by Doreen Abi Raad

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Amid the turmoil in the
Middle East and persecution of Christians in surrounding countries, the
Christmas spirit is evident in Lebanon: sparkling lights, decorated
trees and even mangers in public places.

“Wherever you go you can find Christmas decorations,” even in the
cities and the places where the residents are Muslim, Maronite Father
Joseph Soueid told Catholic News Service. “I feel that here in Lebanon, we have this grace, that really, Jesus
is the reason for the season,” said the priest, pastor of St. Takla
Parish, which serves 6,850 Maronite Catholic families.

With seating for just 280 people, the church overflows with the
faithful for each of its eight Masses on Sundays and has generated 24
vocations in the past eight years. Its outdoor manger near the entrance
to the church is just a few steps away from a busy street intersection Soueid noted that because most of the municipalities in Lebanon are a
mix of Christian and Muslim, the influence of Christianity gives the
Lebanese an opportunity to “make this season a season of joy.”

Muslims also have attended and continue to attend Christian schools
in Lebanon. So it follows that “when they grew up, they found themselves
familiar with our traditions and with the way we celebrate our great
celebrations, like Christmas, like Easter,” Soueid said.

Samantha Power US Ambassador to the UN

By Jeremy Berke

The UN Security Council on Friday passed a resolution demanding
that Israel halt building settlements on occupied Palestinian
territory, a move that was permitted by the US’s abstention.

The resolution, put forward by by New Zealand, Malaysia,
Venezuela, and Senegal, passed with 14 members of the council
voting in favor. The US abstained, refusing to use its power as a
sitting member of the Security Council to veto. In doing so, the
Obama administration defied pressure from US President-elect
Donald Trump, along with bipartisan members of Congress. The resolution says that Israeli settlements in Palestinian
territories have “no legal validity” and constitute a “flagrant
violation under international law.” The settlements are a
“major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State (sic)
solution,” and a, “just, lasting and comprehensive peace,”
the resolution says. 

Members of the council clapped and cheered as the vote passed. It
was the first time in 36 years the UN adopted a resolution on
Israeli settlements. Israel strongly condemned what it called a “shameful anti-Israel”
resolution and said it would not abide by its terms. In a
statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also
accused the US of being complicit in the UN effort.

“The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel
against this gang-up at the UN, it colluded with it behind the
scenes,” the statement read. It said it looked forward to
“working with President-elect Trump and with all our friends in
Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike.”

by Josh Feldman There has been much discussion about a rise in hate crimes after Donald Trump‘s election victory. But some of the reported incidents are turning out to be hoaxes. A few weeks ago, a University of Michigan student told police that a man confronted her and demanded she remove her hijab lest he […]

by Rachel Stockman So you know that video that went viral that allegedly showed Delta kicking off a passenger for speaking Arabic? Well, apparently, Delta investigated the situation, and now says it’s not quite what it all seemed. In a statement obtained by LawNewz.com, the airline said that after collecting statements from “multiple passengers,” they have concluded […]

The United States denied Wednesday an Israeli claim that US-supplied armored vehicles seen being operated by Hezbollah in Syria had been given to the Islamist militia by Lebanon’s official army. Last month, footage emerged of Hezbollah fighters operating M113 armored personnel carriers in Syria, where the militia — blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist organization […]

The #LebaneseFront #Khazen In the Picture Cheikh Walid El Khazen President Camille Chamoun Cheikh Pierre Gemayel President-elect Cheikh Bachir Gemayel Etienne Saqr DANY Chamoun Georges Adwan #ElieHobeika #AbouRoy

By Paul Astih – english.aawsat.com

Beirut – The newly formed Lebanese Cabinet is expected to convene on
Wednesday at the Baabda Palace, while Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has
officially moved to Beirut’s Grand Serail, the premiership’s
headquarters. Wednesday’s Cabinet session, chaired by President Michel Aoun, will
have only one item on its agenda – that is the formation of a
ministerial committee that would be entrusted with drafting the
ministerial statement, based on which Parliament will give the Cabinet
the confidence vote.

Well-informed sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that there was a
“quasi-agreement” on the content of the ministerial statement, which
would be mainly based on President Michel Aoun’s oath-taking speech. The sources added that none of the political parties would have
objections over the ministerial statement, especially that the current
Cabinet was regarded as a transitional government and would only focus
on drafting a new electoral law and holding parliamentary elections in
May.

Information Minister Melhem Riachi said that no complications would
hamper the drafting of the ministerial statement, stressing that all
political parties have expressed their support to stances announced by
Aoun during the oath-taking ceremony. In comments to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Riachi said that the
presence of March 14 and March 8 figures in the government would bolster
government’s work and make it more efficient.

ibda design has revealed its proposal for the beirut museum of art (BeMA), which will be the city’s first museum of its kind, dedicated to the promotion of both contemporary and modern lebanese and arab art. the proposal stems from the understanding that a museum is not merely a space for the display of art, […]