Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram opened the door yesterday for Palestinians to work in professions requiring syndicate membership — jobs from which they had previously been barred. The ministerial decree says Palestinians born in Lebanon and registered with the Interior Ministry will be allowed to work in professions like medicine, law, engineering and public transport for the first time. There are questions, however, as to whether the syndicates that regulate each profession will in turn agree to admit Palestinian members. The decision is also potentially subject to reversal, given that it was made by ministerial decree and not legislation passed by Parliament. Palestinians and allies were cautiously optimistic after the decree was issued, and hailed it as a step forward, if only a partial one. “I think it’s the best decision taken until now,” said Anis Mohsen, a Palestinian writer, researcher and human rights activist, “but it’s not legislation.” Meanwhile, a coalition of Palestinian organizations presented the top official of the United Nations agency UNRWA in Lebanon yesterday with a memorandum protesting inadequate support for Palestinians in Lebanon hit by the country’s multiple crises.

Commercial drivers began a strike at 6 a.m. today and are conducting sit-ins and marches across the country to protest the government’s failure to fulfil its promises to provide support to drivers. The strike encompasses taxi and bus drivers, as well as operators of cargo trucks and tanker trucks. A land transportation strike called for October was canceled at the last minute when labor leaders reached an understanding with government officials on steps to be taken to ease the cost-of-living crisis for drivers, including the issuing of fuel vouchers. But those government plans have failed to materialize in the weeks since, and strike leaders vowed last night that nothing would prevent the strike from taking place today. The strike action will culminate at 10 a.m. in Downtown Beirut, where union leader Bassam Tlais will issue a statement about next steps. Tlais said that the strike was timed to allow union members to participate in today’s elections for the leadership of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers, which includes the land transport unions.

A US citizen journalist who was detained by General Security for almost a month was released yesterday, after human rights groups called for her freedom. Nada Homsi was detained on Nov. 16 following a raid on her apartment that her lawyer said was conducted without a warrant and resulted in the discovery of a small amount of marijuana. Her electronics and documents were also seized. She was reportedly held for six days before being allowed to speak to her attorney, in violation of Lebanese law, which also prohibits pretrial detention for drug offenses. Although the public prosecutor ordered her release on Nov. 25, General Security continued to hold her in detention until yesterday, when international rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International raised the issue publicly and forced General Security to release Homsi the same day. Speaking to our sister publication L’Orient-Le Jour after her release, Homsi said she was unsure why her house was raided but suspected it may have had something to do with her outspoken support for Palestine or her journalism.

President Michel Aoun said efforts are underway to resolve the nearly two-month-long impasse preventing the cabinet from meeting. In a meeting with the UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon Aoun said that “calls are underway to remove obstacles to the resumption of government meetings.” It is unclear how the deadlock can be resolved, with two political parties vowing not to attend cabinet sessions until Judge Tarek Bitar is removed from the Beirut port blast investigation while other political factions defend Bitar. However, French President Emmanuel Macron, one of Lebanon’s few remaining advocates on the international scene, is reportedly opposed to any deal that would result in Bitar’s removal.

Meanwhile, Bitar resumed work on the Beirut port blast probe yesterday. The investigation had been put on hold for more than a month while the Beirut Court of Appeals considered a lawsuit filed by former Public Works Minister Youssef Fenianos, whom Bitar has accused of criminal negligence. It was the third suspension of the investigation triggered by lawsuits against Bitar brought by politicians. During his first day back on the job Bitar met with relatives of suspects detained as part of the investigation, who asked for the release of their detained family members, some of whom have been in pretrial detention since August 2020.

Severe weather yesterday caused disruptions around the country, but no deaths or injuries were reported. The heavy wind and rain downed trees in Beirut, damaging public and private property including parked cars. Billboards in the south were detached from their anchors and went flying and high waves forced a commercial ship bound for Saida to take shelter in Beirut and another ship attempting to leave Saida port to remain in place. Tin roofs in Beddawi in North Lebanon were detached from shops and market stalls. At higher altitudes heavy snow fell, causing some roads to become impassable.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati left early this morning for Cairo on an official visit to meet with his Egyptian counterpart and the country’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to a statement issued by the Grand Serail, Mikati is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of the Arab League and meet with Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the organization.