Rai: Displaced Persons Have Become an Increasing Threat to Our Land... Officials Must Act

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai stated in his Sunday sermon that "Syrian displaced persons have become an increasing threat to our land, and officials must act." He noted that "officials hear the voices of their own interests and sectarian agendas at the expense of destroying state institutions, starting from the failure to elect a president who could inspire confidence domestically and abroad, to depriving the parliament of its legislative authority, stripping the government of its full powers, disrupting necessary appointments, and the spread of corruption in administrations." Rai called on "the state to open markets to agricultural production, improve the livelihoods of farmers and producers, and enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of agricultural production chains," urging the diaspora to "market Lebanese agriculture," while appealing to "international organizations and donors to transform the food system into a more sustainable one." He added: "The patriarchate, dioceses, and religious orders are in constant coordination with the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, colleges, associations, unions, and cooperatives to keep farmers on their land and reduce displacement, migration, and land sales, in order to create job opportunities for the youth."