BeirutNotByFoot

Also, if I can be frank, I find the attempts to make our condition 'relatable' to the American metropole both intellectually hollow and morally cowardly. When we see white phosphorus over southern Lebanese villages we aren't seeing a 'preview' of American overpolicing but the pure, unfiltered expression of a colonial machine that views the Global South as a laboratory for human disposal. We don't demand an end the targeting of our people because it might 'come home.' We demand it because our humanity is absolute, non-negotiable, and requires no American 'relevance' or appeals to their own self-interest to be defended.

The reason I am skeptical about a diplomatic off-ramp re: Iran is that regardless of what Trump says (or thinks), the key issue for Israel is Iran’s missiles, the one thing they can’t concede. And if there’s a deal coming Israel doesn’t like they’ll just start the war themselves

THE MOUNT LEBANON TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL ANNOUNCES ITS FORMATION, DECLARES THE REPUBLIC OF LEBANON HAS ABDICATED SOVEREIGNTY SOUTH OF THE LITANI, AND ABANDONED CHRISTIANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY New York, April 6, 2026 The Mount Lebanon Transitional Council announces its official formation as a political body representing the Maronite, Syriac, and indigenous Christian communities of Lebanon. The Council declares that the Republic of Lebanon has abdicated sovereignty south of the Litani River, leaving Christian communities without state protection and exposed to non-state armed groups. The Council will initiate urgent diplomatic engagement with the United States, Israel, France, and the United Nations to address the governance and security crisis affecting these communities. Composed of members from the homeland and the diaspora, the Council is committed to advancing the survival, dignity, and self-determination of Lebanon’s indigenous Christian communities, while engaging all relevant actors on the future of the country. ⸻ LEADERSHIP AND FOUNDING MEMBERS Sheikh Sami Khoury President Emeritus President of the World Maronite Union, former President of the World Lebanese Cultural Union. Henry Zakaria Vice President Founder of the Mount Lebanon Project, focused on political advocacy and Christian representation. Lina Elias Political Advisor Fulbright Scholar, Ph.D. in Environmental Human Rights, specialist in international policy. Elige Yohanna Public Policy and Advocacy Advocate for family, community, and technology policy. Clay Hanna Major (Ret.), U.S. Army, MBA, J.D., Regent Law School (May 2026) Franck Salameh Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Boston College, Ph.D. Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University Robert Juhanan Syriac Affairs President of the American Syriac Union.

Harvard Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren poses with a stack of assignments she is grading.