Category: Statements & Announcements

Washington, DC, June 2nd, 2023. The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, applauds the bipartisan letter co-signed by the Chairman and Ranking Democrat of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), Congressmen Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY), calling on the United States and its European partners to reiterate the urgency that  the Lebanese parliament  elect a president who is free from corruption and undue external influence and for the Lebanese government to deliver vital economic reforms.

Delivered on May 30th to US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, this bipartisan letter made especially clear to the Biden Administration of its need to, “use all available authorities, including additional targeted sanctions on specific individuals contributing to corruption and impeding progress in the country, to make clear to Lebanon’s political class that the status quo is not acceptable.”

The Congressmen’s letter came one day before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) hearing on the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request for the Middle East and North Africa, in which Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for the Middle East at USAID Jeanne Pryor were called as witnesses. When asked by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) on the utility of sanctions as a measure of the Biden Administration to address the unacceptable status quo in Lebanon, Assistant Secretary Leaf responded in the affirmative, saying “We are working collaboratively with several regional partners, European partners, to push the Lebanese parliament to do its job. The elected representatives of the Lebanese people have failed to do their jobs; the Speaker of the Parliament has failed to hold a session since January to allow members to put candidates forward for the presidency to vote on them up or down and to get to a choice, to get to elect a president who will then appoint.” 

ATFL applauds the efforts of the United States, from both Congress and the Administration, to support the Lebanese people and encourage their future well-being. On May 18th, ATFL met with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), to urge continued American  commitment to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and to provide humanitarian aid to Lebanon’s vulnerable populations, as well as active engagement in supporting Lebanon’s democratic selection of a president who is committed to reforms, addresses the vital economic reforms, and is transparent with and accountable to the Lebanese people.

The statements that have been issued over the last several weeks by both the State Department and bipartisan leaders in the US Senate and House of Representatives are extremely crucial to supporting Lebanon’s urgent need to rescue itself from its multiple crises.

ATFL President Ed Gabriel said, “ATFL will continue to work with those in Washington who have been instrumental in crafting a strong US response to the Lebanese political paralysis, which has obstructed efforts to enact urgent economic reforms. Senators Menendez, Risch, and Shaheen, along with bipartisan colleagues in the House like Congressmen McCaul, Meeks, Wilson, Diaz Balart and Phillips, are invaluable friends of Lebanon.” He added, “Their partners at the State Department under the leadership of Secretary Blinken, Assistant Secretary Leaf, and others also deserve our thanks for all of their efforts to assist Lebanon during this time of unprecedented need. These friendships should not be taken for granted by Lebanon’s elected officials as they continue to squander critical opportunities for their country’s recovery.”

Washington, DC, June 2nd, 2023. The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, applauds the bipartisan letter co-signed by the Chairman and Ranking Democrat of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), Congressmen Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY), calling on the United States and its European partners to reiterate the urgency that  the Lebanese parliament  elect a president who is free from corruption and undue external influence and for the Lebanese government to deliver vital economic reforms.
 
Delivered on May 30th  to  US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, this bipartisan letter made especially clear to the Biden Administration of its need to, “use all available authorities, including additional targeted sanctions on specific individuals contributing to corruption and impeding progress in the country, to make clear to Lebanon’s political class that the status quo is not acceptable.”
 
The Congressmen’s letter came one day before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) hearing on the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request for the Middle East and North Africa, in which Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for the Middle East at USAID Jeanne Pryor were called as witnesses. When asked by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) on the utility of sanctions as a measure of the Biden Administration to address the unacceptable status quo in Lebanon, Assistant Secretary Leaf responded in the affirmative, saying “We are working collaboratively with several regional partners, European partners, to push the Lebanese parliament to do its job. The elected representatives of the Lebanese people have failed to do their jobs; the Speaker of the Parliament has failed to hold a session since January to allow members to put candidates forward for the presidency to vote on them up or down and to get to a choice, to get to elect a president who will then appoint.” 
 
ATFL applauds the efforts of the United States, from both Congress and the Administration, to support the Lebanese people and encourage their future well-being. On May 18th, ATFL met with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), to urge continued American  commitment to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and to provide humanitarian aid to Lebanon’s vulnerable populations, as well as active engagement in supporting Lebanon’s democratic selection of a president who is committed to reforms, addresses the vital economic reforms, and is transparent with and accountable to the Lebanese people.
 
The statements that have been issued over the last several weeks by both the State Department and bipartisan leaders in the US Senate and House of Representatives are extremely crucial to supporting Lebanon’s urgent need to rescue itself from its multiple crises.

ATFL President Ed Gabriel said, “ATFL will continue to work with those in Washington who have been instrumental in crafting a strong US response to the Lebanese political paralysis, which has obstructed efforts to enact urgent economic reforms. Senators Menendez, Risch, and Shaheen, along with bipartisan colleagues in the House like Congressmen McCaul, Meeks, Wilson, Diaz Balart and Phillips, are invaluable friends of Lebanon.” He added, “Their partners at the State Department under the leadership of Secretary Blinken, Assistant Secretary Leaf, and others also deserve our thanks for all of their efforts to assist Lebanon during this time of unprecedented need. These friendships should not be taken for granted by Lebanon’s elected officials as they continue to squander critical opportunities for their country’s recovery.”
 

Washington, DC, May 4th, 2023. The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, commends the statements that have been issued over the past week by the State Department and bipartisan leaders in the US Senate and House of Representatives on the urgent need for an elected Lebanese president who exhibits the appropriate qualities that are necessary to rescue the country from its crises.

Today, the Chair and Ranking Democrat of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, Congressmen Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Dean Phillips (D-MN) issued a bipartisan statement affirming that “Lebanon is at a critical juncture and requires leadership from a president free of corruption who can unite the country, promote transparency and accountability, and put the interests of the Lebanese people above individual enrichment or outside influence.”
 
Earlier this week, the US Department of State issued a statement on May 1st, exactly six months after the start of Lebanon’s presidential vacancy, making clear that “while it is for Lebanon’s elected leaders to form their own government, the United States believes Lebanon needs a president free of corruption who can unite the country, advocate for transparency and accountability, put the interests of Lebanon’s people first, move towards national unity, and implement critical economic reforms, chief among them those required to secure an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.”
 
On April 25th, Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Jim Risch (R-ID), Chair and Ranking Republican of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to President Biden, “urging the US to work closely with our allies and partners in the region to support a legitimate democratic process and presidential candidates that, unlike previous presidents, will demonstrate the ability to serve and be accountable to the people of Lebanon.” 
  
ATFL President Ed Gabriel said, “With the continued presidential vacancy surpassing the six month mark, we thank the bipartisan Congressional leadership and the Biden Administration for urging Lebanon’s leaders to do right by its people with the expeditious election of a president who can unite the country and swiftly enact the reforms needed to rescue its economy from crisis.” He added, “this week’s statements are excellent examples of the kind of clarity that is needed from the US and its allies in the international community to encourage the election of a president who inhabits the characteristics necessary to lead the country toward recovery. It is in the hands of Lebanon’s leaders to put the people above their personal interests, end the political stalemate, and save the country.”

Washington, DC, April 26th, 2023, the American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, applauds Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Jim Risch (R-ID), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively, for their bipartisan message to the Biden Administration to lead the international community in supporting the timely election of a president committed to serving the people of Lebanon.

On April 25th, 2023, Senators Menendez and Risch sent a letter to President Biden, “urging the US “to work closely with our allies and partners in the region to support a legitimate democratic process and presidential candidates that, unlike previous presidents, will demonstrate the ability to serve and be accountable to the people of Lebanon.”

The Senators also drew particular attention to Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and Hezbollah for delaying the presidential electoral process in Parliament to bolster the prospects of their preferred candidate, at the expense “of candidates with broader support who are more willing to tackle Lebanon’s many challenges.”

“We want to thank Senators Menendez and Risch for their bipartisan and steadfast support of the US-Lebanon relationship,” said ATFL President Ed Gabriel. “We strongly encourage the Biden Administration to heed their recommendation and lean into the presidential electoral process. There is massive confusion in Lebanon on where the US stands today. Now is the time for the US to draw a line, outlining the type of government it can partner with and the characteristics of a government it would find unacceptable.” he added.

Read the full letter here.

The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL) celebrates the leadership of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell for his leadership in negotiating the Good Friday Agreement.

Senator Mitchell represented the state of Maine in the US Senate from 1980 to 1995 and served as US Senate Majority leader from 1989-1995. Of Lebanese ancestry, Mitchell was the inaugural recipient of ATFL’s Philip C. Habib Award for Distinguished Public Service in 1989.

Mitchell recently recalled that 3,500 people were killed during the period known as “the Troubles”, resulting in another 50,000 injured.

He was appointed US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland by former President Bill Clinton and began chairing multi-party talks in June 1996. A final agreement was reached 22 months later, in April 1998. President Clinton awarded Mitchell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work in Northern Ireland in 1999.

Years later, Mitchell remarked, “[t]here’s no such thing as a conflict that cannot be ended. Conflicts are created, conducted and sustained by human beings. They can be ended by human beings.”

He traveled to Northern Ireland this week where he and other world leaders commemorated the agreement.

Mitchell was born to an Irish father who was adopted by a Lebanese family and a mother who immigrated to Maine from Lebanon.

“George Mitchell’s leadership in the Good Friday Agreement is a historic example of positive US leadership in the world,” said ATFL President Ed Gabriel. “He served with great distinction as US Senate Majority Leader, and reached across the aisle to ensure that US interests were put ahead of party, in passing important energy and climate legislation. We are very proud that George is one of the most accomplished Americans who has served our country with such honor and distinction,” he added.

Washington, DC, January 17th, 2023. The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, applauds the bipartisan Co-Chairs of the Congressional US-Lebanon Friendship Caucus for their condemnation of the obstruction of democratic processes in Lebanon as well as the continued presidential vacancy and lack of any meaningful investigation into the August 2020 Port explosion.

On January 13th, 2023, US Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Darrell Issa (R-CA), and Darin LaHood (R-IL) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen urging them to utilize, “additional diplomatic tools to hold responsible those who are continuing to obstruct democratic processes in Lebanon, [making clear] the expectations of the international community on Lebanon, including timely and representative Presidential elections by the Parliament to support the ongoing needs of the people of Lebanon.”

The bipartisan Co-Chairs also drew particular attention to the lack of judicial independence in Lebanon and the urgent need for progress on the investigation into the August 2020 Port explosion, as demanded by the Lebanese people who are deserving of justice, which has been obstructed by the political leaders who continue to delay and evade accountability.

“In the 78 days that have passed in vain without a new president, Lebanon’s political stalemate is causing severe, unnecessary pain on its own people,” said ATFL President and CEO Ed Gabriel. “ATFL continues to call for the rule of law, judicial independence, and due process in the Port of Beirut Explosion investigation. We call on the Lebanese parliament to carry out their solemn responsibilities by electing a reform-minded president who will support the needs of the Lebanese people.”

Washington, DC, December 16, 2022. The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, applauds US Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for calling for accountability of Lebanese elite undermining democracy and the rule of Law.

Today, the bipartisan leaders sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen “calling for US sanctions against Lebanon’s financial and political elite responsible for the country’s recent political deadlock and failure to implement critical economic reforms.”

The Senators called out Hezbollah and Lebanon’s political class for failing to respond to the needs of the Lebanese people. They also added that Lebanon needs an effective government free from malign foreign influence.

“Congress, on a bipartisan basis, is continuing to express its disappointment in the ‘business as usual’ approach from Lebanon’s political and economic elite,” said ATFL President Ed Gabriel. “Today they are sending a straightforward message to Lebanon’s leaders: make progress or face sanctions,” he added.

Washington, DC, December 7, 2022. The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, applauds the US Congress for addressing the humanitarian situation and food security in Lebanon.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the defense policy bill for the forthcoming year, includes an amendment, sponsored by Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Darin LaHood (R-IL), mandating a report from the Secretaries of State and Defense as well as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to key committees in Congress on the humanitarian situation and food security in Lebanon.

The report will include an analysis of the projected increase in malnutrition, an estimate on the increase of food insecure individuals in Lebanon, an estimate on the number of people who will be faced with acute malnutrition as a result of food price inflation, and an overview of what the US is doing to address these challenges.

“We want to thank Congress, especially Representatives Dingell and LaHood, for their continued support of the Lebanese people during this historic humanitarian crisis,” said ATFL President Edward Gabriel. “This report is a necessary step in addressing the crisis and ATFL will continue to work with bipartisan Members of Congress and the Biden Administration to continue increasing US support for the Lebanese people,” he added.