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Policy Watch

MP Kassem Hashem proposes an amendment to the Reconstruction Law integrating the inclusion of persons with disabilities:

A positive step in need of follow-up and completion.

Following the Lebanese Union of People with Disabilities’ campaign, MP Kassem Hashem submitted a proposal to amend law No. 22 to integrate the rights of people with disabilities.
Currently, it is crucial to collectively lobby for the approval of this amendment as a first step towards establishing a comprehensive and just reconstruction process, through clear implementation mechanisms and continuous institutional follow-up.

Field Watch

The State’s Absence or its Presence in Absence: The Case of Basta Buildings Rehabilitation

The residents of Al-Maamoun Street in Basta endured an Israeli crime during its aggression on Lebanon, as devastating aerial raids on October 10 and November 23, 2024, caused significant casualties and widespread destruction. This text presents a rapid field study on the current renovation efforts in Basta by the NGO “Offre Joie”.

Policy Watch

 The Reconstruction Process Between the Law, Ownership status, and people’s Return 

Four months after the ceasefire, Internal Security Forces halted reconstruction in several border villages due to permit requirements, raising concerns about the future of destroyed homes—whether licensed, unlicensed, or built on public property. Given the political significance of reconstruction in these areas, the state must facilitate and organize the reconstruction process in a way that protects people’s right to housing, meets their needs, and respects the urban identity of the regions, within the framework of resisting occupation.

Law Commentary

 The Reconstruction Draft Law repeats the Mistakes of the past:

Reviving destroyed villages can’t happen only through buildings

After a ceasefire was implemented in Lebanon on November 27, the Lebanese government held a special session on December 7 in the southern city of Tyre and approved a draft law for rebuilding homes destroyed by Israeli attacks, as they were before. Regardless of its immediate issues in terms of content, it appears that the proposed law does not address the previous or emerging challenges we are facing and risks repeating the mistakes of past failed reconstruction experiences.

From Dossier Investigation

 “The Preventive Plan for Dealing with Any upcoming War:

When Will the State Recognize that we are in a State of War?"

Since the 7th of October 2023, Lebanon, especially its southern regions, has been relentlessly targeted by Israeli attacks. These assaults have caused widespread devastation, claiming lives, destroying homes, infrastructure, and even harming the …

From Dossier Investigation

The Scene from the South:

Abandoned Towns and Bumbling Municipalities

Since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on Palestine and Lebanon on October 7, 2023, the southern Lebanese towns have witnessed high levels of displacement due to fear of Israeli shelling that targeted …

Dossier

The 2023 Israeli War:

Fates of Residents and Confrontation Paths in Lebanon

The region is currently experiencing an extended war, from the West Bank, where people are killed, imprisoned, and their homes occupied, to Gaza, facing various forms of destruction—humanitarian, environmental, urban, psychological, etc.  Lebanon, …

Legal Memo

How Do I Secure my Rights as a Tenant When My Dwelling Is Rehabilitated by a Renovating Company or Association?

Study

Homelessness in the Wake of the Disaster

Housing conditions in the neighborhoods affected by the Aug.4 2020 Beirut blast

The Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port blast killed 217 people, injured 7,000 others, and displaced some 300,000 people, causing widespread devastation and leaving no less than 1,120 buildings in need for renovation, notably in the neighborhoods closest to the blast site. To date, it is estimated that only 30% of the residents of Beirut’s affected neighborhoods have actually returned to their homes.

Petition

“Zero Eviction”

For the Protection of the Inhabitants of the Neighborhoods Affected by the 4th of August Explosion, and the Guarantee of Their Return

After the explosion of the port, residents of the affected neighborhoods in particular, have been absent from many issues related to their lives and livelihoods. They are absent from the discussion about the …

Legal Memo

After the Port’s Explosion, What Are My Rights As a Tenant in the Damaged Buildings?

Project

How to Protect Residents of the Neighborhoods Affected by the Beirut Port Explosion

In the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, residents of the affected neighborhoods in particular, have been excluded from topics related to their lives. Seeing the result of the …