By NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The Beirut Bar Association has urged all officials to refrain from interfering with the judiciary and respect the law and work of institutions. Nader Kaspar, head of the association, said: “The lawyers stand in solidarity with the judges and the Judicial Council.” His statement came as the confrontation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese judiciary took a dangerous turn. The party has accused Judge Tarek Bitar, who is leading the probe into the Beirut port explosion, of “politicizing the investigation.” In the past few days, the Justice Palace in Beirut has been abuzz with news about the resignation of several judges in protest at the poor conditions the judiciary is experiencing, due to political interference on the one hand and the economic situation on the other.

Former public prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi told Arab News: “What is happening increases the state of disgust within the judicial body. These pressures should not affect the course of the judiciary’s work, but how long can the judiciary stand its ground in light of a pressing financial and economic crisis? “Pressure has always been exerted on the judiciary. If the judiciary had surrendered, the judges would have resigned a long time ago. They want to remove Bitar at any cost. They have paralyzed the government and they want to do the same to the judiciary, but the latter has so far been steadfast.” The president of the Fifth Chamber of the Court of Cassation Judge Jeannette Hanna, public defender Judge Carla Kassis, and president of the Court of Appeal Judge Rola Al-Husseini have submitted their resignation. However, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council Judge Suhail Abboud rejected these resignations, asking the judges to “hold back.”

By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Black Friday promotions in Lebanon that flooded social media seem to have failed to attract customers as the Lebanese pound hit a new low amid a worsening economic and political stalemate. The currency was trading at 25,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar on the black market on Friday. A further devaluation seems imminent amid the political instability. Although many stores have extended the sales for the entire weekend, several people who headed to shops in search of good deals said: “It’s a hoax.” Hassan, an engineer, said: “I went to a well-known appliance store where people used to queue for hours to be able to get in during previous Black Friday sales. The prices are much higher than the original brand stores. I left without buying anything.” The minimum wage is now no more than $30, amid worsening economic conditions. The head of the Beirut Traders’ Association, Nicolas Chammas, said: “It is too early to assess Black Friday sales. We need to wait until next week to see to what extent people’s purchasing power has declined.”

On Friday, the Central Bank warned against mobile applications offering exchange rates on the black market: “These are suspicious, illegal applications. Still, they are determining the exchange rate but do not reflect the reality. “Rates change day and night, every day of the week, even during holidays; as if the parallel market is an organized market in the form of a stock exchange. “Those operating these applications are serving other political and commercial interests. The judicial and security authorities have sought to control these applications at the request of the Lebanese government. Since many of them are based outside Lebanon, the Central Bank has demanded that international internet companies remove these applications from their networks.”

by Reuters — Lebanon re-launched a second offshore oil and gas licensing round for eight remaining blocks on Friday, with the deadline for submission of bids set for June 15, 2022, the Lebanese Petroleum Administration said on its website. The round was initially approved in April 2019 in just two blocks but has been postponed […]

نقطتا ضوء بوجه الظلامية : -قرار الهيئة العليا لمحكمة التمييز -زيارة الرئيس ميقاتي للبابا فرنسيس

by reuters — A top Lebanese court Thursday rejected lawsuits filed by a former prime minister and three former ministers seeking to sue the state over the conduct of the judge probing the deadly August 2020 Beirut blast, a senior judicial source told Reuters. The suits, filed over the past month, had paused Judge Tarek […]

by vaticannews.va — Pope Francis Thursday morning received in audience the Prime Minister of Lebanon, His Excellency Mr. Najib Mikati, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by His Excellency Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States. During the cordial talks in the Secretariat of State, the historic relations between the Holy See and Lebanon and the important role played by the Catholic Church in the country were emphasised. Reference was made to the current situation that the Lebanese people are experiencing, especially with regard to the political crisis and socio-economic conditions, and the hope that justice, the necessary reforms and the support of the international community will help to restore the fate of the Country of Cedars. Furthermore, in reiterating the importance of promoting the concept of full citizenship for every Lebanese, the importance of peaceful coexistence was emphasised, so that Lebanon might continue to be a message of peace and fraternity that rises from the Middle East. (Working translation of the original text in Italian)

Exchange of gifts

A traditional exchange of gifts followed the private meeting between the two leaders. Prime Minister Mikati presented the Pope with a tile from the Greek Melkite Church of Saint Saviour in Beirut. One of the oldest churches in the Lebanese capital, Saint Saviour was badly damaged during the 1975 war; but was fully restored and opened again to parishioners in 1973. The Church was severely damaged again by the explosion of 4 August 2020. For his part, Pope Francis offered the Lebanese prime minister a bronze casting of workers in a vineyard, with the inscription, “May the fruit of the vine and of human labour become for us the draught of salvation”; along with a number of documents published during his papacy.

سجعان قزي

@AzziSejean

الحياةُ لِـمَن رامَ المجدَ، وما مجدٌ لا يُكلِّلُه التواضع. تواضعُ المجدِ هو انتصارُ النُبلِ على خُيَلاءِ الغرور. لدينا الغرورُ والخُيَلاءُ ويَنقُصُنا المجدُ والنُبل. ليس المجدُ، بالضرورةِ، انتصارًا سياسيًّا أو عسكريًّا، فَكَم انتصاراتٍ تَسلَّقت على الدِماءِ والفسادِ والحِقدِ والغِشّ ولامسَت خيبةَ الانْكِسار. وكَم انكساراتٍ ظنّها أصحابُها انتصاراتٍ وسَعَوا إلى توريثِها.

هناك مجدُ الأعمالِ الخالدةِ الفِكريّةِ والعِلميّةِ والفنيّة، ومجدُ الكرامةِ والقيمِ والفضائل، ومجدُ الإحساسِ بالنعمةِ والحُبور والسلامِ مع الذاتِ. هناك مجدُ الإيمانِ بالوطنِ والأمّة، ومجدُ التحريرِ والحرّية، هناك مجدُ الانتماءِ إلى دولةِ القانونِ والجبينِ العالي، ومجدُ الانتسابِ إلى التقاليدِ والتُراث، ومجدُ الشعورِ القوميِّ الرحيب. هكذا يرتفعُ الفردُ وتَسْمو الشعوبُ وتَرتقي الأمَم.

وصْمةُ أكثريّةِ أهلِ الشرقِ وعِلّــتُها أنّها غَلَّلَت مجدَها بالقوميّةِ الأحَديّةِ، وأوْثَقت قوميّتَها بالدينِ وجَرّحَت دينَها بالسيف، ولا تَعرِفُ كيف تُعيدُه إلى غِمْدِه. وإذا السيوفُ كانت زينةَ الرجالِ في الجاهليّةِ، فيُفترَضُ أن يكونَ السلامُ أصبحَ زينتَهم بعدَ الإسلام. لكنَّ ما حصلَ هو العكس: ظَلَّ عنترةُ بن شَدّاد “يَذكُرُ والرماحُ نواهلٌ، ويَوَدُّ تقبيلَ السيوفِ لأنّها لـمَعَت”…. وفي أوروبا بَقيت سيوفُ المسيحيّين تَلمعَ في حروبٍ دينيّة ٍكأنْ لم يأْتِ المسيحُ ولم يَفتَدِ، ولا الإنجيلُ دعا إلى أنْ نُحبَّ أعداءَنا. بعد حربِ الثلاثين سنةً (1618/1648)، قال المؤرخ أوليڤيه شالين: “لو جرت حربٌ بين البروتستانت ووثنيّين لكانت أقلَّ عنفًا من تلك التي بين البروتستانت والكاثوليك”.

By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Hezbollah is experiencing political confusion, writer and political analyst Sana Aljak said on Wednesday, amid reports of a disagreement between the party and the Amal Movement headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on their earlier call to remove Judge Tarek Bitar from his investigation into last year’s Beirut port blast. The government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati has been stuck over how to respond to calls for Bitar’s removal, and the positive atmosphere that prevailed in a meeting on Monday between Berri, Mikati and President Michel Aoun had not materialized into concrete steps by the middle of the week. There were also claims of a dispute between Berri and Hezbollah on the solutions proposed for resuming Cabinet meetings. The two allies have boycotted the meetings since Oct. 12, against the backdrop of the port blast investigation, and the government turmoil has been aggravated by a provocative statement from Information Minister George Kordahi about the war in Yemen.

The meeting on Lebanon’s Independence Day produced, according to the information that followed, “flexibility, positivity, and openness to resolving outstanding problems.” There has been an increasing level of conversation about solutions related to Kordahi. There are also reports that Aoun promised to facilitate understanding on solutions provided that the prime minister, after his Vatican visit to meet Pope Francis, invited a Cabinet session that conveyed to the international community the government’s seriousness about implementing commitments to save Lebanon from collapse. The information circulated said the way out regarding Hezbollah’s demand to suspend Bitar was to limit his powers. Accordingly, out of respect for the provisions of the constitution, Bitar should not be allowed to investigate accused officials, including ministers, MPs and a former prime minister, and try these officials before the Supreme Council for the trial of presidents and ministers.

by Reuters — BEIRUT: Lebanon’s president told Gov. Riad Salameh on Wednesday to provide data for a forensic audit of the central bank, saying the restructuring consultancy Alvarez & Marcel had said it did not have information it needed just a month after starting. President Michel Aoun made the comments in a meeting with Salameh […]

BEIRUT, Lebanon (UPI) by Dalai Saoud — Lebanon’s emerging crisis with Saudi Arabia and some Gulf countries is deepening, with not enough internal efforts being exerted or Arab mediation in sight to help resolve it, diplomatic and political sources said. The Saudi decision Oct. 29 to expel Lebanon’s ambassador and ban its imports stays in place while more punitive measures are feared. The measures came as an angry reaction to critical comments by Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi concerning Saudi military intervention in Yemen.

Three Arab Gulf countries — Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates– quickly sided with Riyadh, recalling their ambassadors from Beirut and asking Lebanon’s envoys to leave. The diplomatic row came at the worse time for Lebanon, which has been grappling with one of most terrible economic crises in the world and is counting on its traditional rich Gulf supporters for rescue. By describing Yemen’s seven-year war as “futile” and supporting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in defending themselves against “external aggression,” Kordahi unleashed Saudi growing anger over its onetime protégé. At the heart of the problem is the rising influence and dominance of Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, the heavily armed Hezbollah.