With the media in Israel almost solely focused on the unprecedented political crisis in the country, something important is taking place in two neighboring countries which succeeded in staying out of what was errantly called “the Arab Spring.”
If one takes a look at what is happening in Lebanon and to a lesser degree in Jordan, the need for a stable government in Israel becomes apparent because the crisis in both Lebanon and Jordan could affect Israel’s security in the long term.
The popular uprising in Lebanon began one-and-a-half month ago and was initially supported by the Shiite militias AMAL and Hezbollah.
The protests were initially triggered by a government plan to level taxes on the use of the internet app WhatsApp but quickly turned into a mass protest against the Lebanese political establishment which is one of the most corrupt ones in the world and is dominated by Iran’s local proxy Hezbollah.
The Lebanese economy is in dire straits with experts expecting recession over 2019 while the country’s sovereign debt stands at $86 billion the world’s third-highest debt relative to gross domestic product.
he crisis has already led to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri on October 29 leaving the country without a government that can introduce necessary reforms or even austerity measures in order to receive foreign financial assistance. READ MORE
