Beirut, the Confiscated City:
From Privatizing the Waterfront to Expelling the Displaced
This commentary examines Decree No. 5665/1994, which transferred approximately 291,800 square meters of reclaimed public maritime land in central Beirut to Solidere as part of the post-war reconstruction process. It revisits the decree in light of the ongoing governmental debate over extending the company’s mandate and the eviction of displaced families from the BIEL waterfront, questioning its impacts on public property, Beirut’s waterfront, and the right to the city.
Abandoning Public Rights to Protect Speculators:
The 2027 Budget in 10 points
The 2027 public budget draft provides no clear vision for addressing Lebanon’s ongoing crises, particularly displacement, housing, and reconstruction amid the ongoing Israeli aggression, with only limited allocations for relief and emergency response and continued reliance on external financing for reconstruction. At the same time, it continues to reinforce real estate oriented financial policies through measures such as reducing the tax on real estate capital gains and the land betterment tax, while state revenues from violations on public maritime land remain limited.This commentary examines the 2027 public budget plan through ten key points, looking at how spending priorities and tax policies affect the rights to housing, land, return, and reconstruction, and how the costs of these ongoing crises ultimately fall on society.