By NAJIA HOUSSARI – arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Demonstrators blocked a highway connecting Lebanon and Syria on Monday with burned tires and metal bars, protesting a decision aimed at curbing smuggling into Syria. Gasoline smugglers blocked the Masnaa crossing after security forces moved to prevent them from driving through the legitimate crossing. Amid worsening living conditions in Lebanon, some are filling up their cars with goods and fuel and traveling into Syria through the Masnaa crossing to sell them on the other side at double the price. “The process involves paying bribes to pass into Syrian territory, so when the Lebanese side decided to prevent smuggling, the smugglers protested,” said a security source. Customs authorities in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa region announced they will strictly enforce permit requirements for vehicles going into Syria to limit fuel smuggling. Protesters on the international highway demanded the process be applied to everyone crossing into Syria or be scrapped.

The Lebanese are still queuing for hours at gas stations to get subsidized gasoline, with a 20-liter canister of gasoline being sold for 44,000 Lebanese pounds ($29). On the black market, the price is between 70,000 to 100,000 Lebanese pounds. The shocking costs have led to citizens waiting at gas stations getting into fights. One person was wounded from a fistfight that turned into a shooting in front of a station in Tripoli on Monday. The minister of energy in the caretaker government, Raymond Ghajar, said a few days ago: “The real price of a canister is about 200,000 Lebanese pounds, while the Lebanese now pay about 40,000 Lebanese pounds.” His remarks came amid indications that the substance will no longer be subsidized “at a certain point.”

By Aya Iskandarani – .thenationalnews.com — Lebanon’s military interrogated a prominent student activist on Monday after he took part in a university protest, a move rights defenders say is a worrying attempt to stifle dissent. Karim Safieddine, a student leader from the Mada Network, a political youth group that has gained momentum in the aftermath of the October protests, said he was summoned by military police for allegedly throwing rocks at security forces during a protest against tuition fee hikes at the American University of Beirut last December. He denies allegations of violence and said on Twitter that he “did not touch one stone”. “This is an attempt to intimidate us,” Mr Safieddine told The National after his interrogation. “Authorities are sending us a political message because our student grassroots movement is becoming more widespread.” Activists and human rights defenders said Mr Safieddine’s interrogation was part of a wider clampdown on individuals who were active in the mass anti-government protest movement of late 2019. An army representative declined to comment on the issue.

More than a million Lebanese took to the streets in October 2019 to demand the downfall of the ruling elite, widely accused of corruption and fomenting one of the worst financial crises in the country’s history. Inspired by this movement, the protests at AUB drew students from all sects, a rarity in a country where people’s politics fall along sectarian lines. They also inspired other universities to mobilise. About 50 supporters of Mr Safieddine gathered outside the military police station where he was interrogated. They held banners that read “state oppression does not scare us, the student movement lives on” and chanted “the military is stifling protesters”. Protester Farah El Baba, 25, said Mr Safieddine’s interrogation was meant to dissuade other young people from speaking out and mobilising. “They picked one of the most vocal activists in order to scare others,” she said.

By Timour Azhari BEIRUT (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – At least $250 million in U.N. humanitarian aid intended for refugees and poor communities in Lebanon has been lost to banks selling the local currency at highly unfavourable rates, a Thomson Reuters Foundation investigation has found. The losses – described in an internal United Nations document as “staggering” and confirmed by multiple sources – come as Lebanon grapples with its worst ever economic crisis, with more than half the population living under the poverty line, according to the World Bank. They stem from a plunge in the value of the Lebanese pound since the economy began to collapse in late 2019, sending prices soaring and forcing many Lebanese into poverty. The unfavourable exchange rates offered by Lebanese banks have hit Syrian and Palestinian refugees and poor Lebanese particularly hard as they are able to buy far less with the cash handouts they receive from the U.N.

Pre-crisis, refugees and poor Lebanese received a monthly payout of $27, equal to about 40,500 Lebanese pounds, from the World Food Programme (WFP). That has now risen to about 100,000 Lebanese pounds per person, but its real value is a fraction of what it was before – about $7 at the current rate. “The buying power used to be very good, we could get an acceptable food basket,” said Abu Ahmad Saybaa, a Syrian refugee who runs a Facebook page that highlights the challenges faced by refugees in Lebanon. “But now (the handouts) can’t get us more than a gallon of cooking oil. There’s a huge difference in purchasing power,” said the father of five, who has lived in a refugee camp in Lebanon’s rugged northeast since 2014. “It’s weighing on all of our health – mental and physical.”

by AFP — BEIRUT: The head of Lebanon’s powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah on Sunday congratulated ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi on winning Iran’s presidential election, describing him as a “shield” against Israel and other “aggressors.” Raisi, a former judiciary chief, won nearly 62 percent of the vote in Friday’s election on turnout of 48.8 percent, after […]

كتب سمير عطالله الاربعاء الماضي: https://www.annahar.com/arabic/authors/15062021092352216 يردد غاسلو الأيدي ان الأزمة عمرها ثلاثون عاماً. وقد يكون في ذلك شيء من الصحة. لكن لماذا انتظرت الليرة 30 عاماً كي تنهار، والعتم 30 عاماً كي يعمم، والزبالة 30 عاماً كي تعوم، والخبز 30 عاماً كي يصبح وزيره راوول نعمة، والبنزين 30 عاماً كي يذلّ الناس طابوراً خلف […]

by arabnews.com — Najia Houssari — BEIRUT: Josep Borrell, the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, has criticized Lebanese officials and conveyed a “severe” message for “not forming the government after nine months of the resignation of Hassan Diab’s government and nomination of Saad Hariri as prime minister-designate.” Borrell, who is also vice president of the European Commission, said that “the Lebanese crisis is not related to surrounding conditions, nor to war in Syria, but to the political class, which bears responsibility.” The European official’s statement came after his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Saturday at the Presidential Palace. It was the first of a set of meetings that will include the speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab. Before Borrell’s arrival to Beirut, news spread that the EU intends to impose sanctions on Lebanese officials responsible for obstructing the formation of the government. The news was based on a proposal by France, which launched an initiative last September to quickly form a rescue government to stop financial collapse in the country. However, the initiative faced significant obstacles.

Borrell stressed that the “crisis in Lebanon is locally made, and its impact is huge on the Lebanese people, for unemployment rose to 40 percent, and more than 50 percent of the Lebanese live below the poverty line. These are dramatic figures, and the Lebanese presidents and leaders should bear responsibility and form the government without delay, in addition to implementing the necessary reforms.” The European official said that “only an immediate agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will save Lebanon from a financial collapse, and there is no time to waste.” He addressed politicians, saying: “You are on the verge of a full financial collapse.”

  الاتحاد الاوروبي يطالب لبنان مشكوراً باجراء اصلاحات، الاصلاح الاول والرئيس هو حصر السلاح بيد الجيش وتحييد لبنان … والبقية تتبع

breakingdefense.com — CHYRINE MEZHER — BEIRUT: The United States, Russia, China, Gulf countries, EU member states and UN representatives took part yesterday in a French-sponsored conference aimed at supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) hit hard by unprecedented financial and economic pressures. LAF commander Gen. Joseph Aoun described his situation simply: “It is extremely hard for a military commander to seek support from foreign countries when his own state is not capable of acting and is even cutting budget.” How bad is it? “The situation is critical. If unmitigated, the economic and financial crises will inevitably lead to the collapse of all state institutions including the LAF,” he added. “The LAF, yet overstretched, remains a crucial pillar of the Lebanese State,” the French Armed Forces Ministry said in a statement after the conference. “Their cohesiveness and professionalism remain key to preserving the country’s stability from more risks.” The goal of the conference was not to provide the LAF with additional military equipment and materiel, or to finance military pay and pensions. The wide participation, Lebanese military officials say, clearly highlights that the Lebanese army is “the main pillar of the country’s stability and security, and the only legitimate power in the presence of armed groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah.”

Lebanon faces one of the worst economic downturns in its history, exacerbated by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the huge explosion in the port of Beirut. On top of those factors, the country hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, with approximately 2 million Palestinian and Syrian refugees calling Lebanon home. The LAF seeks two types of help. “The first relates to sustaining its operational capabilities, which ultimately ensures the provision of the needed spare parts, fuel, medical support and food supplies,” Aoun said. “The second relates to directly supporting the soldier as an individual to assist him in any way to overcome the economic hardship and to prevent his delinquency.” Well-informed Lebanese defense sources told Breaking Defense that the LAF presented a $100 million wish list, with $40 million for medical supplies and $60 million for food supplies and salaries. Pledges to provide the latter were offered by several participating countries, without adding further information.

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ليس من الضروريِّ أن يُعلَنَ حيادُ دولةٍ أثناءَ حربٍ أو بَعدَها. فجزيرةُ مالطا اعتمدَت الحِيادَ في ظروفٍ سلميّةٍ تامّة. وكان الاتّحادُ السوفياتيُّ طليعةَ الدولِ التي أيّدت خطّيًا حِيادَها في 08 تشرين الأول 1981.

اعتمادُ نظامِ الحيادِ اللبنانيّ لا يَرتَبِطُ بواقعٍ معيَّنٍ فقط، وإلّا لاتَّـــبَــعْنا سياسةَ النأيِ بالنفسِ مرحليًّا، إنّما يَرتبطُ بطبيعةِ الوجودِ اللبنانيِّ تاريخيًّا وجُغرافيًّا وديمغرافيًّا. لا يَضمَنُ استمرارَ هذا المزيجِ اللبنانيِّ سوى الحِياد. هذه حقيقةٌ تاريخيّة. وأصلًا، ما كانت الأزَماتُ اللبنانيّةُ نَشأت لو لم تَشرُدْ مكوِّناتٌ لبنانيّةٌ عن طبيعةِ لبنان. الحِيادُ هو أحدُ الركائزِ التأسيسيّةِ لكيانِ لبنان ودولتِه. بدونِه لا لبنانَ مستقلًّا. وبالتالي أيًّا تَكن صيغةُ لبنانَ الدستوريّةُ مركزيّةً أو لامركزيّةً، فدراليّةً أو تقسيميّةً، يُلازِمُها الِحيادُ فيُعطيها مناعةَ الاستقرار. الحيادُ هو اللَقاحُ العجائبيُّ لِدَرءِ الأزَماتِ والصراعات.

نَرفضُ سياسةَ النأي بالنفسِ، لا لأنّها سيئةٌ، بل لأنّها غيرُ كافية. فالشرقُ الأوسطُ لا يُفرِزُ حربًا كلَّ مئةِ سنة، فحروبُه وصراعاتُه لا تَنقَطِعُ وتَرتَدُّ على اللبنانيّين. لذا يَحتاجُ لبنانُ نظامَ نأيٍ بالنفسِ ثابتًا، اسمُه نظامُ الحيادِ الدائم. فلا يُمكنُ للّبنانيّين أن يكونوا مَوادَّ حروبِ المنطقةِ كلّما حصل انقلابٌ في دولةٍ عربيّةٍ، أو بَرزَ في الشرقِ الأوسطِ زعيمٌ، أو رجلُ دينٍ، أو مشروعٌ توسعيٌّ، أو نزعةٌ قوميّةٌ، أو حالةٌ تكفيريّةٌ وجِهاديّة. دَفعنا غاليًّا ثمنَ هذه التجلّياتِ من الخَمسينات إلى الآن؛ فشكرًا.

BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Faced with the choice of leaving their savings stuck in the bank or investing them at a huge loss, some Lebanese people are opting to take a punt. For them, it’s the only sensible option in a financial system warped by crisis. Largely locked out of their dollar deposit accounts since late 2019 when the Lebanese pound crashed and the banking system buckled amid widespread political protests, some savers see investments in export-focused companies as a way to access hard currency and get something for their “lollars”, the nickname for U.S. dollar-denominated deposits ‘trapped’ in Lebanon’s banks. Alcohol exporters, including craft brewers and gin merchants, are a popular choice. “If you invest with me today trapped dollars I’ll give it back to you in fresh dollars,” said Kamal Fayad, chief executive of 961 Beer, a Lebanese beer exporter. Under informal capital controls, depositors can still write cheques on their U.S. dollar-denominated accounts but those cheques cannot be used abroad and if sold at local exchanges they lose at least 75% of their value.

The steep discount reflects the predicament of having dollars parked at Lebanese banks. Starved of dollar funding, the banks limit customers’ access to their funds and currently pay out at a rate of 3,900 Lebanese pounds to the greenback, around a quarter of the value of dollars on the black market. Fayad said he was in talks with investors to raise the equivalent of over $1 million which would include between $3 million-$4 million lollars. “Investors prefer to take the risk on me rather than keep money in the bank, at least I’m doing something good for the industry. I’m safer today to them than a bank,” he said.