A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For February 29-March 01/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 136th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
March 01/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 29-March 01/2020
Hezbollah Members Among those Killed in Syria’s Saraqeb
Nine Hezbollah members killed, 30 wounded in Turkish strike in Syria: Source
Seven confirmed coronavirus cases in Lebanon
Lebanon Closes Educational Institutions as Precaution against Coronavirus
Hassan Orders Closure of Daycares over Virus Threat
Deryan Hails Saudi Decision Barring Entry to Holy Cities
SA Advises Nationals against Travel to Lebanon over Coronavirus Threat
Naharnet/February 29/2020
One Soldier Killed in an Ambush in Hermel
Lebanese Cabinet Pledges Not to Become Part of ‘Policy of Axis’
Protesters throw stones, fire crackers at the security forces near Parliament entrance
Lebanese Army reminds of ‘peaceful demonstration’
Attacks on journalists, photographers at Beirut Municipality Street
“It would be preferable if journalists are spared the attacks,” says Abdel Samad
Reform almost impossible,’ says Jumblatt
Lebanon: Experts Call for Selling Part of Gold Reserves to Restructure Economy/Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 29/2020
Lebanon to Take Decision on Eurobonds Next Week
Chinese student in Lebanon complains about being subjected to abuse after coronavirus spread
As coronavirus cases traced to Iran travel, Lebanese call for air link suspension/Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/February 29/2020
Is this the end of Lebanon’s thawra or just the beginning?/Gareth Smyth/The Arab Weekly/February 29/2020
Welcome, Coronavirus… Remember us!/Rajeh Khoury/Asharq Al Awsat/February 29/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 29-March 01/2020
Hezbollah Members Among those Killed in Syria’s Saraqeb
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 29 February, 2020
Turkish ground and air strikes on Syrian regime forces and their allies in northwest Syria’s Idlib have killed 48 pro-Damascus soldiers, including Hezbollah members, in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday. Among those killed in the strategic eastern Idlib city of Saraqeb are 12 members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and two of its commanders, the Observatory said. But a commander in the regional alliance backing the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, said that the Turkish strikes on northwest Syria late on Friday killed nine Hezbollah members and wounded 30 others. He said on Saturday that the strikes targeted Hezbollah headquarters near Saraqeb, using smart missiles and drones. According to the monitor, Syrian regime and Russian warplanes continued airstrikes on Saturday on Saraqeb, a focal point of intensified fighting in recent days between Turkish-backed fighters and Damascus. The opposition fighters retook the city from government forces Thursday, cutting off a key highway just days after the regime reopened it for the first time since 2012.»
Nine Hezbollah members killed, 30 wounded in Turkish strike in Syria: Source
Reuters, Beirut Saturday, 29 February 2020
Turkish strikes on northwest Syria late on Friday killed nine members of Iran-backed Hezbollah and wounded 30 others, a commander of a group backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said. The commander said on Saturday that the Turkish strikes targeted Hezbollah headquarters near the city of Saraqib in Idlib, a flashpoint of fighting in recent days, using smart missiles and drones.
Seven confirmed coronavirus cases in Lebanon
Perla Kantarjian/Annahar/February 29/2020
The Ministry of Health urged all people arriving from countries with coronavirus outbreak to completely adhere to home quarantine and in the case of any symptoms showing, to call the following number: +961 76 592699.
BEIRUT: Three new confirmed Coronavirus cases in Lebanon have emerged, increasing the number of COVID-19 patients at the Rafic Hariri University Hospital to a total of seven. The Ministry of Health confirmed the number on Saturday and said that the new cases are people who were in contact with the previously reported cases. According to recent RHUH statements, the three new cases were admitted to the quarantine section for treatment, the first being the wife of the coronavirus patient of Iranian nationality, and the other two being the son and friend of the coronavirus patient of Syrian nationality. Additionally, the hospital disclosed that the very first two cases infected with the coronavirus have a stable health condition and are in the isolation unit receiving the necessary treatment. However, the patient of Iranian nationality, an elderly who suffers from chronic diseases, has an unstable condition and is currently receiving the required treatment. In its daily report, the RHUH also announced that it had received 33 cases in the emergency unit during the past 24 hours, all of whom were subjected to the necessary medical tests, and of whom 16 had to be admitted to the quarantine section, while the rest were to be placed under home quarantine, based on the assessment of the supervising doctor. The Hospital report on the latest updates regarding coronavirus also revealed that the 17 cases that were previously held in quarantine were released today and were advised to remain under home quarantine after receiving all the necessary instructions and means of protection in accordance with the World Health Organization directions, and after they were tested twice for the coronavirus and the result was negative in both times. According to the report, there are currently 33 cases present in the RHUH quarantine section whose laboratory test results came out negative. The Ministry of Health urged all people arriving from countries with coronavirus outbreak to completely adhere to home quarantine and in the case of any symptoms showing, to call the following number: +961 76 592699.
Also, Qatar reported Saturday its first coronavirus case, marking it the latest Middle Eastern country to be dealing with the outbreak.
Lebanon Closes Educational Institutions as Precaution against Coronavirus
Naharnet/February 29/2020
Education Minister Tarek al-Majzoub on Friday ordered the closure of all educational institutions in the country for a week as a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The minister said the decision was taken “out of keenness on the health of students and their families, after consultations this evening with Health Minister Dr. Hamad Hasan and as a precautionary measure.” Majzoub said the decision applies to all private and public kindergartens, schools, secondary schools, vocational institutes and universities, adding that the closure begins Saturday, Feb. 29 and ends on the evening of Sunday, March 8. “The health developments would then be assessed to take the appropriate decision. Through awareness and cooperation we can overcome all crises,” Mjazoub added. Lebanon had earlier on Friday confirmed its fourth coronavirus case, identifying the person infected as a Syrian woman. The woman along with two Lebanese women and an elderly Iranian man are being quarantined at the Rafik Hariri state-run hospital. The first three patients had arrived on two planes from Iran earlier this month.
Hassan Orders Closure of Daycares over Virus Threat
Naharnet/February 29/2020
Health Minister Hamad Hassan on Saturday ordered the closure of daycare centers in Lebanon starting February 29 and ending March 8 as a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the National News Agency reported. Hassan’s move came one day after Education Minister Tarek al-Majzoub ordered the closure of all educational facilities and institutions for the same reason. Lebanon had earlier on Friday confirmed its fourth coronavirus case, identifying the person infected as a Syrian woman. The woman along with two Lebanese women and an elderly Iranian man are being quarantined at the Rafik Hariri state-run hospital. The first three patients had arrived on two planes from Iran earlier this month.
Deryan Hails Saudi Decision Barring Entry to Holy Cities
Naharnet/February 29/2020
Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan hailed Saudi Arabia’s decision banning entry to Islam’s holiest cities amid fears over the new coronavirus, the National News Agency said on Saturday. Daryan said he supports the “precautionary measures” taken by Saudi Arabia “within the Sharia law which is keen on the safety of pilgrims coming from around the globe” that temporarily banned entry to its territories against coronavirus threat. On Friday, Saudi Arabia barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council from entering two of Islam’s holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, amid fears over the virus. The kingdom also suspended visas for the year-round “umrah” pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia has so far reported no coronavirus cases but there are mounting concerns over a spike in infections across the Middle East, including neighbouring Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.
SA Advises Nationals against Travel to Lebanon over Coronavirus Threat
Naharnet/February 29/2020
Saudi Arabia on Saturday called on Saudi nationals to postpone unnecessary travel to Lebanon amid concerns over coronavirus. The Saudi Embassy also called on its nationals in Lebanon to stay away from crowded places, take the necessary precautions, and reach out to the embassy whenever they need help. Lebanon had confirmed its fourth coronavirus case on Friday. The country took precautionary measures closing down all its educational institutions and daycare centers for one week until March 8.
One Soldier Killed in an Ambush in Hermel
Naharnet/February 29/2020
One member of the Lebanese Army was killed and a second was injured on Saturday in an ambush in the al-Shawagir area in Hermel, the National News Agency reported on Saturday. A statement released by the Army’s Orientation Directorate said the two soldiers were heading via their vehicle to visit someone in Hermel, when their car was ambushed by gunmen. One of the soldiers was killed and a second was injured, added NNA. The perpetrators headed to an unknown destination. Army units deployed in the area and began investigations to track them down, said the agency.
Lebanese Cabinet Pledges Not to Become Part of ‘Policy of Axis’
Beirut – Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 29 February, 2020
The Lebanese cabinet announced on Friday that it refuses to become a part of the “policy of axis”, pledging to keep the country away from foreign conflicts. “We will not become part of the policy of axis because Lebanon has decided to dissociate itself from them. However, we will always stand by our brotherly Arab states the same way they always support Lebanon,” the government said. The cabinet also underscored its “independence”, saying it will not become embroiled in political disputes. “We say it loud, our work is not political. We do not want to become part of any political dispute with any party, but we seek to work as one team without eliminating the right of any minister to express his opinion or to object to any decision at the cabinet table,” it said. The cabinet convened on Friday for a session chaired by President Michel Aoun at the Baabda presidential palace. It announced it would resume discussing urgent grade one appointments approved in 2010 after some amendments are introduced by a committee that is expected to be formed for completing this task.Commenting on the appointments, Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad said it was necessary to adopt a clear and transparent mechanism, independently of all parties. “Efficiency should be the only criterion,” she told reporters after the meeting. Asked whether Prime Minister Hassan Diab is planning on embarking on a tour of Arab countries, she replied: “Currently, we are focusing on solving the financial crisis. But, of course, when resolving this issue, the government will seek to cooperate with Arab states to help Lebanon. We know that the Arabs have never abandoned us and will never abandon us.” Separately, head of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea called on the government Friday to implement a comprehensive reform plan “because the people and the international and Arab communities must regain the minimum level of confidence in the state.”
Protesters throw stones, fire crackers at the security forces near Parliament entrance
NNA/February 29/2020
A clash occurred between demonstrators at the entrance to the Parliament Council in Central Beirut this evening, as some protesters continued to throw fire crackers and stones at the security forces whilst others called on them via loudspeakers to stop these actions and keep their movement peaceful, NNA correspondent reported. However, these calls went futile, as protesters intensified their stone-throwing, breaking marble pieces from the walls of the streets and shops within the vicinity.
Lebanese Army reminds of ‘peaceful demonstration’
NNA/February 29/2020
The Lebanese Army Command reiterated, in a tweet this evening, the need to maintain “the peacefulness of demonstrations and expression of opinion,” stressing that “the infringement on public and private property does not fall within the framework of freedom of expression.”
It also highlighted the need to respect the directives given by the units in charge of preserving security and safety.
Attacks on journalists, photographers at Beirut Municipality Street
NNANNA/February 29/2020
Clashes continued among protesters at the entrance to the Parliament House along Beirut Municipality Street this evening, amid attacks on a number of photographers and journalists, forcing them not to report the on-ground events, NNA correspondent reported from downtown Beirut.
“It would be preferable if journalists are spared the attacks,” says Abdel Samad
NNA/February 29/2020
Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najd, condemned in an issued statement this evening, the attack on journalists and photographers in downtown Beirut today, saying: “They have no fault except that they are carrying out their duty in the service of the word and the profession.””It would be preferable if media correspondents are spared any abuse or aggression…They are messengers, so let us respect them,” urged Abdel Samad.
Reform almost impossible,’ says Jumblatt
NNA/February 29/2020
Progressive Socialist Party Chief, Walid Jumblatt, tweeted Saturday on the prevailing situation, saying: “Some insist on analyzing and theorizing my stance towards the current mandate…My answer is that it has become secondary and of no value, since reform is almost impossible!”
Jumblatt added that the most important thing at this stage is “to harness all capabilities to protect citizens from the rapid spread of the Coronavirus, and that the Ministry of Health be given the necessary and quickest support needed.”
Lebanon: Experts Call for Selling Part of Gold Reserves to Restructure Economy
Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 29/2020
With the deterioration of economic conditions to unprecedented levels, Lebanese officials are looking into the possibility to rescheduling the public debt and to set up plans with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revitalize the economy. Attention is also turning to the country’s gold reserves, which have so far been regarded as a red line and the sole guarantee for the stability of the local currency against the US dollar. A few years ago, talks about selling gold reserves to pay part of the public debt constituted a taboo. Today, economic and financial experts are proposing it to stop a financial collapse.
The president of Information International – a Beirut-based research and statistics company – said: “It is time to think about using gold to restructure the economy, protect people and preserve our sovereignty, provided that we do not waste it to pay the debt or to finance squandering; it should be part of a comprehensive plan.”
“Why don’t we start with gold in New York?”, referring to some part of Lebanon’s gold reserves in the United States. Ghassan Ayyash, former deputy governor of the central bank pointed out that for a long time, gold reserves were seen as a guarantee of the Lebanese pound and its stability.
“This was true when the size of gold was proportional to the size of the monetary mass and the existing GDP, and when the global monetary system was based on gold coverage of currencies,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. He continued: “As the size of the monetary mass has swelled and the coverage in gold has become insufficient, there is no doubt that the gold reserve is no longer a guarantee for the currency peg.” Ayyash noted that selling a portion of it, after a large part of the reserves in foreign currencies was wasted, “might partly help rebuild the cash reserve of the central bank, which was used to finance the trade balance and the demand for foreign currencies.” “If we sell a portion of gold for about $7 billion within a comprehensive reform program, this may be part of the solution, even if we still need banks,” he remarked. Ironically, Lebanon, which tops the list of indebted countries in the world in proportion to its GDP after Japan, is among the first twenty states worldwide that possess the largest reserves of gold, about 286.6 tons of gold valued at $16 billion. Lebanon began collecting gold a few years after the independence in 1943 until 1971. With the outbreak of the civil war in 1975, Lebanon transferred to the US State of Kentucky part of its gold reserves to protect it, as many other countries did.
Lebanon to Take Decision on Eurobonds Next Week
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 29/2020
Lebanon will take a decision on its Eurobonds — including one maturing on March 9 — in the coming week, information minister Manal Abdel Samad Najd said on Friday. Heavily indebted Lebanon must decide whether to repay a $1.2 billion Eurobond due on March 9 amid a deep financial crisis and dollar crunch that has led to strict capital controls and raised concerns about a default among investors. “In terms of the Eurobond maturities, we are continuing to study the options available in front of us and we have not yet taken any decision on this,” said Najd. “The coming week will be critical in terms of the decision before the March maturity date.”A government source said on Thursday that Lebanon would seek a seven-day grace period ahead of the March 9 maturity, a move financial sources said made it more likely the government would look to restructure the March bond. Beirut this week appointed US investment bank Lazard and law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as its financial and legal advisers on the widely expected debt restructuring. Najd said Prime Minister Hassan Diab would look to make his first trip to an Arab state during the second half of March, without specifying what country.
Lebanon has so far failed to win financial support from Western and Gulf Arab states who have made any help conditional on Beirut enacting economic reforms.
Chinese student in Lebanon complains about being subjected to abuse after coronavirus spread
Arab News/March 01/2020
DUBAI: A Chinese student, who is currently residing in Lebanon, said he is subjected to negative comments in streets due to the spread of coronavirus, which started in his home country. “I understand your fear of the virus, but I can’t bear the name-calling,” the students said in the video. Amir Wang moved to Lebanon around six months ago, and was very happy to live and study there. He lives in a town called Shhim, south-east of Beirut in the Chouf region. However, the spread of COVID19 changed his feelings about living in the Levantine country. In a video posted on social media, Wang explained that some people get scared of him and avoid him, while others actually call him ‘corona’ as a slur to offend him. He pleaded by saying such negative behavior will not benefit anyone, but shows that those who do it lack conscience, manners and humanity. “China is our mother, and she is sick… would it be okay for me to call you or your mother names if she were sick?” Wang added.
As coronavirus cases traced to Iran travel, Lebanese call for air link suspension
Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/February 29/2020
An art exhibition just closed at the Sursock Museum in Beirut. It o
BEIRUT- Lebanon confirmed three cases of the coronavirus and linked all, including an Iranian man, to Iran, prompting the Lebanese government to suspend travel from countries reporting infections of the disease.
People demonstrated outside the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, calling for an immediate suspension of air traffic with Iran and other infected areas, a move the government initially resisted and that supporters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah slammed as politically motivated.
“As if what Iran is sending to Lebanon and the Lebanese is not enough, so it sent us coronavirus,” said an editorial on the local MTV station, a harsh critic of Iran and Hezbollah, in an apparent reference to weapons Tehran sends to the group. “Thank you, Iran for allowing a jet carrying people infected with coronavirus to enter our airspace. Is this the way countries cooperate and is this the help that you promised Lebanon?” the editorial asked.
It alluded to a recent visit to Lebanon by Iranian parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who said Tehran was ready to help Lebanon address its worst economic crisis in decades.
The first two coronavirus cases involved women returning from a week-long pilgrimage to Qom. The third case was on a February 24 flight from Iran. They were all quarantined at a special ward at Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut.
The government’s decision to “ban air, land and sea travel for individuals coming from China, South Korea, Iran, Italy and other places,” exempted Lebanese nationals and foreigners residing in Lebanon. A statement by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport said Lebanon could ban travel from other countries infected with the virus when seen necessary.
Dr Abdel Rahman Bizri, a specialist in infectious diseases and among physicians advising the Ministry of Public Health on measures to face the infection, said the group suggested procedures that the government implemented partially. “The government has not accepted some of the measures we have proposed, such as isolating all travellers from infected places even if they did not show symptoms of the disease, suspending all flights linking Lebanon to the infected areas immediately and having stricter control on the application of self-isolation at home,” Bizri said.
While travellers showing symptoms at Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport or land crossings with Syria were being quarantined for two weeks, others are given medical instructions and asked to isolate themselves at their homes.
Relying on self-isolation is not the best and most effective solution, Bizri said. “It requires a very close follow-up and monitoring of potential cases by the Ministry of Health, a key role by the municipalities, the civil society as well as the security forces to help implement the measure and also big awareness and responsibility by the concerned persons,” Bizri said, adding, “the latest case (the Iranian man), for instance, has not abided by the rule of self-isolation. This is a problem because you have to be disciplined and not all people are.”
“If you want to prevent the spread of the virus in an effective way, you have to isolate all the people coming from infected areas. If you want to have them stay at home, you have to convince them and enforce their self-isolation. This necessitates a serious and strong approach by the government,” Bizri said.
Planes from infected areas are directed away from the terminal and passengers proceed through a specific passage, where they are checked by a Health Ministry team. The government also tightened control at the main land crossing from Syria used by many Shia pilgrims who travel to holy sites in Qom on cheaper flights from Damascus. While supporters of groups opposed to Hezbollah blame Iran for the introduction of the virus into Lebanon, non-partisans said Iran should be singled out the same way as other infected parts of the world.
“The virus did not come specifically from Iran, which was infected like Italy and other countries,” said Randa Imad, a mother of three. “However, I believe the Iranians did not reveal the cases they have for some time, until it was not possible to keep them secret anymore.”
“I blame Iran for not disclosing the infection earlier. This could have averted travelling there by many Lebanese,” Imad added.
Compared with other countries in the region, the virus occurrence in Lebanon is considered acceptable or mild, Bizri said.
“We need to have daily evaluation of the effectiveness of the precautionary measures and change them if need be, because the consequences of people’s return from infected areas will continue to appear,” he said.
The virus has infected more than 80,000 globally, killing at least 2,700.
Is this the end of Lebanon’s thawra or just the beginning?
Gareth Smyth/The Arab Weekly/February 29/2020
An art exhibition just closed at the Sursock Museum in Beirut. It opened October 17, the same day the thawra (“revolution”) began as protests erupted on Lebanon’s streets.
“At the Still Point of the Turning World, There is the Dance,” listed among the world’s top 15 exhibitions in 2019 by New York magazine Hyperallergic, focused on painters and poets in 1960s and 1970s Lebanon but it resonated among Lebanese too young to remember those times.
Co-curator Carla Chammas agreed that the show sparked nostalgia but that its echoes are louder. “[In the period covered] intellectuals, thinkers, politicians and artists cohabited and exchanged ideas with a spirit of camaraderie, curiosity and creativity,” she said. “The thawra has brought people together in a similar way.”Might the exhibition’s closure coincide with the end of thawra? Activities around tents in Beirut and street protests have tailed off and many observers have switched focus to the financial crisis as the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab hosts advisers from the International Monetary Fund and frets over whether to repay a $1.2 billion Eurobond due March 9.
Protesters, who precipitated Saad Hariri’s resignation as prime minister in October, are equally dissatisfied with Diab, who dismissed their demands for early elections. Those cynical about the thawra point out that parliamentary and municipal polls are not due until 2022 and that this is unlikely to change, given that the Diab government has a majority in parliament with support from the two Shia parties, Amal and Hezbollah, and from the Free Patriotic Movement, the Christian party founded by Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
Chibli Mallat, Lebanese law professor and author of the 2005 book “Philosophy of Nonviolence,” said the naysayers miss the point.
“When the garbage crisis took place three summers ago, 4 million Lebanese became experts in rubbish disposal,” he said. “Now, everybody is becoming an expert in banking and on the constitution. The citizen is so directly affected that he or she feels the need to understand the roots of the crisis.”
Mallat pointed to a plethora of lectures, meetings and discussions taking place across the country. Originally impromptu, slowly more organised through social media, these are becoming more settled. Subjects are as diverse as banking, the constitution, gender violence and sectarianism.
Some working in art and culture are organising under the umbrella of a larger group called Professional Women and Men.
“At this stage, we’re discussing and trying to agree on a mission statement,” said a 50-something participant. “We’re communicating, networking, things are evolving but there are already two active subgroups, one working on a reform plan for existing syndicates and the other on media productions to express the group’s views.”
Similar sentiments come from a 30-year-old Lebanese in Europe who joined protests with friends on a recent visit to Lebanon.
“I see a big change in people,” he said. “They no longer endure arbitrary authority, whether in politics or banking, as something they can do nothing about. The fact the current government appears fearless doesn’t mean that fear has not changed sides: that’s just the way these rulers operate.”
Thawra has been imaginative in propaganda of the deed. In December, chants of “Out! Out! Out!” drove former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora from a Christmas concert at the American University of Beirut. Public shaming includes disturbing politicians as they dine at up-market restaurants.
Protesters have highlighted the illegal usurpation of 180km of publicly owned seafront by well-connected developers. In November, picnickers congregated at Zaitunay Bay, a private development in Beirut aimed at wealthy tourists.
Women have been prominent throughout, as have once-obscure demands such as judicial independence. Protesters, even in January’s “week of rage,” have overwhelmingly opted for non-violence. Even a spate of attacks on ATMs in January quickly died out, not just because of extra bank security but due to public revulsion. Mallat argued thawra is taking up not just the themes of regional protests in 2011-12 but of the Nahda (“Awakening”) of the late 19th century, which arguably began in Beirut when in 1863 Boutros Boustany opened Al-Madrasa Al-Wataniyya (the National School) to foster citizenship regardless of sect. “We didn’t have the phrase dawla madiniya (“civil government”) during the Nahda,” said Mallat. “It emerged in Egypt in 2011. We don’t want to use the word ‘secular’ because it’s not ours. A ‘civil state’ doesn’t mean anything in classical political theory but the revolution is inventive.”
Mallat argued that Lebanon is part of a wider awakening. “Across the region, there is a process of enlightenment, a search for something different,” he said. “The vibrancy is stunning. Look at Saudi Arabia and the debate between Islamic feminists and the literalists of the Hanbali tradition. If you’re on an Iraqi Whatsapp, you can have 30 or 40 messages before you wake up in the morning.”
*Gareth Smyth has covered Middle Eastern affairs for 20 years and was chief correspondent for The Financial Times in Iran.
Welcome, Coronavirus… Remember us!
Rajeh Khoury/Asharq Al Awsat/February 29/2020
In the past weeks, the coronavirus has been taking the world by storm. The news coming from Wuhan and the photos of victims and nurses wearing protective suits looking like aliens, and victims being taken to isolation was all over the media.
The Lebanese Minister of Health in the “technocrat government”, Dr. Mohammad Hassan, however, went to the airport in Beirut and conducted a televised tour and show. He did not hesitate in saying that there was no reason for panic, for everything is being monitored and is under control, and anyway, Lebanon has the cure for the virus.
This was confusing and astounding, “Lebanon has a vaccine?” How and when, while we read that Chinese, American and European scientists are working day and night to find a treatment for this virus that has started to look like a pandemic threatening the entire world? Perhaps Hassan took the matter very lightly that day, before the global state of panic, and thought that we are just facing a known case of influenza that has vaccines even in African caves.
Quickly, however, the matter started to look horrifying after a Lebanese woman posted a short video on Facebook talking about how she reached the airport in Beirut from China wearing a mask and entering the airport without being tested or examined. She was casually welcomed and went home to isolate herself for two weeks in her room and publish the video that caused a huge commotion that culminated in the Ministry of Health sending her an ambulance and transferring her to Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut and putting her in quarantine under observation.
Once again the Minister of Health became active and published a long series of reassuring statements, and went with a group of his ministry’s physicians to the airport to announce that there was no reason to panic, as all the necessary measures were being taken and Lebanon is free of any cases of coronavirus.
However, this did not end people’s confusion, precaution and suspicions, especially after virus-related developments dominated the media.
Panic was slowly drawing nearer, and suddenly ten days ago, an Iranian flight landed with 164 passengers with some of them having visited holy sites in Qom, and it was discovered that a woman on board had the virus. She was then transferred to Rafik Hariri Hospital for treatment. Hours later the story of utter negligence and lack of minimal responsibility from officials in the Lebanese government spread, against a backdrop of questions that Minister Hassan was unable to convincingly answer: First: If this woman was infected, how did the Iranian authorities allow her to board a 164-passenger flight? The Minister answered: Perhaps the authorities in Tehran were unaware that she was infected and allowed her to travel. Second: Great, if the woman started to suffer from the malaise on the flight why was the airport in Beirut not informed? The answer: Perhaps the captain was unaware. Third: After she was discovered to have a fever at the airport, how did you casually allow the rest of the passengers to go home? The answer was very strange and was from the passengers this time: The ongoing precautions were great as per the testimony of passengers who came from China and Iran who spread their testimonies on social media saying that they were asked: Do you have a fever? The answer was: No sir. Then they were allowed to leave.
The 164 passengers then went home and of course hugged their families and neighbors, and this great state did not try to summon them in fear that some of them may have the virus has a 14-day incubation period. The story does not stop there. In the past ten days, planes from Iran continue to land in Beirut and the authorities continue to hold onto their “Welcome” policy. One of the arriving passengers posted a video on Facebook, saying: “I’ve just arrived at the airport, awaiting my luggage, and nobody has tested me or asked me a single question… astonishing.”
Yes very astonishing, especially that the authorities were swamped in discussions about the necessity of stopping flights from countries with infections such as China and Iran among others, and masks were disappearing from the market while their prices suddenly jumped from LL2,500 to LL15,000. It then turned out that merchants exported 4 tons of masks and that some of them are hiding the rest, awaiting another hike in prices.
Before finally announcing the suspension of religious trips, flights were still arriving from Iran while a floor at Rafik Hariri Hospital was dedicated to infected patients. Then it was announced that the entire hospital was dedicated to these cases. On Wednesday, a second case from the same flight with the first case was announced. It was confirmed by a laboratory test and was from Iran. Flights from Tehran were not suspended, and this increased fears especially after news of rising number cases from Iran spread.
This pushed all countries neighboring Iran to stop flying there, including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq which closed their aerial and land borders with Iran. On Thursday, it was announced that 106 people were infected in Iran in 24 hours and that the number of people who have died reached 26 after the reformist Member of Parliament Mahmoud Sadiqi who was infected, wrote, “I do not have much hope to persist in this world”.
The Head of the National Security Committee in parliament, Muhtaba Di Nur, announced that he was also infected alongside the Deputy Minister of Health, Iraj Harichi. In the last two weeks, 200 people entered Lebanon from China without any precautions, and four times as many from Tehran. This poses a great danger as at least some of them may harbor the virus that has an incubation period of 14 days. Specialist doctors in Beirut say that the Lebanese people’s fears are justified and that the government was late in taking precautions and controlling movement of flights from countries with outbreaks.
The Minister of Health, however, continues to work based on “There is no need for panic”, after announcing that flights from countries with outbreaks are being controlled and that only urgently needed trips were being allowed after religious trips were suspended. What are these urgent needs though, while Bahrain announced on Thursday that all trips from and to Lebanon and Iraq were suspended until further notice? Despite there being many people who entered Lebanon from China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, and which raises panic levels among the Lebanese, the government was unable to say anything other than municipalities can monitor the cases that have returned for signs of infection. Consequently, many Lebanese are now very fearfully and cynically saying: Welcome, coronavirus, remember us!
