Iraqi Parliament Approves Al-Sudani’s Government

A picture shows a view of the Iraqi Parliament in the capital Baghdad, ahead of a confidence vote on a new government on October 27, 2022. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP)
A picture shows a view of the Iraqi Parliament in the capital Baghdad, ahead of a confidence vote on a new government on October 27, 2022. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP)
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Iraqi Parliament Approves Al-Sudani’s Government

A picture shows a view of the Iraqi Parliament in the capital Baghdad, ahead of a confidence vote on a new government on October 27, 2022. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP)
A picture shows a view of the Iraqi Parliament in the capital Baghdad, ahead of a confidence vote on a new government on October 27, 2022. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, whose government won Parliament’s confidence on Thursday, pledged to hold early parliamentary elections within a year, in what appeared to be an attempt to appease the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada Al-Sadr.

Al-Sudani pledged to “amend the Parliamentary Elections Law within three months and hold early elections within a year.”

The policy statement said the government was committed to build effective anti-corruption tools within 90 days.

Al-Sudani also announced reviewing all the decisions of the caretaker government, especially those pertaining to the country’s economy and security, as well as the hasty appointments and the disbursement of petrodollar dues to the oil and gas-producing governorates.

The new Iraqi prime minister said the government would unify customs procedures at all land, sea and air border crossings and close unofficial ports. It will also earmark “a sufficient budget to compensate those affected by terrorist and military operations in accordance with the law in force.”

Some observers said that Al-Sudani’s pledge to hold early elections within a year after amending the electoral law, was an ambitious and far-fetched plan, amid the persisting political differences.

On the other hand, the new prime minister appeared to be trying to please the Sadrist movement and its leader. Al-Sadr, who had rejected to participate in the government before his withdrawal from Parliament, did not express strong opposition to the formation of Al-Sudani’s government.

In a series of tweets, Al-Sadr steered clear of his harsh criticism against the political parties.

In fact, the distribution of the ministerial seats among the three main Iraqi components (Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds), did not give the prime minister sufficient freedom to choose his ministers.

Moreover, sectarian divisions led to the insistence by some parties on taking over certain key ministries, including the ministries of defense and interior, as well as other important portfolios, such as oil, transportation and planning.



‘War Ruined Me’: Lebanon’s Farmers Mourn Lost Season

This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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‘War Ruined Me’: Lebanon’s Farmers Mourn Lost Season

This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Lebanese farmer Abu Taleb briefly returned to his orchard last month to salvage an avocado harvest but ran away empty handed as soon as Israeli air raids began.

"The war broke out just before the first harvest season," said Abu Taleb, displaced from the village of Tayr Debba near the southern city Tyre.

"When I went back in mid-October, it was deserted... it was scary," said the father of two, who is now sheltering in Tripoli more than 160 kilometers to the north and asked to be identified by a pseudonym because of security concerns.

Abu Taleb said his harvesting attempt was interrupted by an Israeli raid on the neighboring town of Markaba.

He was forced back to Tripoli without the avocados he usually exports every year.

Agricultural regions in Lebanon have been caught in the crossfire since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah ramped up in October last year, a full-scale war breaking out on September 23.

The UN's agriculture agency, FAO, said more than 1,909 hectares of farmland in south Lebanon had been damaged or left unharvested between October last year and September 28.

The conflict has also displaced more than half a million people, including farmers who abandoned their crops just when they were ready to harvest.

Hani Saad had to abandon 120 hectares of farmland in the southern region of Nabatiyeh, which is rich in citrus and avocado plantations.

"If the ceasefire takes place within a month, I can save the harvest, otherwise, the whole season is ruined," said Saad who has been displaced to the coastal city of Jounieh, north of Beirut.

When an Israeli strike sparked a fire in one of Saad's orchards, he had to pay out of his own pocket for the fuel of the fire engine that extinguished the blaze.

His employees, meanwhile, have fled. Of 32 workers, 28 have left, mainly to neighboring Syria.

- 'Worst phase' -

Israeli strikes have put at least two land crossings with Syria out of service, blocking a key export route for produce and crops.

Airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon as insurance costs soar.

This has dealt a deadly blow to agricultural exports, most of which are destined for Gulf Arab states.

Fruit exporter Chadi Kaadan said exports to the Gulf have dropped by more than 50 percent.

The supply surplus in the local market has caused prices to plummet at home, he added.

"In the end, it is the farmer who loses," said Saad who used to earn $5,000 a day before the war started. Today, he barely manages $300.

While avocados can stay on the tree for months, they are starting to run out of water following Israeli strikes on irrigation channels, Saad said.

Citrus fruits and cherimoyas have already started to fall.

"The war has ruined me. I spend my time in front of the TV waiting for a ceasefire so I can return to my livelihood," Saad told AFP.

Gaby Hage, a resident of the Christian town of Rmeish, on the border with Israel, is one of the few farmers who decided to stay in south Lebanon.

He has only been able to harvest 100 of his 350 olive trees, which were left untended for a year because of cross-border strikes.

"I took advantage of a slight lull in the fighting to pick what I could," he told AFP.

Hage said agriculture was a lifeline for the inhabitants of his town, which has been cut off by the war.

Ibrahim Tarchichi, president of the farmers' union in the Bekaa Valley, which was hit hard by the strikes, believes that agriculture in Lebanon is going through the "worst phase" of its recent history.

"I have experienced four wars, it has never been this serious," he said.