Property Disputes with Sectarian Dimensions Threaten Civil Peace in Lebanon

The funeral procession of Haitham Touk and Malik Touk in the town of Bsharri, Lebanon (Twitter)
The funeral procession of Haitham Touk and Malik Touk in the town of Bsharri, Lebanon (Twitter)
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Property Disputes with Sectarian Dimensions Threaten Civil Peace in Lebanon

The funeral procession of Haitham Touk and Malik Touk in the town of Bsharri, Lebanon (Twitter)
The funeral procession of Haitham Touk and Malik Touk in the town of Bsharri, Lebanon (Twitter)

Conflicts between residents of several Lebanese villages and towns, which involve disputes over property ownership and sometimes even water resources, have never ceased.

Nonetheless, these issues only garner media attention when armed clashes erupt, or casualties are reported.

After a property dispute in the town of Lassa, located in the mountainous region of Jbeil (Mount Lebanon), dominated the scene in recent years between the town’s Shiite residents and the Maronite Patriarchate, the focus shifted last week with the occurrence of two fatalities in the Qurnat as Sawda area in northern Lebanon.

The incident took place during a shootout between farmers from the predominantly Christian Bsharri region and the predominantly Sunni Muslim Bqaa Safrin region.

This incident reignited attention on the property conflict between the residents of both areas, which extends to a dispute over irrigation water.

The property disputes are not limited to the aforementioned areas but also extend to the regions of Qoubaiyat in northern Lebanon, predominantly Christian, and Hermel, predominantly Shiite.

Additionally, the towns of Fnaydeq and Akkar Al-Atiqa in the north, predominantly Sunni, as well as the predominantly Christian town of Aaqoura in the Jbeil region, and the Shiite town of Yammouneh in the Bekaa Valley, are also affected.

While these conflicts may seem transient and natural, given that approximately 30% of Lebanese lands lack documented ownership, the fact that most residents of the disputed towns belong to different religious sects adds a sectarian dimension that threatens civil peace.

On Tuesday of last week, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, formed a committee headed by the Minister of Interior and Municipalities in the caretaker government, Bassem Mawlawi.

The committee also includes representatives from the Ministries of Environment, Energy, Water, Finance, Justice, Agriculture, the Council for Development and Reconstruction, and the Army Command.

The committee’s main task is to study the issue of property border disputes and conflicts over water in multiple designated regions. The committee has been instructed to submit its report to the cabinet within a two-month deadline.



Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services.

The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe.

The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.”

It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues.

The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means.

On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking.

The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack.

Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over.