Representatives Ghazi Zuaiter and Hussein Hajj Hassan (Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc), both of whom are representatives of Baalbek-Hermel, made a dangerous proposal on 7/15/2020 to merge Amiri lands with private state ownership, to unify the real estate ownership system, and abolish the state’s right over properties known as Amiri.

By law, Amiri lands are considered to be the property of the state which may be subject to usufruct right, meaning the use and enjoyment of the property within the limits of laws and regulations. This implies that the user (not owner) has the right to the land which lasts for life, and is inherited by his/her heirs equally between women and men, in addition to the right to use the land for the development of real estate and/or cultivation.

Under the pretext of achieving balanced development and equality between the different Lebanese regions – especially since the Bekaa governorate includes about 78% of the total Amiri lands in Lebanon – this law proposal represents a move towards total privatization of state property, particularly in light of the government’s talk of privatization as one of the means of extinguishing the losses of privately-owned banks, which are the largest creditors of the bankrupt state.
The dangerous nature of this law, which is made under the pretext of meeting people’s needs, enshrines the transformation of development into a circumstantial service provided by these representatives to a minority of the population who have specific interests, instead of approaching development as a inherent right to all residents regardless of their class position or area of residence.