Lebanon

In a statement marking the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN emphasized that 2024 saw a concerning increase in the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts.

One year ago today, a new phase in the generations-long conflict in Palestine began. As pacifists and antimilitarists we reject the use of violence to further one’s aims or objectives. We want to again send our solidarity to all those in the region committed to nonviolently resisting war and its causes, and we mourn alongside all those who have lost loved ones. We call on peace activists, war resisters and conscientious objectors, wherever they are in the world, to pressure their governments and the relevant organs of their states to promote peace, not war and genocide, in the Middle East and worldwide.

Société d'Application des Procédés Lefebvre (SAPL) is a French company that specialises in the manufacture of weapons and equipment for use by law enforcement, including “non-lethal” weapons, ammunitions, aerosols, shields and silencers. They also provide training in the products they manufacture. 60-70% of SAPL’s income comes from the French government, but SAPL also exports to a number of other countries. In 2022, the company reported income of €2.7m.

After 13 years since the abolition of compulsory military service in Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Defence and the military command are working in a project to re-establish conscription.

2 July 2008

Human Rights and Strategic Nonviolent activist Nour Merheb was assaulted by a person named “J.Z.” outside of the building where he worked.

In the investigation conducted by the military police, the aggressor “J.Z.” claimed that Nour held out a knife against him, which caused him to commit an assault in self defence.

The conclusion to this investigation held that officer “J.Z.” was responsible for the incident, and that Nour Merheb did not hold a knife against him.

According to an article in the Lebanese Daily Star, "Civil War-era military conscription has officially been relegated to the annals of Lebanese history. On February 10, the Lebanese Army officially became an all-volunteer force. Law 665/2005, which officially ended conscription in Lebanon, was passed by Parliament two years ago but did not wholly take effect until Saturday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an army spokesperson told The Daily Star on Monday that 'from this day on' the army would replenish its ranks with volunteers."

We are happy to present our 2nd edition of War Profiteers' News.

In this edition, we highlight the cancellation of Halliburton's exclusive Iraq deal. At the same time we present what is happening in Cabinda where WRI affiliate Union Pacifiste from France is supporting a local campaign for the respect of human rights in Cabinda and against the pollution of the mouth of the Congo River. In this issue, we also inform about Caterpillar's shareholders meeting in Chicago, where the issue of the use of their equipment for demolishing Palestinians homes was again raised.

Call for Lebanon negotiations

We have learned that Israel's massive bombing of Lebanon has now escalated into a full invasion, at the cost of (so far) hundreds of lives, most of them Lebanese.

01/04/1998

From 1975 to 1991 Lebanon was involved in a civil war in which many armed groups and militia took part. Since 1991 most armed groups have been disbanded, except the Israeli-backed SLA (South Lebanese Army), which occupies the 'security zone' between the Israeli border and UNIFIL controlled areas, and Hizbollah, a fundamentatist Muslim group fighting the SLA and Israel. [7

1 Conscription

conscription exists

Conscription was first introduced in 1983 by Law 110/1983.

For years this law was not implemented.

Action for Civil Alternative (APAC), Lebanon

Tarek El Husseini of Action for Civil Alternative, Lebanon, was pleased to meet the WRI Executive during a brief visit to London. APAC has about 60 active members and has already met nonviolence trainers from francophone groups (Jean-Marie Muller and Hervé Ott from France; Michel Megard, Switzerland, and Françoise Bazier, Belgium). An APAC leaflet declares "Our style of work is based on cooperation, auto-direction, and nonviolence, to attain full participation in civil society.