by Shafeeq Alingal — Shukran Qatar (Thanks Qatar) slogans have filled the streets of Beirut after Qatar pledged to help the blast hit Lebanon and aid began to be flown from Doha into the crisis-hit Middle East country. “After the 2006 war, Qatar stood as the main contributor to rebuild Lebanon. We remember Qatar’s generosity and the Shukran Qatar slogans marked our gratitude. The same slogan is now back on our streets,” Ziad Nassar, an activist of the Minteshreen Youth Movement, told Gulf Times. He expressed gratitude to Qatar, as well as businesses and entrepreneurs for donating a portion of their sales proceeds to help their Lebanese sisters and brothers. NGOs, youth movements and rights groups in Lebanon have hailed Qatar’s “instant, effective” aid for Lebanon, which has been reeling under shortages after the August 4 deadly explosion that hit the Beirut port, devastating surrounding areas. They said Qatar’s generosity was “not surprising at all and memorable”. They have urged Qatar to play a leading role in bringing an end to the long pending political chaos and help the youth put pressure on the government to work towards establishing a true democratic state where justice reigns.

The port explosions caused at least 172 deaths, 6,000 injuries, $10–15 billion in property damage, and left an estimated 300,000 people homeless. “Already hit by a political and economic crisis, the blast has aggravated the plight by causing a big humanitarian disaster. Qatar’s help has come as a big relief and at the right time,” he said. Since the October Revolution of 2019 in Lebanon, the 28-year old Qatar resident has been active in Beirut taking part in protests and relief activities. “No surprise to see Qatar in the forefront while it comes to helping Lebanon. Qatar has always been there to support Lebanon whether politically or financially when faced with hardships. Qatar has a penchant for extending relief to us. And this legacy remains intact,” he said, reminiscing several occasions where Qatar played a pivotal role in restoring peace and political stability in his country.

by arabnews.com — TAREK ALI AHMAD — LONDON: As soon as the haunting images of the immense orange cloud filling Beirut’s late-afternoon sky and the terrifying videos of the explosion began circulating, UK-based non-profit Impact Lebanon took the initiative. With an initial goal of raising £20,000 for disaster relief in medical and nutritional aid, the group has since raised more than £6 million — with a target of £7.5 million now set — after enormous worldwide support for what officials describe as a humanitarian disaster. “We’re raising the funds, primarily from the diaspora and the international community in order to help support the work of the local NGOs on the ground,” Impact Lebanon co-founder Diana Abbas told Arab News.

Following the Aug. 4 blast that rocked the capital, Lebanese citizens and residents — both in and outside of the country — immediately mobilized to help after it was evident that the government was not doing so. “We’re doing a vetting process to figure out which NGOs that we need to send money to, and the vetting process involves checking all local NGOs registered, making sure they’re non-sectarian and apolitical,” Abbas said, adding that among these NGOs are the Lebanese Red Cross, Arc En Ciel and Beit El Baraka. The blast, largely blamed on government negligence that left 2,750 tons of confiscated ammonium nitrate stored in a portside warehouse in Beirut for six years, has left at least 180 dead and thousands more injured. More than 300,000 people have lost their homes, while 2,096 restaurants were destroyed.

by npr.org — As terrible as last week’s explosion at Beirut’s port was, killing 172 people and injuring some 6,000 others, it has prompted new hopes for political change in Lebanon. On Monday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his cabinet resigned, as it emerged that the blast was likely the result of government negligence. Now Lebanese are calling for major reforms. Daily protests have continued for more than a week on Beirut’s debris-strewn streets, with citizens calling for removal of the entire political class and a restructuring of the country’s political system. They want to sweep away the corruption and cronyism that have plagued governmental institutions for decades. The combination of last week’s explosion and the financial crisis may have created a rare window for removing Lebanon’s despised political class altogether, political analysts suggest. This moment represents a “once-in-a-lifetime battle for the soul of Lebanon,” says Nadim Houry, a Lebanese citizen and director of the Paris-based Arab Reform Initiative, a pro-democracy think tank.

Enormous challenges remain. Here’s what’s at stake and how things may play out: Immediate elections are unlikely Although Diab’s administration has stepped down, it continues to meet as a caretaker government, meaning the cabinet can still convene but does not have the power to create new legislation. Thus far, Lebanon’s leaders have made no mention of early elections. Instead, Lebanese law allows President Michel Aoun, who did not resign, to consult with the parliament on forming a new government. Even before this crisis, putting together a new government involved a complicated discussion. After the previous government fell last year, following massive anti-corruption protests, it took more than two months of political wrangling among the country’s different political blocs before Diab’s government was appointed.

Now many Lebanese do not trust Aoun and other leaders to choose the honest, independent administration for which they are desperate. They worry that any new government formed this way will be stacked with or influenced by the same political figures, whom Houry calls “oligarchs,” who have long controlled the country. “We’ll have to re-live the same scenario from the beginning, until we bring all the political class down,” warns Ghina Nizar Harb, a schoolteacher who took to the streets to protest following Diab’s resignation.

by thearabweekly.com — BEIRUT–Tehran insists on being strongly present in Lebanon after the massive blast at Beirut’s port, with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visiting the Lebanese capital Friday, in conjunction with the visit of the US Assistant Secretary of State David Hale. Soon after his arrival in Lebanon, Zarif, who will be holding meetings with senior Lebanese officials, said that only the Lebanese people and their representatives can decide the country’s future. The blast at the Beirut’s port last week killed 172 people and prompted the government to resign. Iran backs Lebanon’s powerful armed movement Hezbollah, which along with its allies helped form the outgoing government. The United States classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

The Iranian foreign minister played the moral high ground while he checked on his country’s interests in Lebanon. “It is not humane to exploit the pain and suffering of the people for political goals,” Iran’s Zarif told a joint news conference with Lebanon’s caretaker foreign minister. “We believe that the government and the people of Lebanon should decide on the future of Lebanon.” Zarif was speaking after senior US and French officials met President Michel Aoun in a flurry of Western diplomacy that has focused on urging Lebanon to fight entrenched corruption and enact long-delayed reforms to unlock foreign financial aid needed to tackle an economic crisis.

by Zeina Karam and Lori Hinnant The Associated Press — Lebanon’s judicial investigation of the Beirut port explosion started with political wrangling over the naming of a lead investigator, military threats to jail leakers and doubts over whether a panel appointed along sectarian lines could be fully impartial. So for many Lebanese, their greatest hope for credible answers about the blast that wrecked much of their capital may lie with outsiders. Families of the dead and survivors on Friday called on the U.N. Security Council for an international investigation. Others pin their hopes on the French forensic police who have joined the probe and FBI investigators are expected to take part. Two French investigating magistrates have been assigned to the case, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Friday. “We are not lawyers or politicians, we are families and people, our appeal today is to the people of the international community,” said Paul Najjar, a survivor of the explosion. “Is it acceptable today that people would find their homes shattered, their families killed, their hopes and their dreams killed as well, with no justice, in all impunity?”

A Lebanese prosecutor on Friday postponed the questioning of former and current, caretaker finance and public works ministers, pending a letter from the newly appointed investigator assigned to the case that says he lacked the authority to question ministers. French teams have pressed ahead at their work, sending divers into the underwater crater, taking explosives samples and preparing recommendations for both the French and Lebanese magistrates. Among the French judicial police on the case are men and women who responded after the 2004 tsunami in Japan, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the November 2015 and Bastille Day 2016 terror attacks in France.

by foxnews.com — Brooke Singman —President Trump on Thursday announced what he called a “Historic Peace Agreement” between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, saying they agreed to “full normalization of relations.” “HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. The president, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed released a joint statement Thursday, after the three spoke “and agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.” The statement said that the “diplomatic breakthrough” was at “the request of President Trump,” and that Israel will “suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world.”

Israel and the UAE also said they will continue their efforts to “achieve a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” “This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region,” the statement read. “All three countries face many common challenges and will mutually benefit from today’s historic achievement.” Delegations from Israel and the UAE are expected to meet in the coming weeks to “sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies, and other areas of mutual benefit.” “Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East’s most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations,” the statement also read. Trump on Thursday said he had a call with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

by arabnews.com — DUBAI: Just days after the enormous blast that shattered Beirut, Ali Hammoud found himself looking down on the rubble from an airplane window, leaving behind his family and hometown. Born and raised in Lebanon’s capital, the 30-year-old IT engineer finally decided to head for Dubai after the explosion destroyed his last hopes of ever seeing Beirut prosper. “It’s not easy at all, but I had to finally leave. I feel I’ve betrayed the city I love to death, but there is nothing left for me there except depression,” Hammoud said after arriving in the Gulf emirate. “Now I can start a professional career, live in peace and send money back to my family,” said Hammoud, who had spent a year looking in vain for work before the Aug. 4 disaster that left more than 170 people dead and compounded Lebanon’s financial crisis.

Like many of his compatriots longing for safety and stability, the young man has applied for a job in Dubai. He joins tens of thousands of Lebanese who helped build a glitzy city that reminds them of their parents’ tales of the glamor of old Beirut — but with glimmering skyscrapers instead of Ottoman-era and French colonial villas. Last week’s explosion of a long-neglected stock of ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port ripped through the vibrant coastal city known for its rich history as well as legendary nightlife and cuisine. The fact that Lebanese officials had long tolerated a ticking time-bomb in the heart of the Mediterranean city has served as proof to many of the rot at the core of the state apparatus. “My aim is to overcome the guilt of leaving,” said Hammoud. “Dubai will be my new Beirut.”

by rferl.org — French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss post-election violence in Belarus and the situation in Lebanon following a devastating blast in Beirut. Macron also spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rohani, urging Tehran to avoid interfering in Lebanon or escalating tensions. Iran wields influence in Lebanon through the militant Shia Hizballah group, whose political wing was a major bloc in the outgoing Lebanese government and has an alliance with President Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian. Lebanon’s government under Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned this week following days of demonstrations in the wake of an explosion at the Beirut port on August 4 that devastated entire neighborhoods of the city and left 171 people dead. In his talks with Rohani, Macron emphasized the “necessity for all the powers concerned…to avoid any outside interference and to support the putting in place of a government which can manage the emergency,” the Elysee said.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Germany’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Lebanon needed a government able to fight corruption and enact reforms as he toured Beirut port, scene of the devastating explosion that has kindled protests and led the government to resign. The Aug. 4 blast at a warehouse storing highly explosive material killed at least 172 people, injured some 6,000, left around 300,000 without habitable housing and wrecked swathes of the Mediterranean city, compounding a deep economic and financial crisis. “It is impossible that things go on as before,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. “The international community is ready to invest but needs securities for these investments. It is important to have a government that fights the corruption. “Many in Europe have a lot of interest for this country. They want to know that there are economic reforms and good governance,” Maas added.

The resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government has deepened uncertainty. His cabinet’s talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout had already stalled over internal differences about the scale of financial losses. Forming a new government could be daunting amid factional rifts and growing public discontent with a ruling class that many Lebanese brand as responsible for the country’s woes. The foreign ministers of Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed on Wednesday on the importance of creating “beneficial external conditions” for the formation of a new Lebanese government, the Russian foreign ministry said. Humanitarian aid has poured in but foreign countries have made clear they will not provide funds to help pull Lebanon from economic collapse without action on long-demanded reforms to tackle systemic graft, waste, mismanagement and negligence.

Lebanese security officials warned the prime minister and president of catastrophic danger only two weeks before the explosion which left much of the capital in ruins, according to documents seen by Reuters and senior security sources.