places of funds were it to regard independent municipal councils as a threat to the domination of sectarian leaders. Equally important, successful municipal management of larger agglomerations would enhance the credibility of independent figures to manage national institutions when voters have to decide for whom to vote in parliamentary elections.
Elections in 2022 are some time away. Yet this gives independent civil society groups time to prepare the groundwork for municipal elections. Moreover, given these groups’ comparative advantage in understanding realities on the ground and in building networks within society, this time can be well spent. This is particularly true in Beirut, the richest and shadiest of municipalities. Concerned independents can begin organizing now, perhaps by acting as a shadow government in the capital, keeping the current council under persistent and public scrutiny, while meeting with Beirutis and asking them how they would really like to see their city improve.
The battle to reclaim Lebanon will be a long one. The sectarian leaders and their followers will continue to fight to maintain themselves. But with a major financial breakdown looming and the old order transparently bankrupt, now is the time to take advantage of a national mood in the country that is ready to consider more competent leaders who have the population’s interests at heart. It’s best not to challenge the sectarian leaders head on too soon, so that independent forces have the space to organize and build up a support base. That is why a major focus down the road should be on municipal elections, where the Lebanese can exploit the vitality of the local.
The Lebanese Revolution and the Four Dragons
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/December 18/2019
Lebanon’s streets have witnessed unprecedented violence over the past few nights. Some observers and activists expected this scene to be repeated and repression to increase, before and after the nomination of a prime minister, and even in isolation of it.
If it is true that we are still very far from the Iraqi numbers, all hope is that we will not get close to them. The extent of intransigence facing the revolution’s complex and thorny attempt is not simple.
It is enough to enumerate the four main enemies, which, on October 17, the Lebanese men and women chose to unite against and challenge their hegemony.
First, we find the “neo-liberal” economy, which is represented today by the bank.
The latter, which is robbing public money through activities that are further fueled by the interference of the political group and the banking community, is now looting individuals, one by one, with no barriers whatsoever.
However, the bank is not a marginal detail in the composition of the Lebanese economy. Lebanon has lived for a long time, and in the eyes of many, as a great bank for which Michel Shiha composed ideas, just as the Rahbani brothers composed songs.
The centralization of the bank has practically developed in the past thirty years. Its economic weight has increased, so did its recognition in the prevailing policy and convictions. The bank’s challenge in its current form involves reconsidering the structure of the Lebanese pillaging of the economy itself, and its operation methods.
Here – unlike the many contradictions among the ruling group – we find pure unity against the “neo-liberal” system.
The second dragon is sectarianism. It is the conscience of the country and the pillar of its ideology, since 1860, in the Moutassarifiah of Mount Lebanon and as of 1920, with the establishment of Greater Lebanon.
But sectarianism is not just a conscience. Without it, politics and national economy cannot be understood. Without it, one cannot explain the country’s many wars and little peace. Many intellectuals – the most prominent of whom is Kamal Youssef al-Hajj – have praised its virtues and blessings.
Today, for the first time since 1860, we are witnessing the greatest separation between confessionalism and the people. The system of “misinformation” that prevailed due to the power of sectarianism is no longer operational.
Third, there is Hezbollah, which represents a poisoned extension of the sectarian composition: After many experiences in using minimal violence to improve a sectarian position with the “national coexistence”, the “party” showed its ability to use maximum violence to subdue this “coexistence.” Its foreign relations were an extension to the policies of a certain sect. Today, its national policy merged with the Iranian foreign project in an inextricably tight manner…Hezbollah nowadays represents the sword of sectarianism.
In 2005, when most Lebanese accused Syria’s Bashar al-Assad of assassinating ex-PM Rafik Hariri, that party (which was not accused at the time) prevented the completion of the unity of the Lebanese position.
Now the same thing is happening again. The party is preventing a large sect from joining the revolution, while granting the dilapidated ruling authority a power that it does not possess.
In the fourth place, there is the climate of counter-revolution in the Arab world. This climate is the most poisonous in Syria, blowing its winds on Lebanon, and against the Lebanese revolution.
What Beirut is experiencing today says that Bashar Assad has not accomplished his mission yet.
Here lies one of the sources of hatred that Assad’s supporters rely on in their hostility to the Lebanese revolution. They fear that the gains they made through Iranian and Russian support on Syrian soil, would be lost in Baghdad and Beirut.
The four dragons that are being targeted by the Lebanon revolution underline the difficult and heroic task. This explains how the ruling parties seek to expand coordination and integration among them, starting with the tight security control witnessed over the past few days.
Perhaps the current revolution will be defeated. But what is certain is that fighting the four dragons will be a long-term task, which one generation will pass to another.
Hezbollah, Blood Diamond and the End of an Era
Elizabeth A. Harris/The New York Times/December 18/2019
The sanctions emitted by the treasury department on the blood diamond converted art dealer Nazem Said Ahmad are part of a systematic policy targeting the money laundering mechanisms mounted by the Hezbollah around the globe. This US policy, far from being a novelty connected to the Trump administration crackdown on Hezbollah’s financial networks, goes back to two decades of tracking, pinpointing and sanctioning policies set by the successive administration ( Barbara Newman, Tom Diaz, Lightening out of Lebanon, Presidio Press 2005, Matthew Levitt, Hezbollah, the Global Footprints of Lebanon’s Party of God, Georgetown University Press, 2013,…. ). The determination on pursuing and dismantling the global underground economy of the Hezbollah, means that the ectoplasmic growth of an illegal and subversion geared economic and financial networks is unlikely to be overlooked and tolerated by the US and Western democracies. Hezbollah is confronted with the thresholds of an overstretched subversion strategy operating on the interstices of a global financial system based on illegal transactions, laundered financial proceeds, and an interlocked network of illegal operators. The system is thoroughly scanned and its reticular nodes are well identified and the battle to break it down is engaged. The attempt of Hezbollah at engulfing Lebanon and transforming it into an appendage to an overall subversion strategy, compares to the strive of al Qaida to remodel Sudan and Afghanistan into platforms of global terror. This is unlikely to happen, for multiple considerations, which owe to Lebanon’s multicultural societal texture, cosmopolitan openness and Western Democratic proclivities, in other words, Lebanon is not a landlocked wasteland located on the crossroads between South and Central Asia.
The spirited civic rebellion in Lebanon is the concrete rebuttal of Hezbollah’s ideological claims, and the antithetical model to what it is trying to promote, and its ability to smother the libertarian cultural and political ambit and impose his ideological script are nought. Therefore, it has to re-examine its political predicates, overall political strategy, normalize and join the chorus of political accommodation mandated by a consociational and liberal democracy. The ventures of economic and political brinkmanship, and the eccentricities of a delusional political wasteland should be reconsidered, unless Hezbollah is adamant about adopting a suicidal political course. The intricate enmeshing with the Shiite communitarian tapestry in Lebanon and abroad elicits a configuration of unintended consequences that are already weighing on its different workings, civic statuses and fortunes of its members. Different Shiite communities, in Lebanon and worldwide, should carefully consider the impact and hazards of political ghettoization, economic delinquency and subversion politics and their global geopolitical mapping, caveat emptor.
Lebanese families find feast plans curtailed or canceled this year
TK Maloy and Ghadir Hamadi/Annahar/December 18/2019
In related economic news affecting holiday moods, 60 companies have filed with the Ministry of Labor plans to close and were filing formal notice in order to pay approved wages and indemnities.
BEIRUT: Most often held at home, with grandma and grandpa presiding over an extended family, there is a sumptuous table set with mesa, tabouli, lubia, tawouk, sea bass, turkey, filet, and then the cake which can often defy description with their varied flavors — from almond, to vanilla, chocolate and more — and all super for leftover’s.
By many accounts of those families interviewed, this year – like last year – is one of belt-tightening, but even more so.
“Oh yes, have the family, just not so many cousins or couples, it’s not a lack of generosity, it’s a lack of funds,” said one shopper at a well-known delicatessen. “Every year, my family and I would hold a dinner party for our extended family,” Sami Rahhal, a taxi driver told Annahar. However, this year the family has decided to cancel its annual dinner, and turn it into a casual gathering with coffee and light snacks.
Tahani Osman, a mother of three children who are now working in the Gulf, said that she would be flying to Dubai, where she and her kids would meet up. “We won’t be going out or spending ridiculous sums of money, like we had previously done, on fine dines and extravagant New Years’ parties. This year, we’ll enjoy each other’s company, with traditional home-made food at home,” Osman told Annahar.
Others have decided to not let the circumstances that the country is going through stop them from partying all night on New Years’.
“I won’t cancel my New Year plans simply because Lebanon is going through a rough phase,” Makram Bark told Annahar. “Lebanon was never in a good place, just look at our history, so we might as well make the most out of the last night in this year,” he added.
The spirit of giving marks off the holiday season and some have decided to spend their holidays doing something truly altruistic.
“After I received a salary cut of over 50%, I can finally say that I understand the fear of not knowing what tomorrow might bring,” school teacher Nadia Maarouf said. After this rough year, Maarouf decided that there’s no better way to spend her holiday than volunteering at an orphanage, and “drawing a smile on the face of those in need, and whose life was already hard before the economic crisis had worsened,” she noted.
As for those families, opting to go out and leave the cooking and cleaning to other hands – never a bad idea, there are many fewer options for eating this year.
According to the Syndicate of Owners and Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night-Clubs, and Pastry Shops approximately 265 restaurants have closed in the past two months in Lebanon, and by the end of the year, another 200 are expected to shut down for a total of 466 eateries having gone out of business in Lebanon as 2019, based on the economic situation.
In a previous statement issued prior to the start of the October 17 Revolution, the Syndicate had warned that the increased taxes along with the chaotic social, economic, and environmental conditions, were all affecting purchasing power.
The statement added that owners typically await the upcoming festive season to increase their profit margins, but so far the situation seems to be getting worse.
The syndicate encouraged the political ruling class to “be responsible” and form a government capable of improving living conditions and the economic situation for all.
The statement added that owners typically await the upcoming festive season to increase their profit margins, but so far the situation seems to be getting worse, encouraging the political ruling class to “be responsible” and form a government that would improve living conditions throughout Lebanon.
In related economic news affecting holiday moods, 60 companies have filed with the Ministry of Labor plans to close and were filing formal notice in order to pay approved wages and indemnities.
Tony Haddad, an engineer working for half wage, said that his family might be broke by New Year, but every holiday season, the entire Diaspora clan comes home to Lebanon from Saudi, Dubai, America, Canada, and France – and there’s no way not to throw a big feed for the entire family from new babies to Jeddos and Tetas, and with that much help, there will be lots of good eats on the table.
He left the supermarket carrying a Butterball Turkey over one shoulder and bags of chestnuts, aubergines, and several bottles of arrack all stuffed in an old knapsack over the other shoulder.
Striding down the avenue, he began to whistle loudly “Jingle bells” bringing smiles from everyone nearby, which seem to mean so much more, given that times were so much tighter this year.
Lebanon’s Filipino community prepares for a difficult Christmas
Sunniva Rose/The National/December 18/2019
Salaries of Filipino workers have dropped sharply in value with the Lebanese crisis, forcing many to leave
Singing in Filipino to the strumming of two guitars, the voice of over a hundred women rose softly in St Joseph’s church in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The singing gave in to laughter as the priest, during his homily, told his congregation the story of St Joseph’s annunciation with punchlines that included a quote from American popstar Beyoncé’s song “Listen”.
The Filipino Catholic tradition of Simbang Gabi, or the celebration of an early morning mass for nine consecutive days before Christmas, was revived in Lebanon in 2017 with the arrival of Father Henry Ponce, the first Jesuit Filipino priest to officiate in the small Mediterranean country.
It brings comfort to Filipino women who work as domestic workers in difficult conditions that have recently worsened as Lebanon struggles with its worst economic crisis since the end of the civil war in 1990.
“I did not expect that people would come to church in higher numbers than last year considering the current circumstances,” Father Ponce told The National. “But I speak their language. They feel connected.”
Since the summer, Lebanon has faced a liquidity and imports shortage. The economic crisis pushed the Lebanese to the streets in protest on October 17, but the political class remains paralysed, with no government since late October.
Migrant workers, including Filipinos, have been hit particularly hard by the crisis.
In addition to losing their jobs or being asked to work part time, it has become increasingly difficult for them to send their salaries to the Philippines.
Most of them are the main breadwinners of their families, sending at least half, if not all, of their income back home.
As Lebanese Pounds are worthless outside of the country, the money transfer has to remain in US dollars despite employers being forced to pay salaries in the local currency since banks restricted access to dollars in early November.
Several Filipino domestic workers said that money transfer companies have imposed a $300 dollar monthly cap, in addition to demanding that fees – between $5 and $10 dollars – be paid in dollars as well.
In parallel, the switch to Lebanese Pounds has caused salaries all over the country to lose around 30 per cent of their value as the price of the dollar has shot up on the black market, where it is traded on average for 2,000 Lebanese Pounds.
The situation is unprecedented since the Lebanese Pound was pegged to the dollar in 1997 at an exchange rate of 1,507.5 Lebanese Pounds to the dollar. The peg is still officially in place.
For many Filipinos, the struggle is not worth it anymore.
Minda Mendez, 38, took advantage of her embassy’s offer earlier this month to cover repatriation costs for its citizens, including the plane ticket and penalties incurred for overstaying their visas.
This was the first time that the embassy made such a move since the 2006 war between Lebanese Iran-backed group Hezbollah and Israel, the Filipino ambassador, Bernaditat Catalia, told The National. She said she expected around 1,500 people to benefit from the programme. A first group of Filipinos should leave before Christmas.
“I feel happy. I can take my first real holiday in 10 years,” said Mrs Mendez, who is set to travel in February 2020, as she shared with dozens of other women a bowl of Filipino noodles and cake at St Joseph Church after Simbang Gabi mass.
Without the embassy’s help, Mrs Mendez would have had to cough up a penalty of $200, which is nearly equivalent to an entire month’s wage, before leaving the country. Her employer did not renew her residency permit last year.
Labour conditions in Lebanon are so poor that the Philippines banned its citizens from working there in 2007, but this did not deter women like Mrs Mendez. Salaries in Lebanon are comparatively higher.
Mrs Mendez arrived in 2009 via Thailand and Bahrain with the help of an illegal recruitment agency in the Philippines which coordinated with another agency in Lebanon.
There are 34,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, the fourth biggest migrant community behind Ethiopians, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans.
The Filipino embassy is the only one that has set up a free repatriation programme. The Bangladeshi embassy told The National in an email that Lebanon’s General Security, which deals with immigration issues, gave permission to its citizens who do not have a valid residency permit to go home after paying a one-year penalty only, or $200. For Filipino women who have been abused by their employers, free repatriation represents a lifeline.
As she filled out the necessary forms at the Filipino embassy on December 9, Renaline Andres de la Cruz, 36, could barely hide her tears of relief.
When she arrived in 2006, her first employer physically abused her and did not legalise her situation with the Lebanese authorities. After she died, Mrs de la Cruz worked illegally for several years.
“Really, I’m a good person, but my employer left me,” she repeated. “At least now I can rest. My sisters have graduated from college in the Philippines. I will have no more problems and will open a simple business.”
Under Lebanon’s Kafala system, migrant workers do not have labour rights.
“With the crisis, their situation is even worse. They have very little legal recourse if they are not paid or if their wages are reduced and can only change employer twice, which is very difficult because they need their consent,” said Zeina Ammar, advocacy and communications manager at the anti-racism movement, a Lebanese grassroots collective which collaborates with migrant workers.
But going home is not as easy as it sounds. “They have to do a cost benefit analysis. Either go back home where the situation was bad enough to push them to leave in the first place or stay here and suffer from the financial situation which will only get worse,” said Mrs Ammar.
Father Ponce told The National that many Filipinos also feel ashamed to return home empty-handed after having supported their families for years.
“When you start sending dollars, people in the Philippines think you have made a lot of money. But it’s really not that easy, especially for those who have been victimised by human trafficking,” he said.
Some, like Mrs Mendez, are travelling back to the Philippines only to start searching for a job in another country once again.
She needs to continue supporting her parents and her son, now 13 years old. In ten years, she has only seen him in person once. The rest of the time, they speak through Facebook.
As per Filipino tradition, every person that attends the nine masses of the Simbang Gabi can make a wish. When Father Ponce asked Mrs Mendez what she wished for, her answer was simple: “something good for my family.”
