"Strength for women" reads a banner carried by protesters in Lebanon during a demonstrations in 2019. (Credit: OLJ)
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Lebanon abstained last night from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution to create an independent body to “clarify” the fate of thousands of people who remain missing in Syria since war broke out in 2011. NGOs contend that some 100,000 people have disappeared since what began as a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests and quickly evolved into more than a decade of civil war in which over half a million people have been killed. "After 12 years of conflict and violence in the Syrian Arab Republic, little progress has been achieved in alleviating the suffering of families by providing answers as to the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons," reads the UN resolution, which passed with 83 votes in favor. Eleven member states opposed the resolution, and 62, including Lebanon, abstained from casting a vote. Syria, along with Russia, China and Iran, objected to the new body, saying it had not been consulted on the resolution. During Lebanon’s own 1975-90 Civil War, rights organizations estimate that some 17,000 people were kidnapped or disappeared. Some of the missing are believed to have been arrested or captured by the various forces and militias involved in the conflict — Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian and Israeli.
Lebanon ranked 132nd out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s 2023 global gender equality ranking. Lebanon dropped 13 places this year, reflecting a regression in terms of political empowerment, a stagnant score for education and health, and a better score in economic opportunity. The report found that women in Lebanon have less access to financial services, have fewer legal rights and are at a disadvantage compared to men in matters of inheritance, divorce, reproductive autonomy and access to justice.
“There's nothing abnormal happening along the Lebanese coast,” a marine biology expert told L’Orient Today on Thursday, offering reassurance as videos of whales and sharks off Lebanon’s waters circulated on social media. “Swimming at beaches across Lebanon is totally safe, as it has always been,” American University of Beirut marine biology professor Michel Bariche said, confirming that the animals sighted do not represent a significant risk to humans. “Unfortunately, some social media users are hyping this up and dealing with their presence as [something] odd or unusual, which isn’t the case,” Bariche added. Last week, the Agriculture Ministry called on citizens to respect laws on shark hunting after reports of their presence off Lebanese coasts sparked fears and spurred poaching.
Several Lebanese political and religious figures condemned the burning of a Quran in Stockholm, Sweden. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned the burning of a Quran by a 37-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker, which took place on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party condemned the incident, along with Forces of Change MP Melhem Khalaf and Walid Baarini from the National Moderation group.
Khalil Gibran, a world-famous Lebanese-American author and artist, will once again be honored in New York City, this time with a sculpture inspired by his work. The initiative was launched by the Kahlil Gibran Collective, an online platform “dedicated to the life and work” of the writer and illustrator, who was from Bsharri, North Lebanon. Lebanese artist Rudy Rahmeh, also from Bsharri, was commissioned to bring the sculpture to life. It will be the first statue to pay tribute to the writer in New York, his residence from 1912 until his death in 1931. It will be inaugurated during a weekend of events organized between Sept. 21 and 23, to mark the centennial of the publication of The Prophet.
A 10-year-old Lebanese girl was killed Tuesday evening after being accidentally stabbed during a fight in Tripoli, North Lebanon. The fight broke out between two men on Abu al-Fawz street in the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp. The girl was rushed to the hospital but did not survive her injuries.
Several dozen residents of Koussaybeh, South Lebanon, blocked the Nabatieh-Sour highway on Wednesday afternoon in the Kfar Dajjal locality, the state-run National News Agency reported. The residents blocked the highway to protest their town’s garbage crisis and poor management of local landfills. The problem of waste collection often leads to open dumps in all parts of the country.
A personal dispute between two family members in Bab al-Tabbaneh escalated into an exchange of fire that killed one man and injured another on Wednesday. The clashes allegedly broke out between members of the Hilweh and Awwad families.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “Beirut 360. A city in a little book, for free”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon, demolishes buildings in Bint Jbeil