Ahmed Atef (Beirut, Cairo)
The Association of Lebanese Banks announced the suspension of its strike and opening the doors of banks, starting Monday for a week, after 3 weeks of closure, in protest against the judicial summons of a number of bank managers.
While experts and analysts confirmed to Al-Ittihad that the presidential and governmental vacancy paralyzed the country’s institutions, and that parties, including the terrorist “Hezbollah” militia, are behind the recurring crises to serve their goals and interests.
The Association of Lebanese Banks said, in a statement yesterday: “Banks are sensitive to the difficult economic conditions and the need to secure banking services for all Lebanese at the end of the month. The Association of Banks in Lebanon decides to suspend the strike temporarily for a week.”
And she added, “The General Assembly of the Association of Banks will be called to take the appropriate position after the end of the period of suspension of the strike, in light of the new practical solutions that may have occurred.”
On February 6, the association announced a general strike, in protest against the judicial summons of a number of bank managers, and its impact on the regularity of banking work and the rights of depositors.
Since last September, the banks have been repeatedly raided, following their refusal to give depositors their money in dollars, as part of a harsh policy that resulted from the dollar scarcity crisis in the country.
Since 2019, Lebanese banks have imposed restrictions on the funds of depositors in foreign currency, and have also set harsh ceilings on withdrawing funds in Lebanese pounds.
Since 2019, the Lebanese have been suffering an unprecedented severe economic crisis, which led to a record collapse in the value of the lira, in addition to a scarcity of fuel and medicine and a collapse in purchasing power.
Lebanese political experts and analysts expressed great fears that began to loom on the horizon with the vacuum that threatens important sites in the country that stand in daily contact with the interests of the people, and include banking, military, security and government leaders who will leave their positions within weeks, in light of the continuation of the presidential vacuum that will lead to emptying the institutions that Its leaders and managers will reach the legal age and then retire.
The experts warned through the “Union” that what is happening in Lebanon will lead to the withdrawal of the dispute over the President of the Republic to another conflict over appointments in these institutions, the most important of which are the army leadership, the governance of the Banque du Liban, public security and others, with the increasing repercussions of the crisis on the people who will not tolerate more confusion than that. .
Lebanese political analyst Muhammad Al-Raz said that the parties to the ruling system in Lebanon place their own interest above the national interest, and this is what brought Lebanon to a reality in which matters are divided into conflicting axes.
Al-Riz indicated in a statement to Al-Ittihad that every party of the political class adopts the slogan “I am the state or not a state.” It is not as much as a certain team can secure the election of a president for the country according to its whims. His hand in the matter of electing the president.
Al-Raz added that the arrival of these attempts to a near-stalemate prompted a number of parties to the system to start putting forward projects of self-isolation from others, such as the project of division, federalism, or expanded administrative and financial decentralization.
He explained that the occurrence of sensitive job vacancies, whether in the presidency or departments, and the growing calls for federalism or self-security for the regions, means completing the coup against the Taif Agreement and the constitution emanating from it on the one hand, and using the street to achieve divisive projects on the other hand.
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