Wildfires raging in Akkar over the weekend. (Credit: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
The celebrated Lebanese-American poet, author, painter and journalist Etel Adnan died in Paris on Sunday at the age of 96. Adnan was born in Beirut in 1925 to a Greek mother and a Turkish-Albanian father. She left Lebanon for the United States, where she taught philosophy at a university and began to paint at the age of 34. In 1972, Adnan returned to Beirut, where she worked for the newspapers Al Safa and our sister publication, L’Orient-Le Jour. She left Lebanon again in 1976 and wrote, in 1977, her well-known civil war novel, Sitt Marie-Rose, about a woman executed by Christian militiamen, which cost her her job at L’Orient-Le Jour, according to longtime partner, Simone Fattal. The novel was followed by a large number of highly regarded poetry and prose works, including The Arab Apocalypse (1989). Her paintings were largely neglected by the art world until 2012, when her inclusion in a major German art exhibition launched her into the visual arts mainstream. Her last exhibition before her death was at New York City’s Guggenheim museum.
At least one person died over the weekend as wildfires raged across Lebanon. Flames were reported across much of the country, including in the south, Akkar and the Bekaa, while ash fell in Beirut and villages in Mount Lebanon when a fire broke out in Beit Mery. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri raised the possibility of arson, saying, “The timing and location of the fires pose questions to which we expect answers.” Raymond Khattar, the Civil Defense director, told local media that the fire in the village of Beit Meri “seems” like it was intentionally set. Lebanon has been struck by a large number of fires in recent months, especially in Akkar. However, the state’s ability to fight wildfires is hampered by inadequate equipment and funds — yet another consequence of the ongoing economic crisis. Prime Minister Najib Mikati has also reached out to neighboring countries with a view to possibly asking them for help extinguishing the flames.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at a press conference on Saturday that he believes Mikati “has a good plan for moving Lebanon forward.” “I think it would be very important for the various friends and supporters of Lebanon to demonstrate that support, to bolster Lebanon in a time of need,” he added. Among the “friends and supporters” Blinken may have had in mind are several Gulf countries that have cut off diplomatic relations with Lebanon over the past two weeks, ostensibly in response to comments made in August by Information Minister George Kurdahi that criticized the Saudi military presence in Yemen. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister told France 24 over the weekend, “We see no useful purpose [in] engaging with the Lebanese government at this point in time.” The Saudi minister called for Lebanon’s political class to “step up and take the necessary actions to liberate Lebanon from the domination of Hezbollah.” Blinken’s comments also came a day after The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter at a press conference on Friday lambasted the "failing" Lebanese government and accused officials of “evading accountability and scapegoating refugees from the comfort of their offices.”
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi has called for Kurdahi to resign in order to de-escalate tensions with the Gulf. In an interview with Kuwaiti daily Al Rai, Mawlawi called Kurdahi’s resignation “necessary” and said Mikati holds the same opinion. Kurdahi has so far refused to resign, although he has indicated that he would consider it if certain unspecified “guarantees” were met.