{"id":11456,"date":"2021-06-27T21:12:33","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T00:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/?p=11456"},"modified":"2021-06-28T10:40:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-28T13:40:05","slug":"while-lebanon-is-diving-further-in-financial-misery-mr-ismail-hannieh-the-hamas-leader-is-visiting-this-country-for-the-second-time-in-just-a-few-weeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/2021\/06\/27\/while-lebanon-is-diving-further-in-financial-misery-mr-ismail-hannieh-the-hamas-leader-is-visiting-this-country-for-the-second-time-in-just-a-few-weeks\/","title":{"rendered":"While Lebanon is diving further in financial misery, Mr. Ismail Hannieh, the Hamas Leader, is visiting this country for the second time in just a few weeks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lebanon is in a VERY BAD shape \u2639.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 All its\ncitizens are now poorer, from the wealthiest to the poorest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To give you an idea, over 60% of this tiny country\u2019s 6\nmillion citizens live under the poverty line.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lebanon hosts Palestinians, the poorest of them live\nin camps (180,000-470,000; https:\/\/www.unrwa.org\/where-we-work\/lebanon<\/a>)\nand Syrian refugees (1.5 million, 9 out of 10 of them living in extreme poverty;\nhttps:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/live-news\/20201218-nine-in-10-syrian-refugee-families-in-lebanon-in-extreme-poverty-un<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hyperinflation is making the country look worse than Venezuela. No, not a glorious comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lebanese pound lost over 90% of its value over the\npast year or 1.5 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prices are increasing daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a shortage of medical supplies, medication\n(even those produced locally), gas, electricity, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related to the above, today Bambi read this tweet by her own sister, journalist Roula Douglas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"

<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Here is an English translation: \u201cSeeing members of\nthe state\u2019s security supervising citizens in gas stations, under cover but\nholding their M16 (yes, assault rifles!) has revived, in my mind, images from\ncivil war\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reading this tweet, Bambi called her parents to\ncheck on everyone.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her mom described the same situation in more details. There\nis an increase in power outages, a very long wait time in endless line-ups of\ncars in front of gas stations. Citizens are starting to wait from as early as 5\nAM. Gas price is expected to rise between Monday and Wednesday. The idea is to standardize\nthe price across the country to try to stabilize it. A measure that the country\u2019s\nofficials are trying to take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One must recall that Lebanon remains without a government\nsince the Beirut explosion of August 4, 2020. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No government, no reforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No reforms, no bailout by foreign countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No bailout and much impunity, a risk of seeing more guests like Mr. Hanieh, perhaps mainly hosted by Lebanon\u2019s most powerful group (https:\/\/today.lorientlejour.com\/article\/1266481\/hamas-leader-ismail-haniyeh-has-arrived-in-beirut-lorient-le-jour-reports-haniyeh-is-expected-to-meet-palestinian-factions-representatives-of-hezbolla.html<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambi will comment on this further below. However, before doing so, you may wish to check this 2121- Mercer<\/em> Cost of living ranking. See where Beirut stands: # 3 from the top \u2639 (https:\/\/www.consultancy-me.com\/news\/3894\/crisis-stricken-beirut-becomes-worlds-third-most-expensive-city<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Below, you can see Beirut on the right side (among the\nhighest cost of living AND lowest quality of life). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may wish to compare it Vancouver. Even if inflation is likely coming to Canada (it is a matter of time\u2026), check where the expensive Vancouver is ranked, still in a better position than many other cities\/capitals of the world, including the more expensive New York, Tel Aviv (Israel), and European or other cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"

The above is taken from: https:\/\/www.expats.cz\/czech-news\/article\/prague-ranked-90th-most-expensive-city-for-expats-in-new-2021-survey<\/a>, thanks to journalist, Mr. Jason Pirodsky. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can imagine that the people of Lebanon are fed up. However, is road blocking a constructive or healthy method, especially with burning tires?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Instead of showing roads blocked by snow or by traffic jams due to rush hours like in our big cities,\u00a0the Lebanese MTV channel is reporting on blocked key roads due to demonstrations: (https:\/\/www.mtv.com.lb\/en\/news\/local\/1191989\/list-of-blocked-roads-in-beirut-and-the-north<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a smaller scale in Atlantic Canada, we can imagine that what is happening in Lebanon, may be comparable to what we saw on the Trans-Canada highway the other day between the \u201cborders\u201d of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Lockdowns are tough. People need to earn their living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine this same situation, but across an entire bankrupt country\u2026 of course, with tires that are burning (in the Middle East, it is not hard to imagine!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine also stories of people storming banks out of frustration for what the population has been enduring since October 17, 2019. The latter date is when the financial crash occurred, after the fraud of the Ponzi scheme fell apart, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic): https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/beirut-middle-east-lebanon-riots-business-6bd60c77f9b04c17cb8d51073d7a55b6<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Bambi\u2019s mom puts it: \u201cPeople feel humiliated<\/em>\u201d.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Bambi\u2019s dad replied when Bambi asked about any\nsolution, \u201cLebanon is a farm right now; it is not a country. It still does\nnot have a government. No financial reforms yet\u201d. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their elections are supposed to take place in a year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year is a long-time when we are desperate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed,\nwhen people are starving and they need to feed their families, they can do anything\nin life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\ncan steal or lose their tamper on gas pumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is in\nthis economically tough context that Mr. Hannieh visited Beirut for a second\ntime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambi is not overjoyed by this visit because her birth country is so fragile. It cannot afford shenanigans or political deals that could, at best, block peace in the region and, at worst, drag Lebanon (once again!) into an another war\u2026 of course in the noble name of resistance (to Israel). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sadly\nendless Israeli-Palestinian conflict lasted for over 70 years now. It has dragged\nLebanon into a very long civil war in 1975 that ended in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been a short yet intense war with Israel in July 2006 (it was a conflict between Iran and the United States, by proxy, that is between Hezbollah and Israel).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course,\nthere is also the Syrian civil war nearby (in which Hezbollah remains active,\nafter having gone to war behind the back of the government).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does the country\nof the Cedars need another armed conflict? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, hands\noff Lebanon, please.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambi is\nsick and tired of violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambi is\nnot into ideologies (i.e. Islamism, Zionism, wokeism, or or anything else ending\nwith \u201cism\u201d\u2026). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often in\nlife, ideologies go hand in hand with \u201ccorruption\u201d, even when they start as \u201cnoble\u201d\nideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, a\nreligious ideology, like Islamism (political Islam) or like Zionism, does not\nseem to be into compromise, needed to one day reach a peace deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order\nto engage in peace, one needs genuine leaders with a will\/vision for it, in addition\nto courage\u2026 on both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peace\nseems impossible today, sadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude\nthis post, PLEASE leave Lebanon out of this historic conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not let history repeat itself, even if some of the same ingredients of the past may sadly still be present today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a\nmessage from Bambi to Mr. Hannieh, to all his foreign allies (mainly Iran), to his\nLebanese allies (mainly the most powerful internal group mentioned above), and\u2026\nto the military powerful Israel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you\neveryone for behaving with maturity and empathy for your own people, if at all realistically\npossible! Bambi is convinced that the majority of all the innocent people on\nall sides aspire for safety, peace, prosperity, and\u2026 love. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lebanon is in a VERY BAD shape \u2639.  All its citizens are now poorer, from the wealthiest to the poorest. To give you an idea, over 60% of this tiny country\u2019s 6 million citizens live […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11456"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11456"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11475,"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11456\/revisions\/11475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}