The newly formed Lebanese cabinet deserves a chance
January 24th, 20200 By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz* A popular uprising forced the resignation of the Lebanese prime minister and his cabinet last October. But a strong self-serving government and a very unpopular parliament are still operating with full force. The uprising has a long way to go to achieve its aspirations for a radical change in the political...
Lebanon forms new government with backing of major political parties
January 21st, 20200 BEIRUT — Lebanon formed a new government on Tuesday under Prime Minister Hassan Diab after the Hezbollah group and its allies agreed on a cabinet that must urgently address the economic crisis and ensuing protests that toppled its predecessor. The heavily indebted country has been without effective government since Saad al-Hariri...
Beirut shaken by crackdown on violent protests
January 16th, 20200 BEIRUT — An upsurge of violence in Lebanon’s protests against the ruling elite, with police meting out beatings and protesters hurling stones, has alarmed rights groups and whipped up public fury. After a brief lull in largely peaceful protests since October, people filled the streets again this week, angry at a political class that...
A third choice for the Lebanese crisis
January 16th, 20200 How did Lebanon end up on the brink of financial collapse? A country that many have called in the past the Switzerland of the Middle East and the birthplace of Khalil Gibran and Kamel Al-Sabbah. With the third largest shipping company (CMA-CGM) in the world belonging to a Lebanese family, the country benefits from one of the richest...
Newly named Lebanon PM vows to form government quickly
December 21st, 20190 BEIRUT — Lebanon’s newly named prime minister said on Thursday he would quickly form a government to pull the country out of economic crisis after he was designated with backing from the Hezbollah group, Amal Movement, Free Patriotic Movement and their allies. Hassan Diab, a little-known academic and former education minister who...
Singing all the way to the bank: Lebanese protesters fear for their savings
December 13th, 20190 BEIRUT — Protests in Lebanon took a musical turn on Thursday when a group of activists toured banks, performing songs voicing fears over the fate of savings locked up in the banking system, which has been caught up in a major economic crisis sweeping the country. In lyrics set to the scores of famous Lebanese songs, a half dozen...
Lebanon’s largest Christian political party says it won’t join government on Hariri’s terms
December 13th, 20190 BEIRUT — Lebanon’s largest Christian political party, Free Patriotic Movement, will not join a new government under the terms set by caretaker premier Saad al-Hariri, but will not obstruct the formation of a new cabinet, its leader said on Thursday. The position of the Free Patriotic Movement led by Gebran Bassil could ease the...
Lebanese protesters pack streets to mark independence day
November 23rd, 20190 BEIRUT - Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Lebanon on Friday to mark independence day with a fresh wave of demonstrations against a ruling elite accused of rampant corruption and steering the country into a deep crisis. The unprecedented wave of nationwide protests erupted five weeks ago, leading to the...
Lebanese media: Major parties agree on ex-minister Safadi as prime minister
November 17th, 20190 BEIRUT — Three major Lebanese parties have agreed on nominating Mohammad Safadi, a former finance minister, to become prime minister of a new government, the Lebanese broadcasters LBCI and MTV reported on Thursday. The agreement was reached in a meeting on Thursday between outgoing Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, Lebanon’s leading...
Dearborn based poet finds beauty in ruin in her poem “Thawra: a whatsapp message gone viral”
November 9th, 20190 DEARBORN —As the Lebanon protesters clash against elite institutions and moneyed influence in their country, local Lebanese expats have come together to bring fresh perspectives on the political storm unleashed across their homeland. Many have gathered in Dearborn’s most recognizable institutions, with its municipal buildings...
No sign of new cabinet as Lebanese leaders meet, bank curbs continue
November 8th, 20190 BEIRUT — Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri met President Michel Aoun on Thursday without announcing progress towards forming a new government, and banking sources said most financial transfers out of the country remained blocked. Already facing the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, Lebanon has been...
Haley Stevens should focus on serving her constituents in Michigan, not Israel
November 8th, 20191 This week, four members of the United States House of Representatives sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General expressing their "concern about the continuing, serious violations of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and the resulting threat our ally Israel faces on its northern border." Resolution 1701 led to...
Dearborn protesters rally for change in Lebanon and in support of the uprising
November 2nd, 20190 DEARBORN — Protests in support of the uprising in Lebanon continued this past weekend in Dearborn, with nearly 500 people showing up to rally for reforms and the resignation of government officials in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library and Dearborn Police on Sunday, October 27. The protest followed a pair of similar events...
Calls for new and efficient government in Lebanon after Hariri’s resignation, as crisis deepens
October 29th, 20190 BEIRUT — Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon’s prime minister on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a “dead end” in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against the ruling elite and plunging the country deeper into turmoil. His resignation points to rising political tensions that may complicate the formation of a...
Protesters locally, nationally rally in solidarity with Lebanese seeking reform, ousting of corrupt government
October 27th, 20190 DEARBORN/ANN ARBOR —Protesters from Michigan to California and everywhere in between have rallied in support of demonstrators in Lebanon this past week, sending the message that large-scale change is needed now, and long overdue. On Wednesday at the University of Michigan, a crowd of nearly 200 people chanted, “The people want the......
Nasrallah warns Israel: “Your border, your forces and your settlements” at risk if strikes continue
September 8th, 20190 BEIRUT — The leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon said on Monday that a flare-up at the border with Israel was over, but also warned that a “new phase” has begun in which his group no longer has red lines. In a televised speech, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the new focus would be on targeting Israeli drones that enter his...
Hezbollah says it will hit back at Israel as Lebanese army fires at Israeli drones
August 31st, 20190 BEIRUT — Hezbollah said it would respond with a “surprise” strike against Israel after drones crashed in Lebanon at the weekend, but it also said a new full-out war between the longtime adversaries remains unlikely. Adding to the growing tension between Israel and Iran-backed groups in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, the Lebanese army......
Departing Lebanese counsel general plants cedar trees in Dearborn and Birmingham as gift of resilience, friendship
August 31st, 20190 DEARBORN — In the spirit of giving, appreciation and the rooted historic Lebanese presence in the United States of America, Suzan Mouzi-Yassine, the Michigan-based Lebanese counsel general in the Midwest, decided to end her diplomatic service to the Lebanese Americans in Michigan by planting a cedar tree in Birmingham, where she...
Coral Beach Resort responds to local family’s grievances: Hijabs are welcomed at our hotel
August 30th, 20190 BEIRUT — After The Arab American News published an article about "Islamophobia in the motherland", Coral Beach Hotel & Resort Marketing Manager Rana Younes reached out to us for a follow up apology and clarification. The article focused on Marwan Faraj, a Dearborn man who visited Lebanon this summer with his family. He said...
Lebanese defiant after drone strikes
August 26th, 20190 BEIRUT - Lebanese farmers and residents of Beirut suburbs hit by drones at the weekend vowed on Monday to stand their ground in the event of any Israeli attack, amid heightened tensions between the Hezbollah group and Israel. Two drones crashed on Sunday in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which are dominated by the the Shia, prompting...
Islamophobia in the motherland: Local family speaks out about experiencing discrimination while visiting Lebanon
August 17th, 20191 DEARBORN — While Muslims are demanding respect and fighting for their rights in the West, especially in the United States, Arab American Muslim families who visit their countries of origin feel discriminated against even in the midst of other Muslims. Marwan Faraj, a Dearborn man who was visiting Lebanon this summer, like most of......
Saudi Arabia blocks Palestinians fleeing Syria’s war from Hajj
August 10th, 20190 BEIRUT - On top of being refugees who have been displaced twice, Palestinian refugees who previously resided in Syria and fled the war to Lebanon have been rejected entry visas to visit Mecca for the holy pilgrimage. Tens of Palestinian refugees with "stateless" passports from Syria have been denied the chance to perform Hajj by Saudi...
Netanyahu and Nasrallah exchange threats amid rising tensions in the region
July 22nd, 20190 BEIRUT — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke during the annual commemoration of the 2006 victory of Lebanon's second war with Israel, addressing his support for Iran and saying he sees it as a partner that not only threatens Israel, but also views itself as a proud part of an “axis of resistance” against the U.S. and its......
Iran: From strategic patience to mutual action
July 20th, 20190 TEHRAN - After a pressure campaign from the U.S. and its allies on the Iranian economy, followed by a few threat exchanges, Iran has seized an oil tanker it claimed was carrying 1 million liters of "smuggled fuel," state news agency Press TV said on Thursday. The IRGC said it had initially responded to distress calls from a ship on...
Hezbollah leader says U.S. seeking to talk
July 13th, 20190 BEIRUT - The leader of Hezbollah said on Friday that Washington was seeking to open channels of communication despite ramping up sanctions against the Iran-backed movement’s officials. “Trump’s administration is seeking to open channels of communication to Hezbollah in Lebanon through mediators. ... These are the American......
