Lebanon government resigns amid outrage over Beirut blast

Lebanon s prime minister announced his government s resignation, saying a huge explosion that devastated the capital and stirred public outrage was the result of endemic corruption. Lebanon’s prime minister announced his government’s resignation Monday night in the aftermath of last week’s devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut and the public protests that followed. “We want to open the door to national rescue, a rescue that the Lebanese will participate in achieving,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a televised speech. “Therefore, today I announce the resignation of this government. May God protect Lebanon.” Diab had formed his government in January after a protracted political crisis. He laid the blame for the country’s myriad problems at the feet of the political elite, who have ruled Lebanon since the end of the civil war nearly 30 years ago. He said they have caused political and economic devastation and brought about last week’s tragedy and he called for accountability. After addressing the nation, Diab went to the presidential palace where President Michel Aoun accepted the government’s resignation.

 Diab’s government will now be a caretaker until new elections are held. He did not say when that would be, but he had previously said he would draft legislation calling for early elections. The decision comes after several ministers and lawmakers resigned, but calls continued for the entire government to go, including in mass demonstrations Saturday and Sunday. Ahead of Diab’s announcement, protesters gathered in central Beirut near the parliament building. There were clashes with security forces and the Lebanese Red Cross reported transporting seven injured people to the hospital and treating nearly 40 others on the scene. The massive blast, which killed at least 160 people, injured thousands and left more than 250,000 homeless, has been blamed on the detonation of 2,750 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored for six years at the Port of Beirut.

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the voices of the Lebanese people must be heard. “It is important that a credible and transparent investigation determine the cause of the explosion and bring about the accountability demanded by the Lebanese people,” Guterres told a humanitarian briefing on Lebanon. His spokesperson said the U.N. stands ready to assist with an investigation, should the Lebanese authorities request it. International solidarity with Lebanon has been strong and immediate. On Sunday, at a donor’s conference co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and the United Nations, world leaders pledged nearly $300 million to help the country – already reeling from political, economic and health crises – recover from the explosion.

Courtesy : VOA

The Aftermath of the Beirut Explosion, 300,000 Homeless

On the evening of 4 August 2020, at 18:08 EEST, an extremely powerful explosion occurred in the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The blast, which occurred after a fire at the Port of Beirut, left at least 135 people dead, 80 more missing, and more than 5,000 injured. Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud estimated that up to 300,000 people were left homeless by the explosions. The Lebanese government declared a two-week state of emergency. The main explosion was linked to about 2,750 tonnes (3,030 short tons) of ammonium nitrate equivalent to 1.1 kilotons of TNT (4.6 TJ) that had been confiscated by the government from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus and stored in the port without proper safety measures for six years. Despite inefficient transmission of the shock waves into the ground, the explosion was detected as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 by the United States Geological Survey. By the following day, 5 August, the fire was largely extinguished.

The economy of Lebanon was in a state of crisis before the explosions, with the government having defaulted on debt, the Lebanese pound plunging and a poverty rate that had risen past 50%. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic had overwhelmed many of the country’s hospitals, several of which already were short of medical supplies and unable to pay staff because of the financial crisis.  The morning before the explosion, the head of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, which served as the main coronavirus medical facility in Lebanon, warned that it was approaching full capacity. The government-owned Port of Beirut serves as the main maritime entry point into Lebanon and a vital piece of infrastructure to import scarce goods. The port included 4 basins, 16 quays, 12 warehouses, and a grain silo that served as a strategic reserve of wheat for the country. The Beirut Naval Base is a part of the port.

Lebanon security forces clash with protesters

The 2019–2020 Lebanese protests are an ongoing series of civil protests in Lebanon, initially triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco and online phone calls such as through WhatsApp,  but quickly expanding into a country-wide condemnation of sectarian rule, stagnant economy, unemployment, endemic corruption in the public sector, legislation (such as banking secrecy) that is perceived to shield the ruling class from accountability and failures from the government to provide basic services such as electricity, water and sanitation. The protests first erupted on 17 October 2019.

As a result of the protests, Lebanon entered a political crisis, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri tendering his resignation and echoing protestors’ demands for a government of independent specialists. Other politicians targeted by the protests have remained in power. On 19 December 2019, former Minister of Education Hassan Diab was designated the next prime minister and tasked with forming a new cabinet. Protests and acts of civil disobedience have since continued, with protestors denouncing and condemning the designation of Diab as prime minister. On January 22, Lebanon named Hassan Diab as its prime minister to lead the new cabinet of 20 members, after three months of mass protests. Diab was appointed with the support of Hezbollah, its allies, and the Free Patriotic Movement led by Gebran Bassil.

Syrian families struggle to keep warm in harsh winter

Nearly two million Syrian refugees have settled in Lebanon. As another harsh winter sets in, many people struggle to keep their tents warm enough for their young children. The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) says about 195,000 Syrian families are particularly at risk. “The number of years that refugees have stayed here means that they are facing increased vulnerabilities, all of their savings have been depleted, many have moved into the settlements because they are cheaper than living in flats or apartments in town,” said UNHCR’s Maeve Murphy. “They are not used to these conditions. It is practically impossible to find a job and therefore they have no income and are totally reliant on resources from humanitarian agencies.”

A snowstorms over the weekend worsened conditions for the families. Some stayed inside huddled around their stoves to keep warm.“What’s important for me is to keep my children away from death, we can handle the cold, it’s easier than death, barrel bombs and shelling,” explained Nawal, a Syrian refugee. Some children ventured outside to gather firewood, while others played in the snow.

Battleground Syria

 Residents face mounting danger as the battle for control in Syria continues.

British Prime Minister David Cameron meets Syrian refugee

British Prime Minister David Cameron meets Syrian refugee families at a settlement camp in the Bekaa Valley on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

Lebanese protesters are sprayed with water during a protest

Lebanese protesters are sprayed with water during a protest against corruption and against the government’s failure to resolve a crisis over rubbish disposal, near the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanese security forces fired water cannon at protesters demonstrating against the government near Prime Minister Tammam Salam’s offices in Beirut on Sunday, live television pictures showed.

Syrian Refugees Brace for Brutal Winter

A Syrian refugee boy reacts as he stands barefoot on snow outside a tent at a refugee camp in Zahle, in the Bekaa valley.

Saad Al-Hariri

Saad-eddine Rafiq Al-Hariri   born 18 April 1970) is a Lebanese billionaire who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 2009 until 2011. He is the second son of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister who was assassinated in 2005. Hariri was prime minister from 9 November 2009 until the collapse of his cabinet on 12 January 2011 and has also been the leader of the Movement of the Future party since 2005. He is seen as a “weak figurehead” of the March 14 movement.^[1]

 

Early years

Saad Hariri was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia^[2][3] on 18 April 1970, and is the son of Rafiq Hariri and his first wife Nida Bustani, an Iraqi.^[4] He graduated in 1992 from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University with a major in Business Administration.^[5] He then returned to Saudi Arabia where he managed part of his father’s business in Riyadh until his father’s assassination in 2005. When his father was killed in February 2005, he inherited some USD $4.1 billion in 2005 earning him and each of his siblings^[5] a place on the 2006 Forbes list of richest people in the world.

Business activities

Prior to entering politics, Hariri served as the chairman of the executive committee of Oger Telecom, which pursues telecommunication interests in the Middle East and Africa. In addition, Hariri was the chairman of Omnia Holdings and a board member of Oger International Entreprise de Travaux Internationaux.

Political career

On 20 April 2005, Hariri family announced that Saad Hariri would lead the Movement of the Future, an essentially Sunni movement that was created and led by his late father.^[4][6] He is also the leader of the March 14 Alliance, a coalition of political groups born out of the Cedar Revolution which, through mass popular demonstrations and Western support, led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in 2005 after a 29-year presence. In 2007, French President Jacques Chirac awarded Saad Hariri the “Legion d’Honneur” (Knight of the Legion of Honor).^[7]

Prime ministership

Government collapse

On 12 January 2011, minutes after Hariri posed for pictures with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, the opposition parties resigned from the cabinet, as an objection for the inability of the government to take detrimental decisions, causing his unity government to collapse. In fact, Hezbollah and its allies withdrew from the government due to political tensions arose from investigations of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri.^[8] The reason for Hezbollah’s withdrew was that Hezbollah operatives were convicted as being responsible for the assassination of Rafiq Hariri.^[8]A White House statement released after their talks said actions by Hezbollah “only demonstrate their own fear and determination to block the government’s ability to conduct its business and advance the aspirations of all of the Lebanese people."Hariri remained caretaker Prime Minister for another four months after the collapse of his cabinet. The new Lebanese government was finally formed on 13 June 2011 and is headed by Najib Mikati. Mikati created a Hezbollah-led government coalition.^[8]

Arrest warrant

On 12 December 2012, Syria issued an arrest warrants against Hariri, Future bloc deputy Okab Sakr and Free Syrian Army official Louay Meqdad in regard to the allegations of arming and providing financial support for Syrian opposition groups.^[9] Upon this, Hariri released a statement, indicating that Bashar Assad is a "monster”.^[9] Lebanese judicial sources argued that the arrest warrant would likely to be ignored by Lebanon and that since both Hariri and Saqr have parliamentary immunity, they cannot be prosecuted.^[9]

Personal life

Hariri holds dual citizenship, Lebanese and Saudi Arabian.^[10] He married Lara Bashir Al Adem in 1998 and has 3 children: Hussam (born 1999), Lulwa (born 2001) and Abdulaziz, (born 2005). His wife is from a prestigious Syrian family.^[4] He lives in Paris, France, since 2011 for safety reasons.^[1][11]His net worth has fluctuated since the death of his father. Current figures usually vary between 1.5 and 2 billion USD. However, according to Forbes, as of 2011 he is the 595th richest person in the world with a net worth of $2 billion.^[12]

Awards

In 2007, Hariri was awarded the Legion of Honour.^[13]

Worsening war in Syria

After the backing of Russia and China and massive support of Iran and Hizbollah, Bashar al-Assad has gotten the license to kill innocent people. A British doctor who was on humanitarian mission in Aleppo and detained by Assad forces lost his life after 13 months of detention and brutal torture.

According to the media, when the regime forced dropped barrel bombs in Aleppo, more than 200 civilians lost their lives in miserable conditions. Unfortunately, instead of saving the lives of 10 million women, the world community is more interested in destructing Assad’s chemical weapons. US Secretary of State John Kerry said that he was pleased with the cooperation of the Syrian government and was now working with Russia to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. It seems true that Assad regime is using chemical weapons issue to extend its rule with the help of Russia and Iran.

According to the UN, more than 100,000 people have lost their lives during the last two years of Syrian conflict. Due to the heavy use of air power, destruction is very high and several areas, large buildings have turned to rubble. Thousand women and children have also lost their lives due to heavy fighting in urban areas. Due to fierce gun battle and the use of heavy weapons, 3 million people, most of them are women and children, have been forced to leave their homes and migrate to neighboring countries Jordon, Turkey and Lebanon. Many are now living in refugee camps without any necessities. The UN needs US$6 billion for reconstruction and the rehabilitation of migrated people. Lebanon is facing internal division between pro and rival Assad groups. Several people have lost their lives due to heavy fighting inside Lebanon and several residential areas have also been targeted.

Khawaja Umer Farooq
Jeddah