Lebanon emergency aid is forthcoming, but not nearly enough

The country was virtually bankrupt before Israel's war displaced more than a million people. Lebanese hope a Paris donor conference will deliver in their hour of need.

Al Majalla

Lebanon emergency aid is forthcoming, but not nearly enough

Abdulfattah Khattab

last update on 24 Oct 2024

Lebanon continues to suffer from Israeli air strikes, leaving a trail of destruction of property and infrastructure, not to mention the human cost. A quarter of Lebanon has received Israeli “evacuation orders,” according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Lebanon’s Disaster Risk Management Unit says more than 1.2 million people have had to flee with nowhere to go.

Air bridges were used to deliver emergency shelter and supplies—including food and medical aid—from various governmental and non-governmental donors, but despite Lebanon’s gratitude, there is still a big gap between what has been provided and what is needed, given the unfolding humanitarian tragedy.

Donors pledge help

Key donors from the Arab world include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, and Oman. Western donors include the US, UK, Canada, France, Russia, Romania, Italy, China, Colombia, Slovakia, Poland, Japan, Venezuela, and Brazil, while Turkey and Pakistan have led the contributions from Islamic countries.

AFP — Volunteers work to prepare aid to be sent to Lebanon at Expo Dubai, October 12, 2024.

Iranian aid has arrived at Syria’s Latakia Airport and a Venezuelan aid flight landed in Damascus, both intended to support displaced Lebanese seeking refuge in Syria. Internationally, non-state and multi-state donors include the European Union, UNICEF, OCHA, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Paris Conference

Today (24 October), French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting an international conference in Paris, bringing together the UN, the EU, international and regional organisations, and non-governmental organisations. Its aim is to rally efforts to meet the Lebanese people’s need for protection and assistance, and to discuss support for the Lebanese Army or “official armed forces,” as described by the French ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro.

Lebanese ministers hope the conference will secure several hundred million dollars to meet the primary needs of those displaced from the South, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut as winter approaches.

The flow of aid is vulnerable to the bombing of land routes between Lebanon and Syria, particularly the Masnaa border crossing, according to the OCHA. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch said Israeli air strikes on the main Lebanon-Syria border crossing were hindering humanitarian operations.

There is still a big gap between the aid that has been provided and what is needed, given the scale of the tragedy

As the bombing continues and more people need help, some wonder whether Beirut's airport and port will be safeguarded or targeted once Arab and Western nationals have evacuated through these facilities.

Lebanon then and now

In 2006, when Israel last went to war with its northerly neighbour, Lebanon had a president, a functioning government, and a promising economy with a pivotal banking sector. Gulf investments were coming in, and the Central Bank of Lebanon could intervene to protect the Lebanese pound and maintain its exchange rate.

After the 2006 war, several Arab, Islamic, and Western countries helped pay for Lebanon's reconstruction while support conferences allocated grants and concessional loans to stimulate the private sector's recovery, alleviating pressure on the public finances.

Today, the situation is very different. There is a severe financial and economic crisis, a collapsed Lebanese pound, soaring inflation, less support from both Arab and international sources, dwindling Central Bank reserves, a collapsed banking sector, widespread public distrust of state institutions, and a shrinking GDP.

Three-quarters of Lebanon's population now live in poverty, relations with other Arab countries are strained, and rebuilding damaged infrastructure and housing units for the displaced will take considerable time.

The costs of war

Compared to 2006, Lebanon's ability to withstand its current financial and economic challenges is today greatly diminished. The 2006 war caused losses of more than $7bn, including $3.6bn in infrastructure damage, $1.6bn in public finance losses, and $2.4bn in GDP losses.

It is difficult to predict what the current war will cost, but with Israel sustaining its scorched-earth policy, including over some of Lebanon's most fertile agricultural land in the south, costs are already expected to far exceed those of 2006. Who will pay for it?

AFP — A Saudi plane carrying aid at Beirut International Airport, within the Saudi bridge to relieve the displaced in Lebanon, October 13, 2024.

Shortly after the 2006 war broke out, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait deposited $1.5bn with Lebanon's Central Bank, while Arab states—especially from the Gulf—rushed to prevent the economy from collapsing.

Beirut received almost $1.2bn from friendly countries and international institutions in 2006. As things stand, there is no indication that there will be the same level of post-war support to rebuild Lebanon as seen in 2006. While aid is forthcoming and helping to alleviate the immediate suffering of individuals, it will not benefit Lebanon as a nation unless it can rebuild its infrastructure, housing units, and economy.

Mountain to climb

Explaining Lebanon's persistent problems over the years is no easy task. For the past 200 years, its history has been a near-unbroken chain of wars, conflicts, crises, and assassinations, punctuated by brief periods of calm and recovery.

The more rational Lebanese citizens, along with experts in politics, economics, legislation, social sciences, behavioural sciences, and civic education, would ideally help identify common ground that unites the Lebanese people, and this would lay the foundations for a stable, independent nation, one its citizens could get behind. Alongside that, Lebanon must devise an economic vision that suits its small size, limited natural resources, wealth of human talent, and expertise in services, tourism, and business.

These are huge challenges, but they are not insurmountable.

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