By Hussein Aboubakr Mansour | June 3, 2022

Despite optimism brought by the latest Lebanese elections, there is no easy way out from Hezbollah’s grip. The reelection of Hezbollah’s man and Amal’s leader Nabih Al-Berri as speaker of the parliament shows that the “Party of God” is intent on maintaining power. A group of new young faces who will enter parliament indeed show rising opposition to Hezbollah, yet considering the astounding economic and security failures of recent years, it is too little too late. Lebanon has no way out of Iran’s labyrinth.

Lebanon’s current compounded crisis, despite the country’s long-troubled history, is one of the worst episodes of modern Lebanese history. Economic and social indicators seem to point to a worsening situation with no clear solution in sight. The political dysfunction of the country doesn’t seem to be heading toward a resolution, despite mediation and requests from major foreign patrons with multiple failing attempts to form a government. Lebanon’s recent fallout with the Arab Gulf states indicated that the Lebanese government is not able to maintain even its most important relationships.

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Recent events in the Middle East will have far reaching consequences including on the geopolitical relationships of Israel. From elections in Lebanon, home to Hezbollah, to Russia’s withdrawal from Syria, lack of stability and growing power vacuums are leading to ever more dangerous dynamics for Israel and her allies in the region. Join us for a discussion with Tony Badran, expert on the Levant and co-author of the seminal column, The Realignment, among other important articles recently published.

About the speaker: Tony Badran is a research fellow at FDD, where he focuses on Lebanon, Hezbollah, Syria, and the geopolitics of the Levant. Born and raised in Lebanon, Tony has testified to the House of Representatives on several occasions regarding U.S. policy toward Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. His research currently focuses on the relationship between Iran’s Hezbollah model and regional states, as well as the history of and future scenarios for Israel-Hezbollah wars. His writings have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal,  The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Post, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, and The Weekly Standard. He is a columnist and Levant analyst for Tablet magazine.

Moderated by Lauri Regan.

Luncheon with Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi

Event Date: Monday, June 13, 2022 at 12PM Eastern

Location: One block from Union Station, Washington, DC

We will provide the exact location following RSVP.

The Jewish Policy Center and EMET invite you to lunch! In person. Really.

An advocate of Israeli-Palestinian co-existence, Mayor Revivi will discuss his “bottom-up” approach, nurturing and deepening Efrat’s relationships with neighboring Palestinian villages. He brings new solutions to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis and will discuss how the Abraham Accords helped change the trajectory of relations.

Ukrainian refugees and the long-term impact of COVID on Israel will also find their way onto the agenda.

Mayor of Efrat since 2008, from 2016-2020 Mayor Revivi was also Chief Foreign Envoy of the YESHA Council, acting as the political representative of the Israeli settlement movement to the international community. He served in the IDF and retired after 25 years in reserve service as a Lt. Col. In the tank corps.

Dietary Laws Observed. This presentation will also be broadcast via Zoom video webinar. A recording will be posted to the JPC website after the live event.