by Al Monitor Scott Preston

In a report published by The New Arab on Feb. 10, a Hezbollah official declared Hezbollah’s plan to establish a safe zone in Qalamoun, where Syrian refugees could soon be relocated from neighboring Lebanon. The first draft
of the deal proposed 24 terms to be negotiated between Hezbollah and a
militia in Qalamoun known as Saraya Ahl al-Sham. Syrian journalist Ahmad
al-Quasir, who has been following the situation closely, recently told
Al-Monitor that Saraya Ahl al-Sham was established by local opposition
forces in 2015 and is linked to the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Under the initial terms of the agreement, Hezbollah and Syrian regime
forces would vacate the areas of Qalamoun where Saraya Ahl al-Sham is
present. Saraya Ahl al-Sham would also create local
committees responsible for the administration and policing of their
communities. Excluded from the deal would be several Christian-majority villages
along the M-5 highway. The road, which serves as an important supply
corridor for Hezbollah linking Damascus to the group’s stronghold in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, would be open to traffic to and from Syria and Lebanon. The arrangement also would provide major incentives to draw refugees
back to Qalamoun. Most notably, returnees would be issued identification
documents after screening by local authorities. New papers would be
hugely beneficial to the over 70% of Syrian refugees
who no longer have valid national ID cards, without which they cannot
travel, get married or obtain legal residency in host countries.

Returnees who join Saraya Ahl al-Sham’s brigade would also be exempt
from conscription into the Syrian Arab Army even if they had previously
fled Syria to escape the draft. They could return without punishment if
they join Saraya Ahl al-Sham. Quasir said renewed discussions of safe zone initiatives along the Turkish and Jordanian borders, following the recent endorsement of the United States,
was a key motivator for the proposed deal. Quasir said Hezbollah first
submitted the draft agreement in an effort to beat the international
community to the most practical area for a Lebanese-Syrian safe zone,
thereby determining the framework for itself.

By Yassmine Alieh business news LB Aigle Azur, a French airline company, will start direct flights from Paris Orly to Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BRHIA)on June 23.  Middle East Airlines (MEA), which has a code-sharing agreement with Air France, is the only carrier so far on the Paris-Beirut route.  A high-ranking source at the […]

by naharnet

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
marked Monday the 39th anniversary of its establishment with a ceremony
at its Headquarters in Naqoura highlighting “the Mission’s commitment to
providing a safe and secure environment for the local population in
southern Lebanon,” a UNIFIL statement said. “Since 2006, UNIFIL successfully facilitated the
development of communities and civil society, while simultaneously
assisting the Government of Lebanon in extending its authority in the
South of the country,” said the UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force
Commander Major-General Michael Beary. “Our work, conducted in conjunction with our valued
strategic partners and colleagues in the Lebanese Armed Forces, has also
created an environment for economic development and investment,
activities that will, in time, facilitate meaningful economic growth for
the growing population of South Lebanon,” he added. In attendance at the ceremony were representatives of
the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and other security agencies, the
Governor of Nabatieh Mahmoud al-Mawla, local mayors and religious
leaders.

Beary and Brigadier-General Mohamed Janbay, representing
LAF Commander, laid wreaths at the UNIFIL cenotaph paying tributes to
the memory of the 325 U.N. peacekeepers from all around the world who
have “given their lives in the cause of peace in southern Lebanon since
UNIFIL’s establishment in 1978,” the UNIFIL statement said. During the ceremony, UNIFIL’s leadership and the LAF
representative awarded 45 military staff officers with the U.N. Medal
for their contribution to fulfilling the Mission’s mandate. In addressing the ceremony, the UNIFIL Force Commander
highlighted the Mission’s continued presence in south Lebanon as “a
clear demonstration of the U.N.’s commitment and enduring support to
Lebanon and its people.” “I will never tire from expressing my admiration of the
residents of the South. UNIFIL and its 40 different Troop Contributing
Countries have been welcome guests since 1978 throughout our entire area
of operations,” Beary said.

By dailystar.com.lb

by Frank T. McAndrew, The Conversation

Recently, my wife and I went through one of the more excruciating
experiences of our lives – the euthanasia of our beloved dog,
Murphy. I remember making eye contact with Murphy moments before she took
her last breath – she flashed me a look that was an endearing
blend of confusion and the reassurance that everyone was ok
because we were both by her side. When people who have never had a dog see their dog-owning friends
mourn the loss of a pet, they probably think it’s all a bit of an
overreaction; after all, it’s “just a dog.” However, those who have loved a dog know the truth: Your own pet
is never “just a dog.” Many times, I’ve had friends guiltily confide to me that they
grieved more over the loss of a dog than over the loss of friends
or relatives. Research has confirmed that for most people,
the loss of a dog is, in almost every way, comparable to the loss
of a human loved one.

Unfortunately, there’s little in our cultural playbook – no grief
rituals, no obituary in the local newspaper, no religious service
– to help us get through the loss of a pet, which can make us
feel more than a bit embarrassed to show too much public grief over our
dead dogs. Perhaps if people realized just how strong and intense the bond
is between people and their dogs, such grief would become more
widely accepted. This would greatly help dog owners to integrate
the death into their lives and help them move forward. An interspecies bond like no other What is it about dogs, exactly, that make humans bond so closely
with them?

For starters, dogs have had to adapt to living with humans over
the past 10,000 years. And they’ve done it very well: They’re the
only animal to have evolved specifically to be our companions and
friends. Anthropologist Brian Hare has developed the
“Domestication Hypothesis” to explain how dogs morphed from their
grey wolf ancestors into the socially skilled animals that we now
interact with in very much the same way as we interact with other
people.

Bodyguards protect Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, center left with hand on mouth, from water bottles thrown by demonstrators in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Demonstrators pelted the prime minister’s car with water bottles on Sunday as protests against new taxes and a stagnant public wage scale gained force in the city. Hariri […]

By: middleeastmonitor.com

Anger flamed across Lebanon as lawmakers
approved five new taxes on Wednesday, including increasing the VAT from
10 per cent to 11 per cent. The tax increases come in the latest wave
of austerity measures to offer public sector workers – including police
officers and teachers – new salary packages. Tax payers held protests across the
country, angered by the measures and calling for the government to
tackle corruption within the political system to fund development rather
than increase excises. Another large-scale protest is due to take place in Beirut tomorrow.

Some 6,000 people are expected to join the march which is organised by the Lebanese Communist Party. The political group is calling on the
government to “escalate social spending on health, education and
development, wages and create jobs.” “We are protesting in rejection of
unfair tax policies that pull money out of the pockets of the poor to
finance waste and theft and corruption of power.”

The Daily Star – BEIRUT: Activists gathered in front of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council south of Beirut Saturday to decry the infringement of women’s custody rights. Activists from Protecting Lebanese Women and their supporters demanded the council to lift the minimum age of paternal custody for children of divorced couples to something closer to […]