Trey Blanton, TRIPOLI, Lebanon (CINFUSA.org) — The first ship to depart Ukraine with food goods offloaded its cargo Wednesday in Turkey instead of Lebanon.
The Razoni had been expected to dock in Tripoli on Sunday, but was inexplicably delayed.
The owner of the ship’s cargo had the prerogative to sell the 26,000 tons of corn elsewhere, which resulted in the Razoni altering its destination.
Two other ships already marked Turkey as a destination for over 48,000 tons of exports from Ukraine.
Turkey played a major role in convincing Russia’s Vladimir Putin to allow Ukrainian exports to resume shipping.
Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan has reaped the benefits of playing both Russia and the West for Turkish gain.
Despite being a NATO-ally, Turkey has helped Russia skirt Western sanctions by opening up trade between the two nations in energy and goods that Russia needs.
The European Union is unlikely to support sanctions against Turkey, as Europe’s energy dependence on Russia has now forced it to consider Turkey as an alternative hub for energy transport.
Lebanon has suffered economic destitution for the past three years— over 80% now live below the poverty line.
The economic turmoil was exacerbated in 2020 when the grain silos exploded in Beirut’s port— killing over 200 people and injuring thousands.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lebanon received 60% of its grain and related goods from Ukraine.
The cost of food and energy has skyrocketed since 2020 and losing access to Ukrainian exports will only continue the trend.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Lebanon is an example of how the corruption among establishment leaders in government and industry can lead to societal devastation for the average citizen.
The country has a unique power-sharing system of government in which the President must be a Maronite Catholic, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of Parliament a Shiite Muslim.
This distribution roughly accounts for the demographics of the general population.
The terrorist organization Hezbollah, a Shiite group backed by Iran, has held strong influence since it’s rise to political power in the 1990s. They have been the only militia group allowed to keep its weapons, and actively advocate for war against Israel.
The Parliamentary elections on May 15, 2022 saw Hezbollah lose enough of a majority to form a government on its own, but it still retains enough influence to remain a threat to Christians and Israel.
On July 18, Archbishop Mussa al-Hajj, who is Patriarch of the Diocese of Haifa and the Maronites in the Holy Land, was detained by border guards on his return to Lebanon from Israel.
Al-Hajj attempted to cross the border with money worth $460,000 and medical supplies. The humanitarian aid was provided by Lebanese living in Israel, to support their families who remain in their home country.
Hezbollah and their allies, however, accuse the bishop of supporting Israeli spies, and flagrantly violating Lebanese law which prohibits normalization actions with Israel.
The Maronite’s head Patriarch. Bechara Rai, preached in a sermon the Sunday after the arrest that, “[W]hat happened with Archbishop Al-Hajj is not only an insult, but an assault and an insult to the Maronite Patriarchate and me personally.”
Rai has long been a vocal challenger of Hezbollah, both of their anti-Israeli policies and their retention of weapons. Rai is also calling for the election of a president later this year who will focus on the interests of Lebanon, and not be influenced by foreign actors.
The current President, Michel Aoun, has fiercely defended Hezbollah in the past, as they were a useful ally in helping Aoun gain the presidency.
As major powers jockey for their own regional ambitions, Lebanese Christians continue to suffer from the global crises, as well as domestic corruption.