Financial turmoil, Hizbullah's destructive policies dishearten Lebanese at Christmas

BEIRUT -- Jacqueline Merheb and her three children stood in front of a children's clothing store in a Jdeideh shopping mall that was bedecked for Christmas and promoting a 30% discount, perusing the apparel on offer.

But even on sale, the store's prices were far beyond the family's limited budget.

The Merheb family is not alone. Many Beirut families cannot afford to buy new clothes or gifts for the children ahead of Christmas and the New Year.

Jacqueline and her husband, Fouad, told Al-Mashareq this is the first year they have been unable to buy holiday clothes for their three children, with mounting unpaid bills and their money held in the bank.

"My carpentry business used to generate a good income for me, but now, I can barely earn 3 million LBP a month, which is less than $100, and that's not enough to buy food," Fouad said.

Hizbullah, which dominates the decision-making process in Lebanon, is "one of the major causes of the crisis" and "the main reason for high prices because of its smuggling operations", he said.

Worries accompany the season

For the third year in a row, worry has accompanied the festive season for many Lebanese, who face higher taxes and the declining value of the currency.

The Central Bank of Lebanon will increase the official exchange rate of the Lebanese pound to the US dollar to 15,000 on February 1. The exchange rate on the black market is currently over 43,000 pounds on the dollar.

The anticipated increase has led to a hike in the price of goods already.

"We, as parents, are unable to make our two children happy at Christmas because of the deepening financial crisis," Beirut resident Joelle Abou Haidar told Al-Mashareq.

"We used to shop for clothes and toys for them at the best stores, but now, we look for the cheapest prices because our purchasing power has declined," she said.

"We are experiencing a sad Christmas," Abou Haidar said. "Hizbullah controls our fate and our holidays because of policies that are destructive to the country."

Jal el-Deeb toy store employee Jana Nasr said business is very slow despite the "exceptional sales" the store has offered.

Parents are embarrassed because they cannot afford gifts for their children, she said.

Hizbullah's grip on the country

The Lebanese are experiencing an "unprecedented" holiday season due to the chaotic state of affairs since the financial crisis that started in late 2019, economist Violette Ghazal al-Balaa said.

Three years after the onset of the world's third worst crisis in 150 years, Lebanon is still unprepared to come up with solutions that meet the requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reform and rescue programme, she said, and "unable to control the consequences of Hizbullah's grip over the country".

Hizbullah's grip on the country is also evidenced by its ongoing smuggling operations to Syria via illegal border crossings it controls, al-Balaa said.

The Lebanese people are mourning their losses and fearing future economic disasters, she said.