Author: ATFL

Washington, DC, July 19, 2022 (ATFL) – The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Lebanese-Americans working to support and strengthen the US-Lebanon relationship, is pleased with the statement issued after President Joe Biden’s trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in which “[both countries] affirmed their continued support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, and their support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.” 

The US-Saudi Arabia joint communique clearly “noted the importance of forming a Lebanese government and implementing comprehensive structural political and economic reforms to ensure that Lebanon overcomes its political and economic crisis.” It went on to emphasize the need for government control over all Lebanese territory and made reference to relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Taif Accord so that “there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon.”

The President of ATFL, former Ambassador Ed Gabriel, is currently visiting Lebanon where he is reaffirming the need for reforms required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to release funds needed for Lebanon’s recovery from what has been termed one of the worst economic disasters since the mid-19th century. He is also emphasizing the need to support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as the guarantor of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

ATFL applauds the Biden administration for continuing to focus on US-Lebanon relations and to support the needs of the Lebanese people in these exceedingly difficult times.

The American Task Force on Lebanon commends State Department Senior Advisor Amos Hochstein and the Lebanese Government for meeting to advance the delimitation of the Israel-Lebanon maritime boundary, an objective shared by all three governments. 

Such a deal will require open minds and a willingness to compromise from all parties. We encourage Senior Advisor Hochstein to show neutrality and flexibility as he hopefully brings these discussions to a conclusion that will both benefit the economic development of Lebanon and increase regional security.

Washington, DC, May 18, 2022 (ATFL) – The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, commends the Lebanese people for participating in the May 15 parliamentary election. This was the first election since the October 2019 protest movement and the 2020 Port of Beirut explosion.

Final election results show that Hezbollah and its allies have lost a parliamentary majority, having captured just 58 seats, falling short of the 65 seats needed to establish a majority. However, Hezbollah maintained their 27 member bloc and will be anxious to leverage new allies to their side. `

The Free Patriotic Movement, which is aligned with Hezbollah, lost significant seats, which were mainly picked up by the Lebanese Forces. The Lebanese Forces are strongly anti-Hezbollah, and will be the largest Christian political party in parliament with 22 seats.

Independent and political newcomers were able to capture 16 seats, which is larger than many analysts predicted. They are joined by nine other candidates who are critical of the political establishment.

According to György Hölvényi, chief observer of the European Union’s mission, the elections were overshadowed by a number of voting irregularities. The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections tracked at least 3,600 violations, noting that political activists, mostly from Amal and Hezbollah, had attacked and threatened their observers.

Key challenges awaiting the new parliament include appointing a new prime minister-elect, forming a new government, implementing mandated reforms as part of the IMF Staff-Level Agreement, combatting endemic corruption, and selecting the country’s next president.

Many analysts point to gridlock as the next possible inhibitor of progress. There will be obvious sources of division not only between Hezbollah and its opponents, but also from the political newcomers and reformists who have yet to form their own bloc. Importantly, no coalition has been formed who can govern with a parliamentary majority and it is unclear how long the formation of such a coalition will take.

“We commend the Lebanese people for undertaking this democratic exercise,” said ATFL President Ed Gabriel. “These elections demonstrate the democratic passion of the Lebanese people to express their political views and the need for increased US investment in democratic institutions in Lebanon. While we are encouraged that the Lebanese people have sent a clear statement that they favor reform, the elections are over and now is the time to govern. The new parliament must come together, put aside partisan differences and respond to the urgent economic challenges that Lebanon faces. The Lebanese people do not have time to wait for politics as usual,” he added.

The American Task Force on Lebanon congratulates the Lebanese people for their participation in the parliamentary elections on May 15th. They voted in the first parliamentary elections since the October 2019 protest movement and 2020 Port of Beirut explosion. While local and diaspora votes are still being counted and some races have yet to be called, current results indicate a larger-than-expected shift away from traditional political parties and toward independents, opposition parties, and reformists. This is encouraging, despite reports of intimidation and irregularities. We also commend the 130,000 members of the Lebanese diaspora who voted in the 2022 elections, compared to 50,000 who voted in 2018.

As the votes are tallied and seats assigned, ATFL will provide its analysis of possible changes in Lebanon’s political landscape.

Washington, DC, April 7, 2022 (ATFL) – Senior advisers and board members of the American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, recently returned from a trip to Lebanon where they met with key government leaders to stress the need for an agreement with the IMF. 

ATFL is pleased to learn that a Staff Agreement has been agreed to between the government of Lebanon and the IMF on April 7. We note the diligent efforts of the US Embassy in Beirut in support of the agreement and commend the work of the IMF and the Lebanese team, under the direction of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, which was led by Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al-Shami, and included Minister of Finance Youssef El Khalil and Minister of Trade and Economy Amin Salam. 

Under the terms of the agreement, the Lebanese government commits to a “comprehensive, economic reform program” in five areas: rebuilding the economy, restoring financial sustainability, strengthening governance and transparency, removing impediments to job-creating growth, and increased social and reconstruction spending, initially targeting the electricity sector.

The IMF agreed to provide access to approximately $3 billion in concessionary financing “after the timely implementation of all prior actions and confirmation of international partners’ financial support.” In other words, only action by the Lebanese authorities on the agreed reforms will bring about the release of the funds, hopefully before the end of the year.  

“We applaud the commitment by Lebanese authorities to undertake several critical reforms ahead of the IMF Board meeting,” said ATFL President Ed Gabriel. ”We have met regularly with the IMF and Lebanese negotiating team the past month to emphasize the urgency of completing an agreement and applaud this first and important step. Now the hard work begins as the Lebanese government and newly elected parliament ensures that an IMF reform package is fully implemented, prior to the release of any IMF funds,” he added.

Washington, DC, March 18, 2022 (ATFL) – The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, commends the Biden Administration and Congress for increasing US assistance to Lebanon.

On Tuesday, March 15, President Joe Biden signed the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill into law, which covers the US government budget from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, and calls for $1.5 trillion in annual appropriations. The package includes $300 million in baseline Congressional support for Lebanon, including $160 million in security assistance and $112.5 million in economic and humanitarian assistance appropriated by Congress. This bill also includes economic assistance which will benefit deserving students at the American University of Beirut and Lebanese American University.

ATFL continues to strongly support the UN Livelihood Account, which will assist the humanitarian needs of soldiers and their families. President Biden requested $67 million for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and $16.5 million for the Internal Security Forces (ISF) from Congress for this initiative. ATFL is working with Congress to ensure continued support for these vital needs of the security force members and their families. 

There are further funding allocations contained in this Omnibus bill, and ATFL will continue to encourage the Biden Administration to draw down additional security and humanitarian assistance to support the LAF and the Lebanese people during these difficult times. 

“ATFL has worked closely with the US Congress to ensure that our vital interests in Lebanon are met,” said ATFL President Ed Gabriel. “We thank them for their steadfast support of the Lebanese people and are thankful that the US is increasing assistance at this critical time,” he added.