By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Riots left more than two dozen people injured in Tripoli on Friday, including 10 soldiers, as tensions continued to rise in Lebanon. “The situation seems to be getting worse, and things are about to escalate because we are facing a difficult political and social fate,” said Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun as he inspected army units deployed to the Bekaa Valley. Meanwhile the international community continued to call for progress in the country’s stalled political process. France, the EU and the US have urged Lebanese politicians to form a new government as a matter of urgency, and an international conference is being planned to support the efforts. “All concerned parties need to work with urgency to put in place a government that’s able to implement reforms immediately,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday night in a message posted on Twitter.

The Arab League said its secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and his UN counterpart, Antonio Guterres, had agreed during a meeting in New York that the situation in Lebanon is going from “bad to worse.” The former said he hoped that “the international community will succeed in helping the Lebanese overcome the crisis.” As he inspected his forces on Friday, Aoun told them: “Our responsibility is great at this stage. We are required to preserve the security and stability of the homeland and prevent chaos.”

BACKGROUND The Arab League said its secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and his UN counterpart, Antonio Guterres, had agreed during a meeting in New York that the situation in Lebanon is going from “bad to worse.” He said he considers the military to be “the only institution that is still active,” and added: “The army is the deterrent to chaos. I know that you will not allow anyone to invade our land, and you will not allow these circumstances to make you lose your sense of belonging to your homeland, your identity and your land. “What we are experiencing today is a temporary crisis and it will pass.” Private companies and institutions allowed employees to leave work early on Friday so that they could get home before roads were blocked. Angry crowds took to the streets for a second consecutive day to protest against fuel shortages and the continuing steep rise in the dollar exchange rate on the black market. Demonstrations had broken out across the country on Thursday, immediately after Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced his resignation after nine months of failed wrangling with President Michel Aoun over the formation of a new government.

by aljaridanews.com —

من الصعب التفتيش عن منزل رئيس الجمورية السابق العماد ميشال سليمان ليس لأنه منزل بحد ذاته بل لأنه يشكل شقة عادية يعيش فيها مع عقيلته السيدة وفاء في الطابق الثاني من مبنى حيث يترافق مع جيرانه ، أما الصعب على الفهم ذلك القصر الذي قيل أنه بناه أثناء ولايته … لا قصر ولا من يحزنون وفق المشاهدة مع فريق موقع “الجريدة نيوز” الذي أيضا كانت له ملاحظاته على الموضوع نفسه والاكاذيب التي حيكت : شقة عادية لها مدخل كباقي شقق السكن مع مصعد يؤدي ساكنيه كل الى منزله .

وبغض النظر عن “وظائف” الكذب التي إعتمدها البعض بحق الرجل الذي يستقبل زواره من سياسيين وشخصيات ووفود ويترأس لقاء الجمهورية في زاوية من المنزل ، وليس من الصعوبة بمكان إجراء موعد مع فخامة الرئيس الأسبق إنما يكفي الاتصال بمرافقه الذي لم يتركه منذ عشرات السنين ويحصل على ما يريد ، في داخل المنزل ثمة مفاجأة ثانية حيث الأثاث أقل من عادي وتتوزع كنبة كبيرة ومكتب ، وذهب عن بال فريق الموقع أنه كان وفق حشريته يريد مشاهدة الثريات الثمينة وكيف شكلها ، وهل هي ذهبية وبلورية … كل هذا لم يحصل ولم يكن .

by naharnet — Resigned Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Thursday blamed President Michel Aoun for the failure to form a new government, as he announced that he would not nominate a successor for the PM post. “I nominated myself to form a government according to the French initiative, which means a government of specialists, and today I apologized for not being able to form ‘Michel Aoun’s government,’” Hariri said in a live interview on al-Jadeed TV, only a few hours after he announced his resignation as PM-designate. “I resigned in 2019 because I wanted a government of specialists and had I formed ‘Michel Aoun’s government’ I would not have been able to rescue the country,” Hariri added. “There is camp that has decided to torture the country and take us to hell and all the obstacles that I faced were created by this camp,” the ex-PM went on to say, referring to Aoun and his party.

Noting that he quit the formation mission because Aoun “did not want to form a government,” Hariri added that “when the President decides the date of the consultations,” he would talk to his allies and “decide what to do.” Hitting out at Aoun, the ex-PM said: “Because Saad Hariri is Sunni and patriotic, he is prohibited from naming ministers and only President Aoun has the right to nominate!”

By Emma Graham & Hadley Gamble — cnbc.com — Lebanon’s armed forces need an immediate $100 million to cover its soldiers’ basic needs, a general told CNBC, as a currency crisis pushes their salaries below the poverty line. His comments come as the country’s military tries to avoid collapse. “Without the morale and the motivation of our soldiers, it’s going to impact negatively the mission,” Brig. Gen. Youssef Haddad told CNBC. “If the army collapses, Lebanon will be lost.” He said that by September, the army will be in a “critical condition.” The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) pay the equivalent of $84 dollars per month to enlisted soldiers based on the exchange rate of 15,500 Lebanese pounds per U.S. dollar. With the currency now approaching 20,000 LBP to the dollar on the black market, that salary now places the average soldier below the poverty line. Haddad said each soldier needs “an additional bonus to help him cover his basic needs on a monthly basis for 12 months” — which should total around $90 million to $100 million, he said.

نعتذر من الشهداء نعتذر  من المرضى والفقراء المعدمين نعتذر من البطريرك الحويك نعتذر من رجال الاستقلال نعتذر من الحيش اللبناني من فرنسا من البابا يوحنا بولس الثاني وبنديكتوس وفرنسيس ومن القديسين … نعتذر من دول الخليج من اليونيفل والدول التي تشارك فيها ….من دول المجموعة الدولية. نعتذر لاننا لم نستطع ان نتوافق ونتفق على حكومة […]

سجعان قزي

وزير سابق

@AzziSejean

لا نستطيعُ أن نكونَ تَبعيّين ونُطالبَ العالمَ أن يتعاطى معنا على أنّنا مستقلّون. نَستَفْظِعُ تدخّلَ دولٍ أجنبيّةٍ في الأزْمةِ بقَصْدِ معالجتِها، ولا نَستَهْجِنُ تَدخُّلَ دولٍ أخرى في لبنانَ لإشعالِ الأزَمات. فلولا الدولُ التي اسْتباحَت لبنانَ ودَمَّرته، لما أباحَت الدولُ الأخرى لنفسِها معالجةَ شأنِنا بغيةَ إنقاذِنا. الأولى تدخّلَت رَغمًا عنّا والأُخرى بِناءً على إلحاحِنا. في لبنانَ مَن يَحمِلُ الفأسَ لقطعِ أيِّ يدٍ تَمتدُّ مساعِدةً، كأنَّ هدفَ هؤلاءِ قتلُ لبنانَ الكبير بما يُمثِّلُ من خصائصَ، وأنَّ مشروعَهم نقلُ لبنانَ من التعدُّديّةِ في الوِحدةِ إلى التعدُّديّةِ في الأحَدِيّة. إنَّ من يأتي بوصايةٍ من هنا، يجب أنْ يَنتظرَ وصايةً من هناك.

هذا تاريخُ لبنانَ مُذْ كان. فالشعوبُ تتحرّكُ عمومًا في دورةٍ تاريخيّةٍ تُكرِّرُ دورانَها بأشكالٍ مختلفةٍ. ولا تتوقّفُ هذه الدورةُ إلا حين يَنطلقُ الشعبُ في مسارٍ مستقبليٍّ جديدٍ يدوم رَدْحًا زمنيًّا ثابتًا وناجحًا يُمكِّنُه من خلقِ دورةٍ تاريخيّةٍ جديدة. نحن في لبنان، خَرجنا من دورتِنا التاريخيّةِ مدّةً غيرَ كافيةٍ (1943/1969) لخلقِ دورةٍ جديدةٍ، فالتَقطَتْنا الدورةُ السابقةُ وبَقِينا فيها. كأنَّ حتميّةَ التاريخِ أقوى من تقريرِ المصير.

By BY RUSSELL A. BERMAN, thehill.com — Lebanon is facing a dangerous combination of accelerating crises — economic, political and societal. Although Lebanon is a small country, important issues for U.S. national interest and geo-strategy are at stake. Yet, currently, American Middle East foreign policy is devoted to the single obsession of the Iran negotiations, leaving little oxygen for other matters. This is a mistake. The Biden administration should develop a more nuanced engagement with the region and especially a robust response to Lebanon’s pending collapse. The Lebanese currency has lost close to 90 percent of its value, pushing much of the country below the poverty line, with many families relying on remittances from relatives abroad. Yet even those lifelines cannot make up for the shortages in commodities: gasoline, medications and food are all in short supply. Add to this a crumbling infrastructure that can supply electricity for only a few hours every day. Meanwhile, a political stalemate blocks the formation of an effective government that could institute reforms that might alleviate some of the problems. Instead, the political class, largely viewed as incorrigibly corrupt, is making no effort to meet the needs of the public. One bright light is the emergence of vibrant oppositional forces. But they remain fragmented, and elections will not take place until next year.

Leadership change may therefore be too far in the future to rescue the crumbling institutions that once enjoyed a strong international reputation, especially Lebanese universities and hospitals. Now the talented personnel on which those institutions depend are trying to leave for better paying jobs abroad. After the troubled decades of civil war and occupations, after the devastation of COVID-19 and the massive destruction of the explosion in the port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, this already fragile country faces even greater disorder. Given the extent of the suffering, there is every reason to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, as the United States is already doing. The U.S. also provides important training support to the Lebanese armed forces, although the scope of that mission has been shrinking. Otherwise, American engagement is quite limited. Washington should do more and put Lebanon higher on the list of foreign policy priorities for four reasons

By NAJIA HOUSSARI MOHAMMED ABU ZAID — arabnews.com — BEIRUT, CAIRO: After he presented a 24-minister cabinet lineup to Lebanon President Michel Aoun on Wednesday, prime minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri is expected to either step down or go on with his mission. If the proposal is approved, it could end a political stalemate that has pushed the country toward social and economic collapse for the past nine months. If Aoun does not approve, Hariri has vowed to resign. “Now is the moment of truth,” Hariri told reporters after delivering the proposal to the presidential palace in Beirut. “This cabinet can help the country rise again and put an end to the collapse,” Hariri, who was designated in October, said he was expecting Aoun’s response on Thursday and he “will be making his decision accordingly.” The proposal does not give a blocking third to any political side and came after French Presidential Envoy Patrick Durel and Mahmoud Mohieldin, the executive director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), renewed pressure on Lebanese officials to form a government.

Lebanon has been without a functioning government since the previous one resigned in the wake of the Aug. 4 Beirut port blast that claimed the lives of 215 people, injured 6,000 more, and destroyed Beirut’s waterfront along with large sections of neighboring residential areas. Hariri presented his cabinet proposal to Aoun during a 30-minute meeting at the presidential palace, and according to a source close to Hariri, “the proposal for a cabinet includes new names.” Hariri presented his proposal to Aoun after he made a brief visit to Cairo on Wednesday where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Sources in Cairo said Egypt had promised economic and political support for a new government and that a delegation would travel to Beirut soon. El-Sisi stressed “Egypt’s support for Hariri’s path aimed at restoring stability in Lebanon, addressing current challenges, and for his attempts to form a government … Lebanon must put national interests above any other interests, thus preserving the capacities of the brotherly Lebanese people and its national unity.” Hariri also held talks with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

By GEORGI AZAR — arabnews.com — DUBAI: Two public hospitals in Lebanon have threatened to shut their doors from Thursday, July 15, if officials fail to disburse urgently needed supplies, funds and materials as the healthcare sector inches closer toward a collapse. Lebanon has been hit with an unprecedented financial, economic, and monetary crisis that has wiped out life savings coupled with a crippling liquidity crunch. Shahar Gharbi Governmental Hospital, located in the heart of Aley district, announced Tuesday that it would stop receiving patients as of Thursday. “We’re facing crisis after crisis. Fuel shortages, medicine shortages and unsustainable wages,” Nawal Al Hasaniya, a member of the hospital’s secretary administration, told Arab News.

The health sector, as with virtually all other sectors across the country, has been reeling under the burden of the country’s severe financial crisis, prompting medical practitioners to repeatedly sound the alarm. The national currency has lost more than 91 percent of its value since October 2019, causing the value of the minimum wage to plummet to around $35 per month. At Sibline Government Hospital on the southern outskirts of Beirut, managing doctor Ali Al Barraj echoed Hasaniya’s concerns. “It’s an extremely tough situation. Starting tomorrow we’re going to shut down,” he said. Just like Shahar Hospital, his facility will limit its activities to only treating life-threatening conditions such as dialysis and heart conditions. Employees, they explained, now earn as little as $40 per month, with Barraj calling on the Health Ministry to disperse LL3 billion while raising their wages. A similar plea was made by Sibline Hospital, yet both have fallen on deaf ears. “Until now, we haven’t heard anything, and we are headed toward an escalation,” Hasaniya said.

by bbc.com — Dearbail Jordan & Simon Jack — At 10.30pm on a cold December night in 2019, a former titan of the global car industry lay bundled inside a box on board a plane, waiting to flee Japan. “The plane was scheduled to take off at 11pm,” recalls Carlos Ghosn. “The 30 minutes waiting in the box on the plane, waiting for it to take off, was probably the longest wait I’ve ever experienced in my life.” Now, for the first time, the man who was once the boss of both Nissan and Renault has detailed his daring escape. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Mr Ghosn tells how he disguised himself to slip unnoticed through the streets of Tokyo, why a large music equipment box was chosen to smuggle him out of Japan and the elation he felt when he finally landed in his native Lebanon. “The thrill was that finally, I’m going to be able to tell the story,” he said.

Mr Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 over allegations by Nissan that he had understated his annual salary and misused company funds, which he denies. At the time, Mr Ghosn was the chairman of the Japanese carmaker. He was also chairman of France’s Renault and the boss of a three-way alliance between both carmakers and Mitsubishi. His cost-cutting at Nissan – initially controversial – was ultimately seen to have saved the carmaker and he became a highly respected and recognisable figure. But he insists he was “collateral damage” in a fight back from Nissan against the increasing influence of Renault which still owns 43% of the Japanese company. Documentary series Storyville details his extraordinary rise and sudden fall in Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight which will be shown on BBC 4 on Wednesday 14 July.