A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For December 25-26/2019 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 70th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
December 26/2019
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 25-26/2019
His Beatitude Patriarch Al Raei: Lukewarm confusing stances/Elias Bejjani/December 25/2019
Christmas Spirit: Forgiveness, Sacrifice and Reconciling/Elias Bejjani/December 25/2019
The Actual Needed Christmas Spirit/Elias Bejjani/December 25/2019
Christmas And The obligations Of The Righteous/Elias Bejjani/December 25/2019
Pope Urges Return to ‘Harmonious Coexistence’ in Lebanon
Aoun Slams Hariri, Defends Bassil and Promises Govt. of Experts
Mustaqbal Officials Hit Out at Aoun and Bassil
Saad Hariri: I won’t work with a sectarian and racist Gibran Bassil
Report: Diab Met Aides of Nasrallah and Berri Monday Night
Khalil Slams Banks for ‘Trapping’ Civil Servants Salaries
Lebanese Help Each Other as Economic Crisis Crushes Lives
Lebanon’s leaders in blame game over crisis/Najia Houssari/Arab News/December 25/2019
Open Letter to US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo From Tom Harb & John Hajjar, AMCD co-chairs Addressing Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale’s Visit Beirut/AMCD/December 25/2019
Christmas Thought of the Day/Father James Farfaglia/December 25/2019
The imminent failure of Lebanon’s new prime minister/Imad K Harb/Al Jazeera/December 25/2019
Hezbollah-designated prime minister a recipe for increased unrest/Randa Takieddine/Arab News/December 25/2019
Details Of The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 25-26/2019
His Beatitude Patriarch Al Raei: Lukewarm confusing stances
Elias Bejjani/December 25/2019
Our Patriarch Al Raei as always adopts sharply the stance of the last person that he hears to. Today was not different. His beatitude is with both Hassan Dian and the Revolution. A Lukewarm position?
Christmas Spirit: Forgiveness, Sacrifice and Reconciling
Elias Bejjani/December 25/2019
In case you did not yet reconcile with all those whom you have had problems with, it means you did yet welcome the birth of the Incarnate Lord, who is mere love, sacrifice, forgiveness and humility
The Actual Needed Christmas Spirit
Elias Bejjani/December 25/2019
Inside each of an angel and a demon. With the birth of the Lord Jesus, let us bridle and silence Satan and leave the angel free to lead us to the paths of love and forgiveness
Christmas And The obligations Of The Righteous
Elias Bejjani/December 25/2019
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 02/11)
Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 02/14)
The holy birth of Jesus Christ bears numerous blessed vital values and principles including love, giving, redemption, modesty and forgiveness.
Christmas is a role model of love because God, our Father Himself is love.
Accordingly and in a bid to cleanse us from our original sin He came down from heaven, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. (John15/12)
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John15/13)
Christmas is way of giving …God gave us Himself because He is a caring, generous, forgiving and loving and father.
Christmas embodies all principles of genuine redemption. Jesus Christ redeemed us and for our sake He joyfully was crucified, and tolerated all kinds of torture, humiliation and pain
Christmas is a dignified image of modesty ..Jesus Christ accepted to be born into a manger and to live his life on earth in an extremely simple and humble manner.
Let us continuously remind our selves that when our day comes that could be at any moment, we shall not be able to take any thing that is earthly with us for the Day of judgment except our work and acts, be righteous or evil.
Christmas is a holy act of forgiveness ….God, and because He is a loving and forgiving has Sent His Son Jesus Christ redeem to free us from the bondage of the original sin that Adam and Eve committed.
Christmas requires that we all genuinely pray and pray for those who are hurt, lonely, deserted by their beloved ones, feel betrayed, are enduring pain silently pain, suffer anguish, deprived from happiness, warmth and joy .
Christmas is ought to teach us that it is the duty of every believer to practice his/her faith not only verbally and via routine rituals, but and most importantly through actual deeds of righteousness….
Christmas’ spirit is not only rituals of decorations, festivities, gifts and joyful celebrations…But deeds in all ways and means by helping those who need help in all field and domains.
Christmas’s spirit is a calls to honour and actually abide by all Bible teachings and values.
In this realm we have a Biblical obligation to open our hearts and with love extend our hand to all those who are in need, and we are able to help him remembering always that Almighty God showered on us all sorts of graces and capabilities so we can share them with others.
Christmas is a time to hold to the Ten Commandments, foremost of which is “Honour your father and your mother”.
Christmas is a good time for us to attentively hear and positively respond to our conscience, which is the voice of God within us.
Christmas should revive in our minds and hearts the importance of fighting all kinds temptations so we do not become slaves to earthly wealth, or power of authority.
Christmas for us as patriotic and faithful Lebanese is a time to pray for the safe and dignified return of our Southern people who were forced to take refuge in Israel since the year 2000.
Christmas for each and every loving and caring Lebanese is a holy opportunity for calling loudly on all the Lebanese politicians and clergymen, as well as on the UN for the release of the thousands of Lebanese citizens who are arbitrarily and unjustly imprisoned in Syrian prisons.
Most importantly Christmas is a time for praying and working for the liberation of our dear homeland Lebanon, from the Iranian occupation.
No one should never ever lose sight for a moment or keep a blind eye on the sacrifices of our heroic righteous martyrs who willing sacrificed themselves for our homeland, identity, existence, and dignity. Our prayers goes for them on this Holy Day and for peace in each and evry country, especially in the chaotic and troubled Middle East.
May God Bless you all and shower upon you, your families, friends, and beloved ones all graces of joy, health, love, forgiveness, meekness and hope.
Pope Urges Return to ‘Harmonious Coexistence’ in Lebanon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 25/2019
Pope Francis on Wednesday urged a resolution to the crisis in Lebanon, saying the country must reaffirm its commitment to “harmonious coexistence.”The pontiff said in his Christmas message that he prayed for the “Lebanese people… to rediscover their vocation to be a message of freedom and harmonious coexistence for all.”
Aoun Slams Hariri, Defends Bassil and Promises Govt. of Experts
Naharnet/December 25/2019
President Michel Aoun on Wednesday lashed out at caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri over his latest remarks and announced that the new government will be a “government of experts.”Speaking to reporters in Bkirki after a closed-door meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on the sidelines of Christmas Day mass, Aoun hoped Lebanon will “manage to overcome its current crisis” and that the Lebanese will have a new government as a “New Year’s gift.”Asked about accusations that Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil – his son-in-law – is the one forming the new government, Aoun said: “Let’s suppose that Jebran Bassil is the one forming the government, doesn’t he have the right to do so? Isn’t he an MP and the head of the biggest bloc? But no, in fact it is not him who is forming it. Those who are supposed to form it are forming it.”Asked whether he did not want Hariri to form the new government, the president said: “Is that why we waited 100 days?”“We waited for Saad Hariri for 100 days without managing to resolve the crisis. He was hesitant. This is not how we form a government,” Aoun added. Told that Hariri has said that the Presidency is acting “as if nothing has happened in the country,” in reference to the economic crisis and the Oct. 17 popular revolt, Aoun answered: “Does he want to envy me for my calm which preserved calm in the country or for my foolishness which made me act in a bad way?”The president’s remarks carried a veiled jab at Hariri for resigning amid the popular protests that have swept the country. Asked about claims in the Western media that the government will be “Hizbullah’s government,” Aoun said: “Incorrect. A lot of parties are unhappy and they have resorted to publishing such news. The government will be the government of all Lebanese, including Hizbullah.”He also said he believes that there will be a “government of experts” and not a so-called techno-political government. In a chat with reporters on Tuesday, Hariri had said that the new government is not “Hizbullah’s government” but rather “Jebran Bassil’s government,” adding that he will not accept to lead a new government containing Bassil. “I cannot work with these people anymore. He wants to run the country on his own and he must show moderation. How can one work with people who have a sectarian and racist rhetoric?” Hariri added.
Mustaqbal Officials Hit Out at Aoun and Bassil
Naharnet/December 25/2019
Al-Mustaqbal Movement official ex-MP Mustafa Alloush on Wednesday lamented that “all the attempts to protect the Presidency from the pettiness of the son-in-law have failed,” in a jab at Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, who is President Michel Aoun’s son-in-law. “All what we hope for today on Christmas Day is mercy for Lebanon in the face of the maliciousness of the devil and his greed for swallowing everything and depriving the Lebanese of welfare and hope,” Alloush tweeted. Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Mohammed al-Hajjar for his part decried that “it is sad that President Michel Aoun sees only one person in the country: caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil.”“He considers that the rules of the Constitution and the Lebanese political life revolve around him,” Hajjar added. “It is strange that the Presidency has said that it waited for caretaker PM Saad Hariri for 100 days (to take a decision on whether or not to lead the new government), seeing as the country was awaiting the Presidency to resolve Jebran’s obstacle and his insistence on a techno-political government,” Hajjar went on to say.Earlier in the day, Aoun had lashed out at Hariri and defended Bassil. “Let’s suppose that Jebran Bassil is the one forming the government, doesn’t he have the right to do so? Isn’t he an MP and the head of the biggest bloc? But no, in fact it is not him who is forming it. Those who are supposed to form it are forming it,” Aoun said.“We waited for Saad Hariri for 100 days without managing to resolve the crisis. He was hesitant. This is not how we form a government,” Aoun added.Told that Hariri has said that the Presidency is acting “as if nothing has happened in the country,” in reference to the economic crisis and the Oct. 17 popular revolt, Aoun answered: “Does he want to envy me for my calm which preserved calm in the country or for my foolishness which made me act in a bad way?”The president’s remarks carried a veiled jab at Hariri for resigning amid the popular protests that have swept the country.
Saad Hariri: I won’t work with a sectarian and racist Gibran Bassil
The National/December25/2019
In the most stinging criticism yet, Caretaker Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri has said he would not work again with caretaker foreign minister Gibran Bassil, labelling the Free Patriotic Movement head “sectarian” and “racist.””How can you work with someone who is always insulting you? How can you work with such people whose speech is sectarian and racist,” Hariri asked a group of reporters on Tuesday. “I will not work again with Gebran Bassil, unless he moderates [his language and policies].”The Future Movement leader and Mr Bassil have worked closely in recent years, however splits over his policies began to emerge shortly after the election in 2018. They deepened in recent months as Mr Hariri reportedly tried to assemble a technocratic government but Mr Bassil refused to back any government that did not include him as a member.The caretaker foreign minister has been the centre of much of the public’s anger in the ongoing two-month protests. He is often criticised for demeaning and racist anti-refugee sentiment as well as being sectarian in his speeches. Mr Hariri also again ruled the Future Movement out of the next administration, saying “I will not be represented, take part in or cover the new government. If required, I will not give it a vote of confidence.”PM-designate Hassan Diab was nominated on December 19 to begin trying to form the next administration and ease public anger.
Report: Diab Met Aides of Nasrallah and Berri Monday Night
Naharnet/December 25/2019
Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab met Monday night with Hussein al-Khalil and caretaker minister Ali Hassan Khalil – the political aides of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a media report said. “Talks tackled the cabinet’s line-up,” LBCI television reported. “Diab intended to carry a cabinet line-up to the President this Thursday, but he reversed his decision after he realized that the issue needs further political consultations,” LBCI added. “Diab had already entered the phase of choosing candidates, picking Shadi Masaad, Demianos Qattar and the ambassador Qabalan Franjieh to be part of his ministerial team,” the TV network said. It also noted that the nomination of Qabalan Franjieh was the reason that “infuriated” Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh.
Khalil Slams Banks for ‘Trapping’ Civil Servants Salaries
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 25/2019
Lebanon’s caretaker finance minister accused has the country’s banks of “trapping” civil servants’ salaries with withdrawal limits that have fueled public anger in the crisis-stricken country. “What is happening in some Lebanese banks is unacceptable,” Ali Hassan Khalil wrote on Twitter. “They are trapping the salaries of (state) employees that are transferred by the finance ministry every month.”Rocked by two months of anti-government protests and a political deadlock, Lebanon is also facing its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.A liquidity crunch has pushed Lebanese banks to impose capital controls on dollar accounts, capping withdrawals at around $1,000 a month. Some have imposed even tighter restrictions. Some have also capped weekly withdrawals of the Lebanese pound at one million — the equivalent of $660 at official rates — even as the currency has plunged by nearly a third against the dollar on the black market in recent weeks. The tightening controls have prompted public uproar, with many accusing banks of robbing them of their savings. On Tuesday, Khalil said it was a “sacred right” of civil servants to be paid in full and on time. “It is not permissible for this right to be violated,” he said, vowing legal action to ensure public servants can access their salaries in full. At banks in the northern city of Tripoli, tensions soared Tuesday as clients struggled to withdraw their salaries, said an AFP correspondent there. A fight broke out in a branch near the city’s main protest camp after the bank refused to let a customer withdraw dollars. An anti-government street movement has rocked the small Mediterranean country since October 17. Bowing to popular pressure, the government resigned two weeks into demonstrations. Since then, a potential default on Lebanon’s huge public debt has heightened the economic and political crisis. The faltering economy has pushed many companies into bankruptcy, while others have laid off staff and slashed salaries.A recession of more than 0.2 percent is expected for this year, the World Bank says. In its first step towards forming an urgently-needed government, President Michel Aoun last week designated engineering professor Hassan Diab as the country’s next prime minister, replacing Saad Hariri who quit in late October in the face of mass protests. Diab, a self-styled technocrat, has vowed to form a cabinet of independent experts within six weeks.
Lebanese Help Each Other as Economic Crisis Crushes Lives
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 25/2019
Panic set in on a WhatsApp group used to organize Lebanese protests when one member said he intended to kill himself because he can’t provide for his kids. The desperate call came on the heels of the suicide of a father of two that had stunned the public and raised alarm over how dire Lebanon’s economic conditions have become. So Mohammed Choucair, one of dozens of members in the group, sprang into action. The 23-year-old architect student along with friends launched a campaign appealing for donations — for the man and for others suffering. They posted an ad on social media and, to show transparency, created a spreadsheet to track the money. As Lebanon’s protest movement enters its third month, the economic pinch is hurting everyone. Layoffs are increasing, salary cuts are the norm, banks are capping withdrawals and prices are quickly rising. The euphoria that marked the first days of the protests is being replaced with gloom. With the entrenched political class failing to chart a way out, Lebanese are resorting to what they’ve done in previous wars and crises: they rely on each other, not the state.”We got to a situation where people are not able to buy food for their kids or pay their rent,” Choucair said.
The despondent friend “said he had no money and what is the revolution doing about it and asked why the politicians are not paying attention,” Choucair said. They were able to convince him not to kill himself, though he refused to take any donations. Choucair and his group continued their campaign, giving money, food, clothes and supplies to 58 families so far this month, including one family reduced to using candles because they can’t afford electricity. Over recent years as Lebanon’s economy worsened, people turned to familiar ways to cope, like mosque and church charities or helping each other, forgiving debts or handing out food. Those means have already been getting stretched thin.
The protests — and the 24-hour news cycle focused on them — have brought a surge of help by rallying public attention to the suffering. Campaigns to collect food, winter clothes and helplines for people in economic and emotional distress are popping up everywhere, intensified by the Christmas spirit.
Stores have offered discounts and set up boxes for donations of clothes or money. Ads on TV urged Lebanese to pack bags of donations instead of suitcases for travel. Another urged Lebanese in the diaspora coming home to visit to bring “medicines, clothes and goodies” to give, because “Lebanon needs help.”
Some restaurants have offered to deliver free food, and bakeries put out bread for anyone who needs. A yoga studio organized classes to fundraise for the needy. WhatsApp groups and Instagram pages shared addresses of local small businesses for shoppers to use for Christmas gifts. “We are all in this together,” said one tagline. A group of web developers created an app, Khayyak or Your Brother, to coordinate between those who want to help and those in need. “Don’t lose hope, you are not alone,” the advertisement for the app said. The efforts are in part driven by the famed entrepreneurial spirit that helped Lebanese get through numerous previous crises, including a 15-year civil war and several wars with Israel that wrecked the infrastructure and economy. But the protests have also created a unique experience — “something for everybody,” whether they support or oppose the revolt, said Mia Atwi, a clinical psychologist.
“People feel more that they are all suffering the same thing, the rich and the poor … a common kind of loss,” she said.
Atwi is co-founder of Lebanon’s Embrace, a mental health organization operating the national suicide prevention helpline. The helpline now receives 100 calls a week, up from up to 10 before reports of suicides or attempted suicides first erupted three weeks ago. Atwi attributed the jump to the spike of media and public attention to the issue of suicide, something she said has saved lives. Calls even come from rural areas, not just Beirut as they did in the past. Still, the government hasn’t given her organization a toll-free number, despite paying $25,000 a year for the four-digit helpline.Many campaigns have sprung out of the protest movement. Weekly clothes donations and distributions were set up in the downtown Beirut squares at the epicenter of the demonstrations and near the Central Bank, which protesters accuse of corruption and fueling the economic crisis. “We only have each other” proclaims the campaign’s hashtag, a snub of the political class and the state. Rim Majid, a 21-year old student, quit university in Beirut to participate in “everything revolution.” After hearing of news of the man’s suicide in early December, she set up a griddle at a downtown protest site to make free manousheh, a traditional Lebanese flatbread. Next to the griddle is a donation box with the man’s name. Someone donated enough wheat for a week of baking.
“The suffering existed before, but now we are going through a crisis, one that will only get worse,” she said.
The help isn’t only monetary. During a discussion one evening at a protest tent, a concerned woman asked: “What are the revolutionaries going to do when those who pay mortgages for their homes are unable to?” A young participant suggested the protesters could physically block the bank and the police from evicting people. For Choucair, the charity spirit reflects the principles of the protests — the rejection of an entire political elite seen as corrupt and of Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system. Choucair said his group’s donation campaign makes sure to transcend sectarian and political divisions and offers an alternative to the patronage that politicians use to cement their power. The campaign has members from Christian, Sunni and Shiite areas. At least three donors came to them instead of established charities because, he said, they wanted to avoid donating along sectarian or political lines.
Choucair had once planned to migrate like many others driven out by Lebanon’s economic problems. The protests convinced him he has no other place to be but home, he said. In the last two months, he said, he met people from across different classes and sects he never imagined talking to.
“Our relations are built on humanity and national unity,” he said. “Our friendships are built on helping people.”
Lebanon’s leaders in blame game over crisis
Najia Houssari/Arab News/December 25/2019
BEIRUT: Tensions between Lebanon’s president and former prime minister have flared after they accused each other of being to blame for the turmoil engulfing the country.
A recession, massive street protests and a political crisis have created financial and security chaos.
Lebanon has had a caretaker government since Oct. 29, when Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister after nearly two weeks of protests. He has clashed with President Michel Aoun about the leadership and composition of a new administration. “The problem with the president is that he is acting as if nothing has happened in the country, and he is trying to act smart by endorsing the demands of the revolution, and my stance is clear, I will not be represented in this government and I will not nominate anyone, nor will I give it a confidence vote,” said Hariri.
“Now they are targeting the political legacy of the Hariri family, and they will try to hold it responsible for all the calamities that have befallen the country, but whoever tries to bury Hariri’s legacy will be as if he would be burying himself. Let us see who really stole from the country. I will not cover anyone, and they should do the same thing.”Aoun responded to Hariri by saying: “Does he envy me for my resilience and calmness in trying to control the situation, or does he want me to act foolishly and badly? We waited for 100 days for him (Hariri) and nothing came out. We waited for someone who kept hesitating. I want, and I do not want, as if someone was playing with a daisy. A government cannot be formed in this manner.”
Dr. Hassan Diab, a university professor and former education minister, has been nominated to replace Hariri and has started consulting with parliamentary blocs to discuss the shape of a future government. But he faces significant hurdles, including a boycott by influential political blocs that refused to nominate him because of the backing he received from the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah, the Amal party and their allies. Bechara Al-Rahi, the Maronite Patriarch, on Sunday urged all political parties to cooperate with Diab and facilitate the formation of a rescue emergency government.
Protesters have demonstrated in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon against Diab, saying he should abandon the post because he is a member of the ruling elite. Demonstrators blame the ruling elite for widespread corruption and mismanagement in Lebanon.
Open Letter to US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo From Tom Harb & John Hajjar, AMCD co-chairs Addressing Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale’s Visit Beirut
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/81759/open-letter-to-us-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-from-tom-harb-john-hajjar-amcd-co-chairs-addressing-under-secretary-of-state-for-political-affairs-david-hales-visit-beirut/
The Honorable Mike Pompeo Secretary of State Department of State
2201 C St., NW
Washington, DC 20520
Ref: Lebanese protests, Ambassador Hale, PM Hassan Diab
Dear Mr. Secretary,
After two months of protests, the current Lebanese government has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of the people. The Lebanese economy continues its downward spiral under the current leadership and economic hardship helps to fuel the protests.
This instability has created new opportunities for the US to help shape a new government. Unfortunately, though we fully support the message he delivered, the optics of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale meeting at the residence of prominent Hezbollah-ally Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil have caused hurt and frustration to those in the streets risking their lives for the sake of a free Lebanon.
We have fresh information that a campaign to intimidate and in some cases to terrorize activists is now underway. The Lebanese authorities must be sternly reminded that they have a duty to protect the protests and warned that they will be held accountable if activists come to harm.
We recommend that US aid only be given to fully-vetted NGOs in Lebanon and not be given through the Lebanese government. It would be better to not give any aid because it is ending up in the hands of our enemies.
Unsurprisingly, the Iran lobby is waging a pressure campaign in Washington against US policy toward Lebanon, which you are so clearly and forcefullly articulating. Iran is working not only against US interests, but against the interests of the Lebanese and all freedom-loving people in the region.
Therefore, we urge you to issue a press release from Washington expressing concern about the incoming Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, as his nomination came from Hezbollah. In his past position as Minister of Education, he worked to implement Iran’s dictates over Lebanese education, a dangerous matter both for Lebanon and the US.
We also urge you to announce that no US aid, neither military nor humanitarian, will be allowed to go to Hezbollah entities, allies, or entities that are benefiting Hezbollah.
We also request that you meet with activists from the Lebanon Protests, who are now being subjected to harsh treatment by Lebanese security agencies acting on behalf of Hezbollah. We are ready and willing to assist you and the administration to reach out to these activists.
Yours Sincerely,
Tom Harb & John Hajjar AMCD co-chairs
Christmas Thought of the Day
Father James Farfaglia/December 25/2019
Christmas Thought of the Day: Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king who loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived, and he wanted particularly to know about their hardships. Often dressed in the clothes of a worker or a beggar, he visited the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited even thought he might be their ruler.
Once he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate, and he spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left.
Later when he visited the poor man again, he disclosed his identity saying, “I am your king!” Then the king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he did not.
Instead, he said, “You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!”
This is the true meaning of Christmas.
Had our greatest need been knowledge, God would have sent us an educator. Had that greatest need been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. So too had our greatest need been for money, God would have sent us an economist. Had our greatest need been for pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But, because our greatest need was for love and the full understanding of true love, he God sent us a Savior who is all love.
Despite the tragedies that man inflicts upon man, the goodness of man prevails because the God-Man Jesus Christ overcame evil. The tomb is empty.
Tragedies exist; evil exists; bad things happen precisely because man rejects God. Our modern times are marked by a general rejection of God thus causing the terrible chaos that we see in the news each day.
The terrible problems that challenge the world this Christmas are not really a God problem, they are our problems. How do we respond?
The imminent failure of Lebanon’s new prime minister
Hassan Diab will likely oversee Lebanon’s final political, social and economic collapse.
Imad K Harb/Al Jazeera/December 25/2019
On December 19, Lebanese President Michel Aoun named Hassan Diab as the country’s next prime minister after a slew of candidates for the position failed to receive enough political support.
Diab had been put forward by Hezbollah and its allies in the Lebanese parliament, among them Speaker Nabih Berri’s AMAL Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) headed by the president’s son-in-law and foreign minister, Gebran Bassil.
Immediately after Diab was named, and despite the latter’s assurances that he will form a government that addresses the many problems facing the country, protests broke out in the streets decrying the formation of what is considered a Hezbollah government that will aim to abort the ongoing uprising.
The protesters have demanded the end of the sectarian system and the appointment of a politically independent premier who would form a government of unaffiliated experts and technocrats to write a new electoral law and conduct early parliamentary elections. So far, they have failed to realise these demands.
But even according to the power-sharing system in use today, where the prime minister has to be a Sunni Muslim, Diab is not likely to succeed. Having scant support among his Sunni community and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Bloc in parliament, he lacks the political backing to be a strong prime minister vis-a-vis President Aoun and the Hezbollah-AMAL alliance.
Protesters doubt his ability to address their demands of fighting corruption and it is hard to see how Diab will be able to manage the panoply of political and economic troubles the country faces. Domestic, regional and international circumstances make his political success unlikely.
Domestic troubles
Since the 1975-1990 civil war and following the ignominious withdrawal of Syrian troops in 2005, Lebanon has witnessed divisions, confrontations and frequent stalemate. The last three years, however, have been especially troublesome.
The October 2016 political deal which gave Aoun the presidency in exchange for Hariri getting the premiership became increasingly hard to maintain as the president, supported by Hezbollah, deprived his prime minister of his prerogatives as chief executive.
Ever the opponent of the 1989 Taif Accords, which charted the post-civil war period and strengthened the position of the prime minister, Aoun has, since becoming president, tried to restore the powers of the Maronite president in the executive branch, such as choosing ministers. This came on top of Hariri’s troubles running an unwieldy government of national unity.
Today, Diab – an academic who has never run for public office or built a political base of his own – is at the mercy of the same Hezbollah-AMAL-FPM alliance without much discernible support from his own community. He thus starts his tenure limping, as protesters in the street are demanding the appointment of a strong leader who represents a popular base and who is capable of fighting corruption and nepotism.
The immediate impact of Diab’s institutional weakness will manifest itself in his expected inability to curb Hezbollah’s power and influence in state institutions. Like Hariri and others before him, Diab will also fail to check the party’s status as an armed militia with independent decision-making and a state within the state.
With Hezbollah claiming the current street protests were inspired by outsiders, mostly the United States, to weaken “the resistance”, it is impossible to imagine that it will assist its choice for prime minister in reasserting the Lebanese state’s primacy over all factions in the country.
Equally problematic for Diab will be dealing with the country’s teetering economy. Ratings agency Fitch has recently downgraded the country’s credit rating and warned that Lebanon is either going to restructure its debt, which amounts to 150 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), or default on it.
This year Lebanon’s public debt reached $86bn, while its budget deficit remained at 11 percent. Restructuring or defaulting will be calamitous considering the lack of trust of outside investors, the absence of funds to stimulate the economy, and the limited impact of any action by Lebanon’s Central Bank, which has so far instituted some monetary changes to try to halt the decline.
Furthermore, a weak prime minister and government can offer no concrete solution to the rampant corruption that has beset Lebanon for decades and led to the current uprising.
Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index ranks Lebanon 138 out of 180 countries. Corruption permeates state institutions, the bureaucracy, and even the parliament, making Diab’s job extremely difficult.
The same goes for necessary efforts to reform state agencies and the judiciary where entrenched interests coincide with political power to protect influential personalities and politicians.
Regional scepticism
While Lebanon’s troubles and street demonstrations are caused primarily by domestic dynamics, the country’s regional environment exacerbates the situation.
Bereft of a strong position within his Sunni community, Diab lacks the basic characteristic for attracting support from regional powers, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Even Hariri, who inherited his father Rafiq’s connections in the Gulf and other parts of the Arab world, had difficulties maintaining good relations with Riyadh after his 2016 deal with Aoun and Hezbollah.
In November 2017, the Saudis even put him under house arrest in Riyadh and forced him to resign before French President Emmanuel Macron intervened.
Regionally, Diab’s premiership will be viewed as part of the tug of war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as the latter scored yet another victory in Lebanon with his appointment. Granted, the kingdom and the Islamic Republic may be testing the possibility of patching things up, but Riyadh still resents Tehran’s influence in Beirut through Hezbollah.
The reluctance of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to fund Lebanon at this crucial time is another obstacle for Diab to surmount. Their financial assistance in the form of deposits in the Central Bank, for instance, could restore investors’ trust and encourage the bank to increase liquidity in the domestic market.
But for them to do so, Diab needs to dissipate doubt about his relationship with Hezbollah and to show that he can be independent of the party’s bidding – a rather unlikely scenario given his institutional weakness.
International reluctance
Looking at the international scene, it is also difficult to see how Diab can muster enough political and economic support for his mission. While many actors value their relationship with Lebanon and understand the country’s political dilemmas, they remain convinced that its troubles can only be solved if protesters’ demands are addressed directly.
A conference convened in Paris on December 11 failed to reach agreement on financial assistance to the country so long as it does not have a functioning government committed to reform. Without such assistance, all bets are off that things will be better in the foreseeable future.
After Diab forms his government, he is likely to run into some very unpleasant circumstances. While the US may want to go easy on the prime minister-designate, his association with Hezbollah is likely to at the very least dampen any American enthusiasm for his government.
On December 20, US Assistant Secretary of State David Hale paid a visit to Lebanon and met the country’s leaders but remained uncommitted to providing blanket support, instead diplomatically stating that the US has no say in the formation of the government.
On the same day, Aoun asked Diab to form a government, Germany’s parliament passed a resolution calling for a ban on Hezbollah activities on German soil. This could affect relations between Berlin and any Lebanese government perceived to be cooperating with the party.
Similar bans have been adopted by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the US and Canada. While France has tiptoed around a decisive break with Hezbollah and Iran, President Macron cannot break with the US, Germany, the UK, and others to offer help to Diab.
Diab’s association with Hezbollah and loss of political and financial support from influential international actors will stymie his ability to address the dire economic situation. This will likely increase the party’s and Iran’s influence on Lebanese politics, thus only exacerbating Diab’s and the country’s problems.
Diab likely to preside over collapse
Although Diab has asserted that his government will be independent and made up of experts, demonstrators see it as beholden to Hezbollah.
President Aoun and his allies Hezbollah and AMAL know that Diab does not have the support of a specific political bloc and, therefore, has no chance of success in fulfilling the demands of the Lebanese protest movement.
He may only have been chosen because he is no threat to the current president and will not try to limit Hezbollah’s influence in state institutions.
Diab will probably soon have the distinct misfortune of presiding over the final political, economic and social collapse of Lebanon. While he will be able to find a majority in parliament that can help him shepherd a limited reform programme – the same majority that helped him get the post – he will not be able to mollify the Lebanese public which sees no hope in the current political system.
Simultaneously, his association with Hezbollah is unlikely to raise the regional and international communities’ interest in helping his government undertake the radical economic programme the country needs to correct its path forward.
His tenure, however long it will be, will thus be yet another episode of the type of failed governance which the Lebanese people have been protesting against since October.
Perhaps the time has come for Lebanon’s current elites to allow for the change demonstrators are demanding: an overhaul of the political and economic systems that can pave the road for a more modern polity and more equitable society.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
*Imad K HarbImad K Harb is Director of Research and Analysis at Arab Center Washington DC.
Hezbollah-designated prime minister a recipe for increased unrest
Randa Takieddine/Arab News/December 25/2019
Protests in Lebanon continued after the nomination of Hassan Diab, a Sunni former education minister, to be the country’s new prime minister.
His designation by Lebanese President Michel Aoun was contested by protesters and the Sunni community, many of whom continue to insist their demands for an independent prime minister who was never part of a government be upheld.
Diab, who has worked as the American University of Beirut’s (AUB) vice president for regional external programsand as a professor of electricalengineering, was an education minister in the Nagib Mikati government in 2011, which was formed by Hezbollah and the Aounist party after they organized the downfall of Saad Hariri’s government.
Diab boasted in his 134-page bio about “international and national institutions having recognized my achievements as outstanding contributions to the field of education.” He also wrote in his CV: “I was the only AUB professor administrator in the history of AUB to become (a) minister.” Presumably he was unaware of the existence of late writer and journalist Ghassan Tueini, Bassel Fuleihan, who was assassinated alongside late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, or Ghassan Salame and Jihad Azour, all of whom were both ministers and AUB professors.
His quick designation by Aoun after Hariri refused to head a technocrat government of national unity was the outcome of a brokered deal between Hezbollah and the president’s son in law, Gebran Bassil. Only six Sunni deputies designated him, all close to Hezbollah and Syrian regime allies. Sunni supporters of Hariri, though, took to the streets and protested violently at the nomination.
With the ongoing protests in various cities across Lebanon and with Aoun, Bassil and Hezbollah frustrated, the forming of a government by Diab is going to be near impossible.
Despite calls from Hariri himself for protestors to stand down, the demonstrations turned ugly, and in some cases violent, with the security services targeted by the mob. Many protesters appeared in front of the heavily guarded residence of the new prime minister — demanding an independent prime minister instead. During the parliamentary consultations with various parties, Diab said he would need six to eight weeks to form a government of 20 independent specialists. Many, though, simply do not trust him to follow through when backed by Aoun and Hezbollah.
Hariri’s party, the Future Movement, has said it will not participate in his government. The Lebanese Forces Party headed by Samir Geagea said the same thing. The socialists, headed by Walid Joumblatt, designated former Lebanese Ambassador to the UN Nawaf Salam instead.
It has created a recipe for future confrontation, with Salam a highly respected independent personality who belongs to a prominent Sunni family of politicians (his late uncle, Saeb, and cousinTammam Salam, both held the office of prime minister). Hezbollah has claimed Nawaf is supported by the US — an assertion many flat out refuse to accept as anything other than a smear.
With the ongoing protests in various cities across Lebanon and with Aoun, Bassil and Hezbollah frustrated, the forming of a government by Diab is going to be near impossible. He will not be able to satisfy the people’s demands, nor those of major foreign powers who pledged in Paris under the chairmanship of France to support Lebanon if and when a credible efficient government is formed. US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale visited Beirut last week, to stress the same message. But the question is, how credible can a government tailored by this trio be, having failed since 2011 to supply even basic services? After nearly a decade of failure, Lebanon is on the brink of collapse. It needs international support badly — and Diab’s appointment, failing to unite the country, will not lead to that.
*Randa Takieddine is a Paris-based Lebanese journalist who headed Al-Hayat’s bureau in France for 30 years. She has covered France’s relations with the Middle East through the terms of four presidents.
