Reem Alabali Radovan looks into the evening sky over Beirut. Ten meters above her, Lebanese civil aid workers abseil down from a burning container tower. They carry a tub between them in which a person lies, whom the men rescue from the building. What looks like an emergency is a demonstration by the Lebanese civil defense to show the minister what is happening here with German money: namely the daily rescue of people.
Here in Beirut, the Development Minister is catching up on her trip to Lebanon, which she had actually planned to undertake in June. At that time, while she was sitting on the plane, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated - Radovan's plane had to abort the landing approach and turn back. Now, about five months later, the landing was successful: formally there is a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. In fact, the war in the south continues - also because of the terrorist organization Hezbollah.
The focus is therefore on Israel and the USA. Neither camp won a majority in Israel's election on Tuesday. Benjamin Netanyahu will remain in office until the government is formed. But his challenger Gadi Eisenkot is also not a beacon of hope for Lebanon: He is considered one of the architects of the Dahiya doctrine - this envisages massive, even disproportionate, violence against places from which shots are fired at Israel. It is named after the Shiite neighborhood in southern Beirut that was destroyed in 2006.
Hezbollah wants to take advantage of the power vacuum created by the Israeli stalemate and the upcoming midterm elections in the USA. In the past few weeks, it has massively rearmed again with the help of the Iranians. Lebanese security forces confiscated a shipment of 780 kilograms of explosives. Hezbollah member Hassan Fadlallah himself then confirmed that this was intended for Hezbollah and the operation against Israel's army in southern Lebanon.
Reports from the USA that Donald Trump and Netanyahu could strike Iran again after the elections also play into Hezbollah's hands. The fear of a new escalation and new displaced people is increasing.
In Beirut, Alabali Radovan also met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. He is the first to negotiate with Israel. The fact that the Israeli army continues to attack his country almost every day is chipping away at his authority - and indirectly at Germany's too.
In Lebanon it is easy to see how much influence Germany has lost in the region. The minister knows that the federal government is not really at the table during negotiations. The central actors are the Gulf states and the USA. Germany no longer actively participates in peace negotiations, but only comments on them.
Nevertheless, Alabali Radovan addressed Israel clearly: “Durable peace in Lebanon requires that the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity be respected.” As an SPD politician, she is the member of the federal government who expresses the clearest criticism of Israel. Friedrich Merz and Johann Wadephul are probably secretly almost grateful to her for that.
Aoun's government is also the first in a long time from which the federal government expects reforms and progress in Lebanon. For example, in setting up the administration, fighting corruption and education. “The Lebanese government now has the chance to be a good alternative for the people in the south and to really push Hezbollah away,” said Alabali Radovan in the “Politico Playbook Podcast.” In order for this to succeed, Germany must enable the Lebanese government to provide alternatives in southern Lebanon, for example through state schools and hospitals that are not affiliated with Hezbollah.
That's why Radovan attended a state school in Sidon, a city south of Beirut. By September, 600 families who had fled northwards from the contested areas were accommodated here - some of them several times. School operations have only recently started running again, and the walls are full of pictures that the students have drawn.
For Alabali Radovan, her trip was also about giving the people of Lebanon a chance to stay. She was impressed that the number of internally displaced people could be reduced from one million to just 200,000 in a short period of time. Most families now want to return to their homes in the south instead of fleeing to Europe - and that should stay that way in the future.
The development minister must therefore rely on what she has: money and development aid. Germany is now the country's largest bilateral donor. For Radovan it is clear: There can only be sustainable peace for Lebanon if the state is strong enough to take care of its own people and thereby weaken Hezbollah.
When the civil defense exercise ended, Reem Alabali Radovan had the equipment that her ministry helped finance explained to her. She looked at the life jackets and said: “They look pretty German.” In Lebanon this can clearly be understood as a compliment.
