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In case you missed our webinar featuring Featuring Guila, Zoya, and Macy Fakhoury, tune in now to hear them discuss who is in control in Lebanon, and the compelling story of their fight for justice for their father, Amer Fakhoury
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Amer Fakhoury was an American citizen who was born in Lebanon. He went back to Beirut to visit family, and on September 12th, 2019 was kidnapped by Hezbollah, imprisoned, abused, tortured and forced to sign false documents that he was an Israeli spy, which they used to detain him for 7 months. After the US government exerted tremendous pressure on the Lebanese government they finally released him and admitted that the arrest was illegal. Amer went to Lebanon with a healthy medical record weighing 225 pounds, but came back weighing 160 pounds, as well as facing stage 4B aggressive lymphoma cancer. He was released on March 19, 2020 and died on August 17, 2020.
Learn about the condition of human rights inside Lebanon and who really is in control of the Lebanese government.
Watch Here ([link removed])
Support the Amer Fakhoury Foundation Here ([link removed])
Remaining Questions from Q&A:
1. Is there another foundation with similar objectives you can partner with?
* We are talking to the James Foley Foundation, Hostage US, and a few other organizations that advocate for American hostages oversees. Through the tragedy we faced, we saw the gaps in the system and we hope our foundation fills them. One gap in particular is the financial burden for hostages and victims of terrorist organizations. We are seeking partnership with these different organizations in order to work together on making sure all the gaps are filled and no other family goes through what we went through.
2. What about the rest of the family that is still in Lebanon - Do they want to leave, are they able to leave?
* Our relatives that are still in Lebanon are being harassed and one of our aunts actually received a death threat. They would love to come to the USA however it is very difficult now, especially with COVID. Currently Lebanon is not a safe place to be, especially due to the economic circumstance as well as the tension between the corrupt leaders of Lebanon and the citizens. Those who can, are fleeing Lebanon and looking for a safer and more stable country.
3. Are donations to your organization kept anonymous to protect donors from retribution?
* If the donor would like to be kept anonymous, our foundation will respect their wishes.
4. Are European countries being contacted to try and aid you?
* Currently no European country has tried to contact us. We are hoping once this foundation continues to grow and spread its message, those in favor of justice being served and innocent civilians not facing torture and abuse, will join our fight.
5. If you give food and other supplies to private individuals, won't they also be arrested eventually?
* We are talking to organizations in Lebanon that are on the ground and are able to give aid directly to those in need. If the individual is scared to say that they got the help from the Amer Fakhoury Foundation, we respect that and will make sure the help is done in private. At the end of the day, the main goal of our foundation is to help families undergoing torture and abuse from radical and corrupted regimes. Regardless of whether that is done in public or private, knowing that a family in need is able to gain a little bit of strength as they go through this stressful time is what makes us proud to be a part of this Foundation.
6. Are there other steps that can help to challenge Hezbollah? Or Iran? Also, have you tried to convince France to support freedom in Lebanon rather than help Hezbollah?
* The most important step that we can take in the United States is to encourage more sanctions on Hezbollah and its allies. We need to make sure the borders between Syria and Lebanon are closed. The more pressure we put on Hezbollah financially, the smaller and less powerful this regime will become. We would love to send a letter to the European governments, especially France, to encourage helping the Lebanese people by getting rid of this corrupted government. Any aid that is sent to Lebanon does not go to the citizens directly, but rather in the pockets of the corrupt leaders in power. Our foundation hopes to educate people on the injustice that is happening in countries such as Lebanon. Since a lot of our tax money goes to these countries, it is our mission to make sure our money is not used to fund terrorism. We need your help to amplify our voices and spread awareness about our foundation's mission. We need members of congress to make sure proper actions are taken to continue
weakening Hezbollah. Since Hezbollah is so deeply embedded in the Lebanese government, we need to ensure any aid that is sent to Lebanon goes directly to those in need of it rather than the corrupted officials.
7. Israel and Lebanon are meeting today regarding their maritime border. Do you think this might lead to anything else?
* This is the start of negotiation between the two countries. It is a small step in the right direction of achieving peace and stability in the region. We hope this will open a door for more communication and more peaceful action to take place.
Founded in 2005, The Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) is a Washington, D.C. based think tank and policy center with an unabashedly pro-America and pro-Israel stance. EMET (which means truth in Hebrew) prides itself on challenging the falsehoods and misrepresentations that abound in U.S. Middle East policy.
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