Lebanon

Haley Bobseine | (Informed Comment) | – – After almost a decade of multiple postponements stalling the national political process and depriving citizens of their right to vote, Lebanese parliamentary elections will be held next month under a new legal framework. Passed in June 2017, the new election law replaces the majoritarian system with multi-member […]

Lebanon

Lebanon: 5 Steps to Improve Women’s Rights

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – Parliament Candidates Should Commit to Reforms (Beirut) – Candidates running in Lebanon’s May 6, 2018 parliamentary elections should commit to five key steps to improve women’s rights, Human Rights Watch said today, on International Women’s Day. Political parties should also ensure greater participation of women in parliament by including […]

Israel

Another Reason for Renewables: Growing Israel-Lebanon Conflict over Gas

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – Lebanon will fully use energy block disputed by Israel – minister Israel claims gas field put out to tender by Lebanon Lebanon’s energy minister said on Friday there would be full exploration in an offshore energy block that partially lies in waters disputed by neighbouring Israel. Lebanon said on […]

Donald Trump

Trump’s Gift to Hizbullah weakens Saudi Hand in Beirut

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Hassan Nasrullah, the secretary general of Lebanon’s Hizbullah, called for a new Palestinian uprising or intifada in the wake of Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He said Trump had thereby issued “A second Balfour Declaration.” (The first was in 1917 when the British cabinet […]

Hizbullah

How Hezbollah deals with Hariri Crisis will affect Mideast Stability

Juan Cole

By Elias Ghazal | (The Conversation) | – – When the prime minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, suddenly resigned from office while visiting Saudi Arabia on November 4, the Lebanese people and their leaders struggled to make sense of it. First they were shocked when they watched Hariri’s deeply unsettling eight-minute resignation video, which was […]

Hizbullah

Saudi Debacle as Hariri returns to Beirut, remains PM

contributors

France 24 English | (Video News Report) | – – “Lebanon: PM Saad Hariri puts off stepping down. FRANCE24”s correspondent in Beirut Adam Pletts tells us more.” France 24 English: “Lebanon: PM Saad Hariri puts resignation on hold pending talks”

Lebanon

Lebanon PM Hariri will go to France from Saudi Arabia

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his family are expected to visit Paris within 48 hours after he accepted an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron. After speaking with both Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman and Hariri himself by telephone, Macron made the invitation yesterday hours after […]

Featured

Pres. Aoun: Saudi Holding Hariri an Act of Aggression

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Beirut newspaper Al-Nahar [The Day] reports that President Michel Aoun of Lebanon said Wednesday, “Nothing justifies Prime minister Saad Hariri’s failure to return to Beirut after the passage of 12 days from his announcement of his resignation.” Aoun said he considered Hariri to have been […]

Hizbullah

Lebanon’s Big Crisis, and What Saudi Arabia could Lose

Juan Cole

By Billie Jeanne Brownlee and Maziyar Ghiabi | (The Conversation) | – – The Twitter account of Lebanon’s prime minister, Sa’ad Hariri has been inactive since November 6, just after he announced his resignation in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh. Hariri justified his decision as a move to escape an assassination plot. So far, both […]