by Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer

Beirut: All eyes will be on Lebanon’s during the Arab League summit
in Aqaba Jordan this week. Its positions will be closely observed by
member states, particularly Saudi Arabia which has been displeased with
several statements made by pro-Iranian Lebanese politicians, including
the president, Michel Aoun, as of late. At an emergency foreign
ministers meeting last year, Lebanese Foreign Minister Jibran Bassil,
refused to condemn attacks on Saudi missions in Iran in early 2016,
which sparked a massive diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and
Lebanon. In response, Saudi Arabia stopped critical military aid
to the Lebanese army and banned its citizens from travelling to Lebanon,
in a severe blow to Lebanon’s tourism industry. Aoun, who became
president in late 2016, travelled to Riyadh on his first official trip,
hoping to patch things up with Lebanon’s traditional ally. However,
a planned follow-up visit by Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz to
Lebanon was cancelled after Aoun praised Hezbollah and backed the
militia’s right to bear arms alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)
during an interview with Egyptian TV.

On
Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri, met Egyptian President
Abdul Fattah Al Sissi in Cairo to close ranks with the most populous
Sunni power in the Arab world, ahead of the summit. Hariri will accompany Aoun during the summit, in an unprecedented move interpreted as trying to cushion any potential fallout. Hariri,
whose father Rafik Hariri was assassinated allegedly in a
Syrian-Hezbollah coordinated plot in 2005, wanted to coordinate
Lebanon’s positions with Egypt to avoid any potential embarrassing
incidents.

by Al Monitor – Florence Massena

Ski and Swim the Same Day, an event held March 19 co-sponsored by the Laqlouq ski resort and MARCH, a nongovernmental organization, invited the adventurous for some skiing in the morning and then a trip to the beach at Batroun, in northern Lebanon. It is only one of the many types of activities offered by ski resorts as well as the Lebanese Ski Federation
(FLS) to attract locals and tourists to Lebanon’s slopes. Lebanon’s ski
season is expected to close at the end of this month, but other
activities continue year-round at ski resorts. “All the ski resorts had to develop extra activities to attract
people during the rest of the year, because when spring comes, people
only think about going to the beach,”
Freddy Kairouz, FLS general secretary told Al-Monitor. “At FLS, we
focus on bringing athletes from all over the world to participate in
international competition for skiing, snowboarding and cross-country,
but also to enjoy the nightlife, visit Lebanon and of course taste the
food.”

Kairouz has developed activities to attract people who are not particularly into skiing, such as Alaska Night,
a party in the snow last held March 18 in the Bsharri ski resort that
included igloos for the children. Kairouz is also the mayor of Bsharri, a
northern village where Lebanon’s first school for skiing
was established in the 1930s by the French army at the Cedars, which
today, along with the resort there, is managed by the municipality. Skiing in Lebanon rose in popularity in the 1950s, when the first ski lift was installed at the Cedars, and in the 1960s, with the opening of the Mzaar ski resort.
Snow-related recreation came to a halt during the civil war (1975-1990)
because the resorts closed, but the facilities have since developed and
upgraded their equipment to offer optimal service to skiers.

“We now have 15 chairlifts and five ski lifts on around 100 square
kilometers [39 square miles] of groomed and marked trails and slopes,
and all our equipment is from Europe,” Christian Rizk, the director of
the Mzaar ski resort, told Al-Monitor. “We follow French security norms
and have an expert from the research firm ERIC [involved in cable transportation engineering] coming from France every year to give us an operating certificate.”

Awada and her group have started public information campaigns to
spread the message that rape is a crime and that men should be sent to
jail for sexually assaulting women. “The second [message we sent] was that the woman has the right to
say, ‘No, I don’t want to get married to the man who raped me once
because if I get married to him then he will continue raping me my whole
life,’” she says.

The group’s efforts have been successful so far. “It worked at the policy level with different decision-makers,” says
Awada. “The Justice Committee was studying abolishing the article 522
law. After this series of lobbying meetings, we managed to get this
draft law discussed inside the parliament with different political
affiliates, and the final voting will be this week, with hopefully a
‘yes’ to abolish article 522.” Not overturning this law can have devastating effects, Awada says. Back in 2012, a 16-year-old Moroccan girl named Amina Filali killed herself
after she was forced to marry her rapist. The backlash to her death
lead to the repeal of Morocco’s rape-marriage law, article 475. Jordan
and Egypt have similar laws, Awada says, but she argues the issue goes
beyond legal statutes. 

Written by Joe Ayoub- Global Voices

Days after two thousand protesters
gathered in front of the government palace in Beirut on March 19, to
protest against proposed tax hikes, the Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri announced that elections will be delayed, again. Hassan Chamoun, a videographer and member of the widely successful anti-corruption ‘You Stink’ Movement,
argued that the proposed tax hike is an attempt to distract the
Lebanese people from the election extension. Speaking to Global Voices,
he said:

Ruling politicians are bringing attention to this issue
on purpose, to eclipse the parliamentary extension and political
deadlock between them regarding a new electoral law.

Elections should have taken place in June of 2013, but the parliament extended
its own term for 17 months citing ‘security concerns’. Then, in
November of 2014, citing the need to decide on a new electoral law
before voting, the parliament delayed elections to 2017. This
time, the government is saying the extension is for ‘ technical
reasons’, in reality the parliament has reached a deadlock on the new
electoral law. To put this in perspective, a 28 year old Lebanese citizen has yet to
vote for their parliamentarian of choice despite being legally allowed
to vote since they turned 21. Popular blogger Elie Fares sarcastically
thanked the government or dawleh for the extension on Facebook:

I’m 27 year old, moving to Philadelphia in 2 months, and
I’ve never – nor will I ever at this rate – voted for parliament.
#ThanksDawleh

Egypt Independent In an interview with state-run news agency MENA, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said that he called on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take part in training the Lebanese army; a request to which Sisi responded favorably during their meeting at the presidential palace on Wednesday. Hariri praised Sisi’s understanding of the difficult […]

by Ingrid Melander, Michel Rose, Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) – The top candidates in France’s presidential
election clashed in a televised debate on Monday, with centrist
Emmanuel Macron accusing far-right leader Marine Le Pen of
lying and seeking to divide the French. The debate, the first between the five main contenders ahead of
a two-round election on April 23 and May 7, could help viewers
make up their minds in a French election where nearly 40
percent of voters say they are not sure who to back. Opinion polls show Macron and Le Pen pulling away from the pack
in an election that has been full of twists and turns, and
which is taking place against a backdrop of high unemployment
and sluggish growth.

One of the most heated exchanges came between the two
frontrunners, after Le Pen accused Macron of being in favor of
the burkini, a full-body swimsuit worn by Muslim women that
created weeks of controversy in France last summer. “You are lying (to voters) by twisting the truth,” retorted
Macron, a 39-year-old former economy minister under Socialist
President Francois Hollande who is running as an independent.

The debate on TF1 television grew testy when the candidates
were asked about migration and Islam. “I want to put an end to immigration, that’s clear,” Le Pen
said, before talking about a rise of Islamist fundamentalism in
France and saying the security situation in France was
“explosive”. After the surprise of Britain’s Brexit vote and the election of
Donald Trump in the United States, markets are nervous about
the possibility of a Le Pen victory. She is pledging to take
France out of the euro and hold a referendum on EU membership.

by daily star.com.lb Beirut has been ranked among the world’s best cities to eat in, according to a New York-based travel magazine. The magazine listed Beirut as their top choice in a recent article about international cuisine. The Mediterranean city came out at number 1 in a readers-chosen survey conducted by Travel and Leisure, making […]

by middleeastmonitor.com The Israeli government is planning to annex a large area of territorial waters also claimed by Lebanon, which has issued bids for gas and oil investment, Ynet News revealed on Tuesday. The area in question is believed to be rich in natural resources and has been disputed between Israel and Lebanon for years, […]

by middleeastmonitor.com/ Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has arrived in Egypt where he is scheduled to meet with President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi and Prime Minister Sharif Ismail with the view of strengthening ties between the two countries. Hariri will also meet with Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Church and Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb of […]

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.