Beirut: Number ONE Destination.
I have been meaning to write about this for quite some time now, but since I have been nothing but a lazy blogger these days, I am glad that my resident writer on urban_memories, hooked me up with her weekly newsletters...
If you follow the tag at the end of the article - letter from Lebanon - you can read the many letters, Rosie contributed on here.
As some of the older and faithful readers know, Rosie is an American (from California) living in Lebanon, and is the author of "Letter from Lebanon", an almost weekly newsletter that she emails to her family and friends...
Here's a caption of what she wrote this week:
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Dear Family and Friends,
Well, I guess the United States is all geared up and focused on the inauguration. Once again, the rest of the world will join the United States to watch and listen carefully to Obama’s speech. The Americans voted for Barack Obama, but he will be shared by the world. Everyone seems to want a piece of him, domestically and internationally. He will not be able to make everyone happy, that’s for sure, but let us hope that he will be able to lead the States and the world in a better direction.
Wishing all Americans a great inauguration day, and a successful and peaceful future for all.
Rosie.
Letter from Lebanon--#58 Beirut, the No.1 destination site!
I think just about everyone in Lebanon has heard, read or forwarded messages about the N.Y. Times Travel review of January 11, 2009, stating that Beirut is not only in top 44 destinations to visit in 2009, but it is in the number ONE spot. It is also the number one destination selected by readers, as well. Check out the site, if you are interested, or you don’t believe me!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/11/travel/20090111_DESTINATIONS.html?hp
Over the years, I have been trying my best to describe to you the wonderful life not just in Beirut, but in Lebanon. You can imagine how proud and happy this review makes the Lebanese and the expatriates who love Lebanon. This is truly an honor bestowed upon Lebanon considering all the magnificent places one could visit in the world, and considering its, unfortunate, violent past. Lebanon is a blend of the old and the new. It has amazing ancient sites, great restaurants, top hotels, wonderful beach resorts, a hopping nightlife, and beautiful nature reserves.
As Paris (one of my favorite cities) is better without the Parisians, Lebanon would be better without its politicians. The only difference is that a visitor is not affected by the politicians. In fact, it is the Lebanese people themselves who are warm and welcoming that make this country so great.
So, I welcome you and only wait to hear when you will come to visit!
Labels: letter from Lebanon, Rosie
Letter from Lebanon--#47 A Wedding
I haven't been posting Rosie's "letters from Lebanon" for a while now... But since my words and sketches aren't flowing these days, I thought I would post the last letter I received from her.
The Letter is rather long, so for the convenience of readers here, and those who actually do like those letters, I separated it into 2 clear parts:
1- The Wedding, and 2- In Politics... That way you can read whichever part interests you most if you don't feel like reading the whole piece...
_z.
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Dear Family and Friends,
This month I am going to try to restart the regular format of my Letter from Lebanon, by presenting both the cultural and political sections. I had dropped the cultural portion because the political upheaval in the country was, and frankly still is, so overwhelming. But this past weekend, we attended a wedding and this joyous occasion shook me up a bit out of the doldrums, making me realize that despite the tragedies that beset Lebanon and the region, life does go on. The living must live.
Letter from Lebanon--#47 A Wedding
THE WEDDING
The wedding took place in Mhaidseh, a small mountain village where my husband’s family originally came from. The village is their hometown, and that means, you go back to your origins to get married. The church where the couple married was built by my husband’s great grandfather. And is the same church where we were to have been married over 21 years ago had not a sniper during Lebanon’s civil war killed his cousin, whom my husband had chosen to be his best man. The small church is clad with the white chipped stone famous for its use on so many of the older homes, churches and monasteries and which make the architecture in the country so beautiful. The tall steeple with its large bell is still rung manually, as young men, and sometimes older ones, too, vie on how high and vigorously they can jump up and then forcefully pull down the long thick hemp rope to ring resoundingly the bell.
Compared to other Greek Orthodox churches, which usually have an overabundance of icons and gold, this church was quite simple having only a minimum of gold. A red carpet stretches from the outside steps of the church up to the altar. Beautiful bouquets of white roses, chrysanthemums and lilies perched on tall cast iron stands line both sides of the red carpet. Soft flowing drapes of sheer golden chiffon, to match the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses, link the flower stands pew to pew. Chandeliers, in forms of lit candles, representing the original method of lighting, add a warm glow for the evening wedding ceremony and present a sharp contrast to the modern high intensity light used by the cameramen.
In typical Lebanese tradition, the groom waits for his bride at the entrance to the church. Some guests were already sitting inside the church, but many followed the couple as they entered the church after the flower girl, ring bearer and the bridesmaids. There usually is only one bridesmaid, the maid of honor, but because the bride had two sisters, they both participated in the wedding. The bride wears a veil but it does not cover her face. After the vows, the groom does not “kiss the bride.” There is no “And you may now kiss the bride.” The couple remains at the altar for photos and more video, which have been taken prolifically before and during the ceremony.
Following the ceremony, the guests drive to the reception which is usually held in a large restaurant or hotel. The guests are seated at assigned tables. Hors d’oeuvres and even the main meal may be served before the arrival of the newlyweds, which is often one or two hours after the guests have been sitting and eating. The newlyweds are often “introduced” by a “zaffeh.” A dance group wearing the costumes, and presenting the dance and songs of the traditional Lebanese folklore. The show lasts about a half hour or so before the couple follows and joins the troupe in the dance. The guests quickly join in and both the bride and groom are soon hoisted on the shoulders of young, strong men, while they continue the dance floating above the crowd. Many dance, while others continue their meal. The couple is given short reprieves where they inhale a couple of bites, before the dancing resumes or before they go from table to table to personally greet their guests. At the cake ceremony, they cut the cake together using a long saber. Some follow the western tradition of tossing the bouquet to the single girls, and the garter to the single men. And then, more dancing. You’ve never seen a happier, more jovial group of people until you’ve seen the Lebanese dance, young and old alike as they do the Lebanese dabkeh or the belly dance, which unlike the perception in the West is really just a traditional folk dance, performed by all ages. IN POLITICS
The situation in Lebanon is status quo; I mean status stop. The only thing moving these days is a lot of hot air as the politicians lob insults and accusations at each other. It is quite a pathetic situation as an already troubled economy sinks further into an abyss. They cannot seem to see beyond the depth of their pockets.
Other than that, people here are constantly talking about a new war. We all know that there will not be another evacuation should there be a war. The major concern is that the United States will hit Iran; many believe it is more a question of when not if. And then when that does happen, against whom will Iran decide to retaliate? Israel? And then Hezbollah gets sucked in again? And another attack by Israel into Lebanon? Or will Iran hit Saudi Arabia, the bastion of American military installations? Will Syria come to “defend” its ally Iran by attacking Israel? If the United States thinks that it can attack Iran without repercussions throughout the Middle East, they will have once again disillusioned themselves and the American people. This is a very serious issue here. We are already talking amongst ourselves how we will plan our summers. Stay here? Travel? If so, when? If Lebanon is hit, the airport will be shut down immediately; the airport would be a first strike like last time. If Syria participates, its airport would close; with no evacuations by boat this time around, those in Lebanon will be stuck. We cannot get to Jordan by land without passing through Syria. While people in the United States are concerned about the price of gasoline, some of us over here, are wondering if we will become trapped, and be faced with gasoline, diesel and food shortages if a war ensues.
Several weeks ago the Israeli press announced that Israeli Prime Minister Olmert had planned many months in advance for the onslaught into Lebanon that had started on July 12, 2006. It also has become clear that the United States purposely did not stop the war when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had come out to meet with the Israelis and Lebanese in the first ten days of the war. The United States former ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton stated in a BBC radio interview in March of this year that he was “damned proud of what we did’ to prevent an early ceasefire”1 during Israel’s assault on Lebanon last summer. None of this is news to the Lebanese or those of us who were here during the war; it is only news that it has become officially public.
I wonder how many of you know what is the “Israeli factor?” I can tell you that every single United States presidential candidate knows what it is.Basically, it is an indicator to see how “friendly” the candidate is to Israel and its interests. ” When asked what makes a candidate "good for Israel," the answers are revealing: "He can deal in a realistic way with the conflicts of Middle East; he will not be overly susceptible to world opinion; he is ready to use force when necessary; he knows Israel and its problems; he will make sure not to pressure Israel into making concessions that will leave it with indefensible borders; he will take into account the interests of Israel as he formulates his Middle East policy; he is emotionally attached to Israel and the things it represents, and is pro-Zionist; he is well connected within the American Jewish community." Nobody thought that a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict might make a candidate "good" for Israel?”2 You can go to Haaretz.com, the online version of the Israeli newspaper and type in “Israeli Factor” to find it. Those candidates with the highest score rate the friendliest to Israel. The score may change overtime depending on what the candidate says or does. Why is there no “Canadian Factor” or “Japan Factor” or “Mexican Factor?’ Does any of this ring right? Why is it that Israel must be at the center and focus of American foreign policy, which if anyone has noticed is not working. A recent survey conducted by Chicago Council on Global Affairs shows that the majority of the countries, except Israel and the Philippines (no surprise, here of course), do not condone the foreign policies of the United States. “There’s clearly a trend in terms of deepening negative attitudes to the US in how it executes foreign policy,” said Christopher Whitney, one of the chief coordinators of the poll. The most stark results were those showing a lack of trust that the US would act responsibly and a sense that it had overreached on the global stage. More than three out of four Americans think that their country tends to take on the role of international enforcer more than it should.3
On a final note, I would like to offer my condolences to the people of the United States and especially the family and friends of those who were brutally murdered at Virginia Tech. It is awful when terrorism hits a campus. Oh, I mean massacre. That is the word they used in all the media wasn’t it? Amazing how one word can change people’s perceptions of an action. But in reality, it was terrorism. It’s just that he was an immigrant from South Korea, which is a country that is an ally to the United States. Not an immigrant from Lebanon or Egypt or Jordan or Syria. He was not an Arab. If he were, I doubt they would have looked beyond his nationality to see his troubled past or analyze the whys and wherefores. We would not have seen psychologist after psychologist give their expert opinion on why this young man did what he did or that studies have shown with other killers that there is something physically amiss in their brain. Nor did we hear about the Egyptian who was killed as he saved lives. (Three Arabs were killed in the rampage.) Yet we heard profusely about the elderly Romanian-born professor who was a holocaust survivor. No one denies his heroism; yet why is an Arab’s heroism conveniently overlooked? This is how American people’s views are made for them as facts are “conveniently” slighted.
News Update:
After I had written the above, around 10:00 p.m. Thursday night news reporters announced that two young Lebanese who had been kidnapped the day before were killed that night. One was a young man of 25 years the other only a boy of 12 years. This is the first time in all of Lebanon’s war history that a child was taken and purposely killed. All sides had condemned the kidnapping and all sides have condemned the killing. All we know so far is that the two were Sunnis by religion but affiliated politically to the Druze camp of Walid Jumblatt. No one has yet claimed responsibility. The government announced that all schools and universities would be closed on Friday. I wanted to pick up my daughter from her dorm Thursday night because I was afraid that army roadblocks would be up in the morning. Well, we did not have to wait until then. Large and well-armed roadblocks were posted at major sections throughout the city. We went through three of them on our way to get her Thursday night at 11:30 p.m. She told us all the dorm residents had been in the lounge and that the girls were all upset. It’s nice to have her home safe with us. The funerals took place on Friday, with no incident. Yet, who knows what is looming for the future?
Back to the doldrums...
Rosie
An American in Lebanon
Notes:
1 and 2: AAI report March 27, 2007
3 Arab News April 19, 2007
Labels: letter from Lebanon, politics, Rosie
Letter from Lebanon--#44 A Shaky Future
Hello All,
Rosie, the author of "Letter from Lebanon" sent me yet another of her letters destined to update and keep the western world informed about what is "really" happening in Lebanon.
here it is.
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December 19, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Less than eight hours after I e-mailed the November Letter from Lebanon, Pierre Gemayel a young minister in the prime minister’s cabinet was brazenly shot dead in the middle of the day, two days before Lebanon’s Independence Day, November 22. He was only 34 years old. I will try to outline what has happened since then. In short, the situation has worsened.
Mass demonstrations against the government that had been planned for later that week were postponed because of the assassination. An international marathon that had been planned for that upcoming weekend was also postponed. Businesses, schools and universities in the greater Beirut area were closed the day of the funeral since traffic and demonstrations would prohibit traffic circulation. The Gemayel funeral turned into a mass demonstration against the perpetrators, mostly aimed at Syria, pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian groups, and against the general situation in Lebanon.
On Friday, December 1, 2006, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, a Shiite group, The Amal party, also Shiite and former General Michel Aoun, a Christian leading the Free Patriotic Movement led the mass demonstrations against the government that had been postponed. They stated that they would continue to stage a sit-in until changes were made in the government: namely, that Prime Minister Fouad Siniora steps down and that they are given more seats in the government and with veto power. To this day the demonstrations continue—three weeks and counting. With each day’s passing Nasrallah’s and Aoun’s rhetoric inches up a notch, threatening the government of more action, yet still adheres, fortunately, to not resorting to arms.
On Sunday, December 3, 2006, the marathon postponed from a week earlier finally took place. It took much courage for the organizers to push for the marathon, on the heels of the first of a set of mass demonstrations against the government. The marathon was a success and went off without a glitch.
On Sunday, December 10, family, government officials, journalists from around the world and many other others joined to commemorate Gibran Tueni, on the first anniversary of his assassination. He was brutally killed on December 12, 2005, one day after he arrived after having been in Paris seeking refuge. He had thought it was safe to return. Gibran Tueni was editor-in-chief of An-Nahar, Lebanon’s premier Arabic newspapers. Samir Kassir, another journalist for the An-Nahar was murdered six months prior and May Chidiac, a television reporter and news talk show host was maimed at an attempt on her life late in September, 2005. All journalists were honored in their attempt to “tell the truth.”
Recently, President Emile Lahoud, a Syrian proxy, refused to sign the bill allowing for an international tribunal to oversee the assassination of Rafic Hariri, declaring that the government is not constitutional because six Shiite ministers resigned. Prime Minister Siniora refused the resignations of the Shiite ministers, and countered by saying that even with their resignations, there is still a quorum in the government. This issue of the international tribunal is one of the major sources of disagreement between the main two opposing groups.
The demonstrations are taking place in Martyr’s Square, the same place the country united on March 14, 2005, to protest the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and against the presence and influence of the Syrians in Lebanese affairs. Within less than two months of that March protest, the Syrians made a formal departure from Lebanese soil, but their influence still pervades Lebanese affairs. Hizbullah wants to promote a non-corrupt government. Yet, many of the demonstrators are being paid a per diem. Is this not paying for the vote? Is this not corruption? Of course, the sit-in will continue. Many of the participants are unemployed; they might as well get paid for sitting and demonstrating.
All the roads leading into the square have been closed. Beige canvas tents now cover the square. Street vendors sell coffee, water, and roasted fresh corn. After work, people stream to the site to show their support. The businesses in Solidere, the area next to Martyr’s Square that was rebuilt after the civil war, are closed. Some which are a little further from the direct demonstration area are open, but who goes there? Businesses everywhere are doing very poorly because the summer war forced many people out of work, not just those in the areas hit. The debt is rising. The toll from the war is in the billions of dollars. The economy is collapsing.
Soldiers and tanks are teaming around the square. In the outlying areas, soldiers dot the main roads and thoroughfares, with tanks here and there. With the Christmas season upon us, Christmas trees are spotted even among some of the tents. Beautiful Christmas street light decorations offer some levity to offset the grave situation.
The Christian Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir continues to warn that the mounting dissension could lead to another war. Arab countries in the region voice their concern about the dire situation in Lebanon. Representatives from the Arab League presented a plan for reconciliation and are active in negotiations with both sides.
Depression and stress describe many people’s state. No one knows where the country is going. All they want is peace. They want a future for their children. The parents know that if Lebanon cannot rebuild itself economically and secure a cooperative and peaceful state, their children will continue to seek their livelihood elsewhere. For a small country where family is extremely close-knit and of utmost importance, this is heartbreaking. And we know, of course, for any country, the youth represent the future. So what will this mean for the future of Lebanon?
Rosie AKL
An American in Lebanon
Rosie.akl@gmail.com
Labels: letter from Lebanon
Letter from Lebanon--#43 The Aftermath [part II]
Here's another Letter from Lebanon, written by Rosie Akl.
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November 20, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
I wish all those celebrating Thanksgiving a happy and blessed one. To the Lebanese, I wish them a happy independence day (November 22), although many may question, independent from whom?
Letter from Lebanon--#43 The Aftermath: Part II
The last “Letter from Lebanon” that I wrote before the war, dated June 26, 2006, was entitled, “Summertime, and the living is easy…” I started the letter: “Nothing brings out traditional Lebanese hospitality more than at summertime when these fun loving people, who even during the darkest moments of the war, never ceased to enjoy all that life brings.” How these words would come back to haunt me. Before the summer w ar, Lebanon was on a “high.” The country was preparing itself for the best summer since the (prior) war and the departure of the Syrians. On July 12, that all came to a screeching halt.
The 34 day July war destroyed not only much of the infrastructure of the country, but it also broke the confidence of the Lebanese. People remain very nervous fearing that “something” might explode again. And if it does from the Israeli side, it is known that Israel will come in even harder. Israel continues to openly violate Resolution 1701 by flying reconnaissance flights near the Lebanese border, maneuvers that threaten the already feeble accord between the warring parties. The United Nations force in the south of Lebanon has demanded on numerous occasions that Israel stop. In addition, the Lebanese government, already strained from the 2005 Hariri murder, the dozens of car bombs that followed and the departure of the Syrians, has been further weakened by constant political infighting, making progress slow to get Lebanon back on its feet.
Hizbullah has been gloating, causing deeper divisions among the different Lebanese political parties. Tensions have risen so high that the Lebanese are unsure whether a war will erupt from within or outside its borders. Certain parties, but especially the Shia under Hizbullah are demanding greater power in this fractured and weakened government. They are threatening to stage peaceful demonstrations but others may also demonstrate and the peacefulness may become strained. Already six cabinet ministers have resigned. Compromise is a concept few are willing to accept.
Why is Lebanon in this mess? This is not an easy question to answer, of course, but I will attempt to address some facets of the answers. After the Taif accord, the Lebanese army was not allowed to rearm itself, not that it ever had a strong army to begin with. It does not have one single military airplane. The helicopters that it does have are from the dinosaur age. Its arms are old. The Shiites who live primarily in the southern part of Lebanon, bordering Israel, are vulnerable to Israel’s aggression. They know that Israel has F-16’s, reconnaissance planes, nuclear arms, clus ter bombs, just to mention a few of its military capabilities.. Living next to such a neighbor makes one very nervous. If your own government does not have the wherewithal to defend you, what do you do? You no longer depend on your government but yourselves. Hence, one of the reasons for the birth of Hizbullah. And, obviously Hizbullah is forced to look for sources of its arms outside the country. In this case, Syria and Iran. If the western powers had allowed the Lebanese army to build up its arms and military arsenal properly from the beginning, there would have been no reason for Hizbullah to be forced to defend itself. When the other militias disbanded, their reason to exist ceased with the end of the war, as most of their fighting was among themselves. But the Shiites that formed the Hiizbullah militia were still defending themselves against Israel. In the south of Lebanon, there are not only Shiites, but also many Christian communities. Nevertheless, the Shiites dominate the region. When your land has been occupied by a foreign power, meaning Israel, for over 15 years it is not easy to freely and willingly trust them. The Shiites, sidelined by the Lebanese government, depended upon Hizbullah who not only protected them but also developed significant social programs including building schools, hospitals, and improvin g water and electricity supplies to homes. For the Shiites, Hizbullah was the group they could turn to when in need. Who are you going to support when times get tough—the one who helped you, of course.
I also believe strongly that if the Palestinian question had been properly addressed and resolved in 1948 when the creation of the modern state of Israel was forced upon them, the Middle East would not be such a fire bed as it is now. That is not to say there would not be other problems. No country is without some unrest, or discontent among the population. But I invite you to visit the Palestinian camps; They are real. These are testimonies to what Israel did to the Palestinians. More than 400,000 Palestinians in Lebanon live in squalor. They do not live in nice condominiums in a nice neighborhood. They live in shantytowns. Every day of your life you are reminded that you have no real home, that your home was taken over by some Jew who came from Europe, Africa or the United States. These are facts. All you have to do is drive in the outskirts of Beirut, along the coasts, or in the Bekaa to see the refugees. Can you imagine being a refugee for mor e than 50 years? Can you feel the resentment that builds up in a person whose life has been taken away? And while a person’s heart goes out to the Palestinians and their lack of homeland, it is also a reminder that because of the creation of Israel, and the mass exodus of the Palestinians, these people poured primarily into Lebanon, but also Syria, Jordan, as well as Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.. This flood of refugees created a demand on the Lebanese that they were not able to cope with. The list of tensions and problems caused by the Palestinians issue is long and cannot be dealt with completely in this letter.
And finally, the last issue I would like to address pertains to religion. It is difficult for an outsider, myself included, to understand the degree to which religion plays a role not only in everyday life, but also in politics. Americans, who grew up with the belief and acceptance of the separation of religion and state, probably no longer think about the separation, as it is taken for granted. But here, religion is fully integrated into politics. Most political parties are aligned along religious beliefs. From the beginning when the state of Lebanon was formed, the unwritten, thus verbal part of its constitution, stipulated that the president would be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Moslem, and the speaker of the house, a Shiite Moslem. The clergy, (Christian and non-Christian), have played a large role in Lebanese politics from the beginning. The political leaders are lined up along their religion obedience and many people follow blindly. “I belong to this particular party because I am a Maronite. I belong to that party because I am a Druze (another Moslem sect). I belong to the Amal party because I am a Shiite.” A few secular nationalistic parties do exist, but without much of a following at this time; however, they were very popular at the time Lebanon earned its independence. And because religion is at the core of who a person is, an attack on the party is like a personal attack. The unspoken,under the table alliance between the clergy (again, all the clergy) and the feudal lords (war lords, political leaders, etc.) keep the allegiance to the country in second place, right after the allegiance to one’s religion or sect. Topics such as rebuilding roads and bridges and improving the economy fail to be perceived as a Lebanese/national problem. Most Lebanese cannot seem to put LEBANON first and their religion next. And I believe as long as the Lebanese do not see Lebanon as a whole with its own problems that must be resolved, they will never get beyond the political morass that continues to stalemate this country.
Many Lebanese parliamentarians as well as outsiders are pushing and the UN resolutions are demanding that Hizbullah disband its arms, which is critical. But for the Shiites to have confidence in the Lebanese government, the Lebanese army must first be brought up-to-date militarily and not remain weak. If the UN and Western powers prohibit this, as they did before, Hizbullah will have reason to become stronger not weaker and where will that lead Lebanon? The Palestinian issue must be resolved fairly and imminently. Now Tony Blair is stating how important it is to resolve that problem as if he were discovering something completely new. The United States cannot be viewed as in independent broker when it sides with Israel completely. And yet, it is precisely because of Israel’s frequent occupations and mistreatment of the southern Lebanese that Hizbullah was formed and earned i ts popularity. A new formula should be found to deal with this issue. Who would you want to defend you in getting back your lands and rights, those who took it away in the first place? And finally, within the Lebanese borders, the Lebanese have to learn how to design programs that benefit all of Lebanon, because the good of all of Lebanon will serve all its inhabitants. These are tough issues that need to be resolved, sooner than later. Without their resolutions, Lebanon cannot find the peace it deserves.
Rosie AKL
An American in LebanonLabels: letter from Lebanon
Letter from Lebanon--#42 The Aftermath [part I]
Regular reader and visitors, all know Rosie by now. For those who don't, Rosie is an American woman, married and living in Lebanon. During the July War, she was writing and dispatching letter, by email, and through my blog here, telling the real story of the war, and what was really happening.
Rosie is back in Lebanon now, and again trying to help the country that she became to love dearly. Here's another one of her amazing and powerful letters.
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October 26, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
I have been in Lebanon just over a month, although it feels as if it’s been a year. My head is about above water now, but am still treading. I also waited before writing another letter so that I would have the chance to go around Lebanon, see and listen to people, get a feel of what is happening here. And that I’ve begun to do.
Letter from Lebanon--#42 The Aftermath: The July War, aka The 34-Day War--Part I
Every morning as I place my hand on the television remote control, I hesitate before I turn on the news. I have a moment of dread: What horror will I wake up to this morning? Soon the feelings pass and I can relax one more day in this war-ravaged yet wonderful country.
People are still very tense. The war and the current political situation remain constant topics of discussion and concern. You can hear the anguish in people’s voices. At my first book club meeting since the summer my friends and I talked about our war experiences. How did we escape? Who stayed? For the first time in eight years, we never even got to the book. We all had so many stories to share. We needed to talk.
On the other hand, a major shopping mall that I go to is bustling. It had been also the Moslem holy month of Ramadan, which may be the one of the reasons for the surge of activity. One Saturday evening my husband asked the waiter at one of the restaurants why it was so crowded. The waiter replied that it is always like this. If you would have been in that shopping mall, you would have never guessed that the country just went through one of its worst wars. But the packed mall does not necessarily translate into increased purchases. I think the mall is a safe outlet to get out of the house with their families. Where else can they go?
While parts of Lebanon seem bustling however, the realities of the war are still ever present. The news reminds us of what the war damages Lebanon faces. We read and hear about which repairs and rebuilding need to be done and who from the foreign community is helping. Every time I go to the grocery store I am reminded of the war because it’s the rare day that I can find fresh milk. Since I have been here I have been able to buy only four cartons of fresh milk; I usually buy three a week. Lebanon has two main dairies that produce fresh milk for drinking. But the one that was flattened by the Israelis, which is my favorite produced 85% of the total fresh milk supply. The Israelis knew exactly what they were hitting when they struck the dairy six times. The Israelis wanted it destroyed because they had lost the contract to supply milk to UN soldiers so they thought what the heck, no one can get to us, we’ll jus t destroy our competitor. Nice side work for the Israelis.
So let’s see exactly what was accomplished by the 34 day onslaught by the Israelis. Their first publicly stated goal was to get the release of the two kidnapped soldiers. Failed. As the war continued, their second publicly stated goal was to crush Hizbullah so that they could be disarmed. Failed. Then as the war continued with failure of both of the previous two goals, they decided to invade Lebanon and push Hizbullah behin d the line of the Litani river, creating a “safe zone” of about 20 kilometers from the Israeli border. That was pretty much achieved. You notice that I write “publicly stated goal” because what they said and what they were doing were two different things. What you heard and what reality is are strikingly different. Israel used the term ”terrorist” and “hiding arms” for each and every excuse to strike, but those of us here knew that they were purposely destroying the infrastructure of Lebanon, with impunity, as the West, in particular the United States not only supported Israel but provided deadly bombs. And how are the Lebanese expected to believe the United States is an ally?
What was the cost to Lebanon? The true cost will not be known for generations. Thousands of people were evacuated. Many returned, but some did not. The youth, the future of the country are questioning their security and their ability to obtain a good job. They are not fools. They need to look out for themselves. So besides the material costs, which I will get to in a moment, there is and there will continue to be a signific ant brain drain. The Lebanese love their country, but in the end, they have to survive and those who can afford it will look outside the country to continue their education and for employment. And most likely they will never return. They will no longer be able to trust the security of the country because of its belligerent neighbor Israel. Because of the meddling of Syria and by implication Iran. And because the United States is constantly stirring up the pot. (Israel had already made several attacks after UN resolution 1701 and continues to violate Lebanese a irspace and always with impunity.)
Other costs to Lebanon:
- Over a thousand, mostly civilians lost their lives, although the true number is still not yet clear and is probably much higher. Thousands more were wounded, including many children.
- Thousands of homes destroyed—about 130,000 Total villages were decimated. Schools, hospitals, businesses. Completely destroyed.
- Unemployment is rising and has a ripple effect since businesses were destroyed.
- When Israel bombed the Jiyyeh power plant in the South, they caused one of the worst environmental disasters in history. Oil has blackened the sea and nearly three quarters of the Lebanese coastline, reaching up to the historic town of Byblos. Fishing, a primary source of food and employment has come to a screeching halt. Fish markets have closed. Those that remain open sell imported fish.
- Over 90 factories were destroyed.
- Economic costs are reaching into over $8 billion.
- Eighty bridges and 94 roads were damaged or destroyed.
- In the last four days of the war, when Israel knew that it was coming to a close, they purposefully and illegally dropped thousands of cluster bombs in civilian areas in the South. The UN states that among 800,000 and 1,200,000 cluster blomblets were showered over Lebanon. Compare that to 20,000 cluster bomblets launched in Kosovo! Cluster bombs are bombs about the size of a tennis ball with a small wire protruding. The problem is that nearly 30% of these bombs did not explode upon the initial drop so there are thousands of these bombs hanging from trees, in the ground tucked here and there, ready to go off. Over 100 people have already died since the cessation of the war due to these cluster bombs! Israel refuses to give their bombardment map sheet that would in dicate where they dropped the bombs. Israel also has refused from their 15 year occupation of the South to give Lebanon the plans of where they planted land mines. So now the Lebanese in the South cannot till their soil, pick the fruit from the trees or take a walk in their own gardens because of these cluster bombs. Between the land mines and now the cluster bombs, the South is a walking Russian roulette.
- Israel also fired illegal phosphorus bombs. Over the course of the war, a friend stated that from her home she could see different colors of smoke rising from exploded bombs—gray, black, white smoke—and wondered what they were? What poisonous vapors were spreading? The furniture on the balconies became black from the pollution created by the bombs and debris. ; Washed white again, only the next day to be blackened. What was or still is getting into people’s lungs?
- A friend told me that during the entire period of the war her jasmine plant did not bloom once. Two weeks after the cessation of the 34 day war, it finally bloomed. If only the country could bounce back as quickly.
A friend told me that during the entire period of the war her jasmine plant did not bloom once. Two weeks after the cessation of the 34 day war, it finally bloomed. If only the country could bounce back as quickly.
More on the aftermath in the next letter. Your comments are always welcomed. Please keep the word spreading.
Rosie AKL
Rosie.AKL@gmail.comLabels: letter from Lebanon
Letter from Lebanon: August 2, 2006
Below is a letter from Rosie, that took some time to reach my inbox due to some technical difficulties. I remind my readers that Rosie is an American, living in Beirut.
She is also the author of the many dispatches I have been posting on urban_memories, entitled "Letter from Lebanon".
Rosie and her family left Lebanon to the U.S., therefore this would be the last letter she would write from Lebanon. At least for the time being.
z.----August 2, 2006Damascus, SyriaLetter from Lebanon: Update August 2, 2006 Our Flight from LebanonDear Family and Friends,We had planned months ago to take our annual trek to the United States for the month of August. However, with Israel’s multiple attacks totally disabling the airport for commercial flights, our original trip was soon annulled. The question then became should we leave or not. Many of us were in constant quandary about the situation. We had our live-in housekeeper to take care of as well as sort out many other issues, not the least of which was whether we could even leave safely. On July 21st the United States official ly began evacuation procedures “for those who wished to leave.” Day after day, starting at 5:00 a.m., many waited in line up to 5 to 8 hours in the sun and heat while going through procedures before boarding a ship that nearly ten hours later would bring them to the shores of Cyprus. Each person was allowed a small carry-on bag of 15 kilograms or about 30 pounds. Even though Israel was bombarding the country, blockading the ports, destroying infrastructure left and right, we were relatively safe atop the Metn Mountain, a primarily Christian enclave. Therefore, leaving for most of us and especially under the conditions that I described was not a serious option at that time. My husband nevertheless booked new flights, out of Damascus. When he changed the original reservations, the main road to Damascus was open. Then Israel bombed the eastern border control points and that outlet was suddenly closed. So within two and half weeks, Israel blocked the airport, blocked the ports (they kindly gave permission for a certain period to allow foreigners to evacuate by b oat) and now they blocked the main road leading to Damascus. Like a checklist, one by one, the Israelis were tightening the noose on all human beings in Lebanon. Not just those of Hizbullah, not just the Shiites, but every single person, of many different religions and different nationalities, living on Lebanese territory. And all the time, the United States is not only giving Israel more time “to destroy Hizbullah,” which in reality is destroying Lebanon—illegally—but also providing additional bombs, including intelligent bombs to do so.Then on Sunday, July 31, 2006, in Qana, Israel brutally murdered over 60 people, 37 of whom were children, holed up in a basement of an apartment building. The Israeli press, I mean the press in the United States, of course, there’s no difference, said that it was an accident, “that the Israeli Defense Forces told the people to evacuate.” Well, they probably missed a few details, such as: Did they mention that they had destroyed nearly all if not all the gas stations, so many did not have any gas to be able to leave? Or did they mention that they had bombed the roads that the fleeing families had to cross? But never mind that, the Lebanese did try to leave with the last drops of gas and over bombed out roads, but, oh, did the press forget to tell you that they targeted cars and vans of families fleeing? So you were damned to death if you stayed and damned to death if you fled. They had no chance. And it wasn’t once, or twice, it was over and over and over that cars were targeted. And for every car they hit, “it was an accident.” When they hit the United Nations observation post, “It was an accident.” When they demolished the apartment building in Qana, “It was an accident.” The United States government supports and believes everything that Israel tells them. Frankly, I don’t know how President Bush sleeps at night.Early in the war, friends were urging me to leave. I felt safe in my home. But to tell the truth I was afraid to go on the Beirut-Damascus highway that cuts east to Syria, because the Israelis were constantly hitting it. I didn’t feel like playing Russian roulette with the Israeli military. I felt frozen in my decision-making. I never felt afraid where I was. I felt confident that the Israelis wouldn’t hit in our location. But after the closing of that main link to Syria, and the evacuations halted, I thought that if I don’t get out now my family and I would not be able to see our family in the States. I was also becoming more concerned with availability of supplies and of my daughter’s education. Would the schools and universities open on time? It was becoming clearer that I would be locked in for there was now only ONE road left to get out.The turning point for me was after the Qana massacre on Sunday, the second in ten years. (In April of 1996, the Israelis killed over 100 people who were taking refuge in a United Nations post, “another accident.”) Belligerence was heating up on both sides. Olmert stating that it is going to be “a long war.” The United States dragging its feet. Then hearing that bombs with possibly nuclear heads, originating from Texas, capable of permeating up to 30 meters (90 feet) into the ground or 5 meters (15 feet) into c oncrete walls or slabs were on their way to help Israel, everyone was becoming afraid, even on top of our mountain. The gasoline shortage was becoming worse. The day before we decided to leave, long lines formed at gas stations. I was becoming very concerned I would no longer be able to get fuel for our generator. And hence, no electricity during black-outs. And there was only one road out. Not just one road out, but only one way out. When the United Nations, thanks to Kofi Annan, declared a “48 hour cessation of hostilities,” I knew that was an open door that we had to go through.Monday, July 31st in the late evening we decided that we would leave. Within, 15 hours, we packed our bags, bought the tickets, sent our housekeeper with her embassy to be evacuated, closed up the house, and arranged for safekeeping of our cars. From 10:30 p.m. until we left the following day at 1:30 p.m., there had been no electricity from the state. We had to turn on our generator to complete our packing that evening and the next day to finish laundry and take our showers. We had already depleted a sixth of our supply in one day. It seemed like a good thing that we were to leave.We took the road leading towards Tripoli, the largest city in the north of Lebanon, then continuing north taking us to a part of Lebanon that we had never ventured to before. The road was fine except for a small detour we had to make where the Israelis had targeted a Lebanese Army post, while also taking out a good portion of the main road with it. (They said they weren’t targeting Lebanese Army posts but I can’t count the number of Lebanese army posts that they have bombed.) The line at the border was long. It took only ten minutes to go through the formalities on the Lebanese side, but then we had to wait for an hour to even get to the Syrian post. People became impatient with the long line and blocked the on-coming traffic side, creating worse congestion. Once at the Syrian immigration offices, more confusion and inefficiencies caused another hour delay. Once we crossed into Syria I felt a sense of relief, but also sadness, for this was not the way I had envisioned of leaving Lebanon. Now, we had to take a road back down south to reach Damascus; it was a very long detour. The total trip took about 8 hours. Flying to California takes 24 hours minimum door to door; thanks to the Israelis we got to add 8 hours to our trip. We are now staying with some friends in Damascus until our flight on Friday to Paris then San Francisco. I have left Lebanon with a heavy heart. I am leaving behind family and friends who are trapped in a dire situation, with a very uncertain and scary future. Despite this, they tell me, “Have a good time. And God be with you.” Our return tickets are for early September. I hope the situation settles down so we can return to resume our lives.Keep the news going!Rosie AKLRosie.akl@gmail.com
Labels: letter from Lebanon
Letter from Lebanon: Update July 30, 2006 Sunday
Here's another one of Rosie's amazing dispatches from Lebanon. I would like to remind my readers that Rosie is an American woman, currently living in Lebanon.
z.
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Dear Family and Friends,
There is not one person in this country who has not been affected by this war in one manner or the other. While many of us in the mountain villages are fortunately safe physically, everyone is stressed, concerned, and worried.
As I do my errands in the village, many people cannot believe that I am still here. With protruding eyes, they exclaim in utter astonishment: “What! Why are you here?” Why do they say this with such amazement? Because I have the American passport. I have a passport to escape the nightmare. They have Lebanese passports. And Lebanese passports without visas is like having no passport at all. Furthermore, this is their home. How can they even afford to leave and live abroad for any significant length of time? Those who have other nationalities, especially those of Lebanese origin, find it difficult to just pick up and leave. So many issues to consider, analyze and finalize. Most say that they do not know what to do. “We go round and round the issues. Leave? Stay? Who knows what the future will hold?”
There are now close to a million displaced Lebanese. These families primarily lived in the south of Lebanon and in the southern suburb of Beirut, in the main line of fire of indiscriminate bombardments. Many now live in parks, in schools, and on sidewalks. Others have moved up into the mountains, in the mostly Christian areas where they took refuge once before when Israel invaded in 1982. Hotels in the mountains have lowered their rates considerably to accommodate these refugees. Empty homes will be prone to be legally forced open so that the displaced can live if the war continues unabated for a long time and if there is no alternative found for these refugees. So that means, if you leave your home, and a displaced family gets the government to break into your home, you cannot reclaim your home. Or, at least not easily. During the 1982 invasion, our house was not furnished. My husband had bought the house but it was left completely empty because we were living in Saudi Arabia. A family came in and started using the house. With much difficulty, we had the man evicted and only because it was proved that he was using the house for his mistress and not his family. If his family were there we might have been obligated to pay even up to $30,000 to try to get them evicted. We live facing a hotel that is full of refugees. Everyday, I see their laundry hung on the balcony. I worry that if we leave they will notice that there is no longer movement in a house that they can easily see. That they will know that a house is ready to be moved into with all its furnishings. It’s only been less than three weeks. But the sheer volume of homes destroyed is going to take months to rebuild and where will these people live in the meantime? Will they continue for months to accept to live on the streets? In schools? Paying for a hotel?
Also, since schools are occupied by the displaced Lebanese, it means that schools will be unlikely unable to reopen in September for the academic year. That means all Lebanese students will soon suffer with significant delays in their studies, not to mention the psychological anguish many are enduring and which will continue to manifest itself later.
My daughter like many of her friends are holed up in their homes. Some moved to their summer mountain home. But no one visits each other unless they are next door and even then most do not venture out much. All movements have to be carefully considered and calculated. I started taking my daughter to dance during a specific short period of the day. I only did this because she was going crazy at home. Just to give her some relief and release. But I don’t know for how long I will be able to continue taking her.
The government recently announced that there are enough fuel reserves to last another ten days, until about August 7. Some gas stations in our area have already been closing early because they are not re-supplied on a timely basis. (Truck drivers are scared because many trucks have been targeted by Israeli aircraft.) But the moment will arrive when they can no longer be re-supplied at all. From the initial announcement of the Israeli naval blockade, people began to significantly curtail their movement; however, others had no choice but go to work. They will continue to go to work until the gas runs out. And how long will the reserves last for electricity until there is a 24/24 blackout?
The war, of course, has caused considerable damage to an already fledging economy. If fuel is not allowed to pass through the ports, the economy will basically shut down. Banks already limit how many dollars you can withdraw per week. What would happen if the banking industry had to close? All the other industries? Food and pharmaceuticals shortages are a major crisis in the south, but even on the mountain we see the shelves emptying. I have only identified a small portion of the effects suffered by ALL Lebanese. I hope it is becoming clearer the snowball effect of Israel’s decisions in this war. A war, which they say they are trying their best to act in a most humane way.
Saturday night, the Israelis bombed the Lebanese/Syrian border through which many try to escape. We were planning to leave this week via Syria. Now I don’t know if we can get out as the border was forced to close for the first time during this conflict. We’ll have to see if it is able to reopen in time for us to catch our flight.
Saturday morning Israelis targeted a Cheeroke four-wheel drive in the southern suburb of Beirut. I heard the explosion but didn’t know what it was until my husband heard the news and explained it to me. Apparently, the Israelis were targeting two members of Hizbullah. I find this amazing that they can target from the air a Cheeroke (green I think) with supposedly two Hizbullah fighters, yet they can miss the clearly marked UN observation post in the south of Lebanon, not to mention that the UN peace keepers had repeatedly warned (more than a dozen times—I heard 17 times) the Israelis that they were getting too close. The Israelis hit the same observation post the other day! I think the Israelis know exactly what they are hitting. And I think they know that they can get away with it, which they did. They got the usual little slap on the hand with a watered down complaint from the United Nations. And that’s life with the Israelis.
Death toll: 400 Lebanese, mostly civilians: 52 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
You’ll pass this on please; we must try to let the world know what life is like here.
Rosie AKL
Labels: letter from Lebanon
Letter from Lebanon: Update July 26, 2006
This is another insightful letter from Rosie. An American, living in Beirut. In her email, Rosie attached a PowerPoint presentation containing images of the atrocities in Lebanon, and an image (a diagram representing the location of the bombings in Lebanon); I am just posting the image.
z.
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Dear Family and Friends,
Yes, we’re still in Lebanon and doing fine. Been sleeping much better in the last few days. I started working on this letter this morning at 7:00 a.m. until the electricity was cut at 10:00 a.m. When the electricity came back we were having lunch and then I had to take Tanya to dance lessons, which she resumed yesterday. And so more than 12 hours later from when I started, I now am trying to wrap this up.
The last American evacuation boat left Wednesday, July 26. Less than twenty percent of those on my warden list decided to evacuate, although I understand that over 12,000 Americans did leave, (out of 25,000). The road to Damascus is relatively safe now, although riddled with holes from Israel’s attacks. MEA (Middle East Airlines), Lebanon’s airline carrier, is doing its best to honor its flight reservations from the Damascus and Larnaca (Cyprus) airports.
I had the pleasure to participate on Monday evening on the BBC Radio live panel discussion, “Have Your Say,” discussing the current Middle East crisis. I had received a call from the BBC in the late afternoon Monday to arrange for them to call me back at 8:00 p.m. for the show. There were many participants, so each only had a short time in which to speak, but I was happy that I had that opportunity. At least they try to have all sides represented to openly present and discuss different point of views. We had a bit of a reprieve during Condoleezza Rice’s visit. That’s about the only positive outcome of her visit. As I had mentioned in a prior letter by the time she would have come, the country would have already been ravaged. Israel made sure to do the maximum amount of damage before they would be obliged to stop. Not that they have to stop. The United States has given them the green light to continue its barbaric bombardments. For the last few days the pounding has been focused in the south of Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Let’s see what is/was Israel’s goal? First to retrieve the captured soldiers, one Druze, one Jew. Then they said they wouldn’t stop bombarding until Hizbullah is disarmed. Now they are saying that they want Hizbullah to retreat at least 20 kilometers from the frontier to create a buffer zone.
Let’s recap some of what the Israelis have done in two weeks’ time: Destroyed at least 42 bridges, 38 roads. Bombed repeatedly Beirut International Airport, bombed Lebanon’s other airports, blasted two army caserns although they said the Lebanese army was not a target. Blasted two dairies (both Christian owned), a wood factory, and a plastics factory. Bombed nearly all the ports. Targeted the silos at the port. Bombed television and communications facilities, many of which are Christian owned. Bombed hospitals and ambulances. Warned the people in the south of Lebanon to evacuate their homes and villages and then when they were fleeing, they bombed their cars, using chemical weapons which either killed or badly burned many, including children. The Israeli Defense Department claimed that the chemicals were within international standards; tell that to the children whose faces are nearly burned off. A horrific sight. Destroyed hundreds of homes. Bombed in many Christian neighborhoods. Threatening areas in Tyre and Baalbeck that are protected by the United Nations (UNESCO) as recognized heritage sites. Today, a well marked UN observation post was hit “accidentally,” yet conveniently, killing four UN soldiers.….Lebanese killed pass 380 people with more than 1500 wounded, mostly civilians.
I guess you could liken this to two feuding neighbors. One neighbor smashes the other’s mailbox. The second neighbor retaliates by first smashing the first neighbor’s car. And realizing that is not enough pummels the house then blows up the front and backyards. Killing 5 and wounding two. But then I guess that would be an appropriate response for knocking down the mailbox.
Now please tell me what is wrong with the picture. Unfortunately, I can’t draw it, and therefore will describe it. But that should be easy: Picture a Big Smiling United States. One Hand is handing out a pile of intelligent bombs to a ‘poor’ Israel, whose F-16’s and nuclear warheads are tucked in their back pocket; the Other Hand has a tad of foodstuffs and medicines to distribute to the nearly 1 million distraught displaced Lebanese.
How do you think the Lebanese can accept the United States as an independent, impartial broker in negotiating peace? If you have ever been selected for jury duty you know the process. Those who have the slightest bias or prejudice surrounding the case to be tried are eliminated from the jury panel, because the lawyers want a jury that is open-minded and can review the facts fairly. When the United States provides Israel with over $3 billion in aid annually, supplies most of its military arsenal, provides on demand more bombs to Israel, how can one think they will be impartial when it comes to peace negotiations? Not only does the United States not act as an impartial broker, but they act as Israel’s advocate. Can the Lebanese really stand up to that? Time and again, they acquiesce to the bigger powers. Why isn’t another uninvolved country or countries selected to truly negotiate a peace settlement, like Japan, India or Argentina, without any influence from the United States or Britain? The July 21, 2006 cover page of the British journal “The Independent” displayed on one side the flags of the Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom. On the other side of the page, all the other flags of the world. The question posed: Who supports a cease-fire?
On Saturday, July 22, 2006, ten days after the start of the war, The Daily Start reported: “…the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on Friday accused both Israel and Hizbullah of war crimes. The ICJ said Israel’s “disproportionate and indiscriminate” use of force against civilian targets amounted to “collective punishment.” The Geneva-based organization called for an immediate halt to the violence and accused the international community of not doing enough to restrain Israeli actions in both Lebanon and Gaza.”1
Since 1968, Israel has staged over 5,000 military attacks on Lebanon, including five invasions or major campaigns, causing nearly $3 billion in damages. A preliminary estimate of the toll on the infrastructure thus far from their recent barrage of bombs is over $3 billion, in less than two weeks.2 And we have not even spoken about the human lives lost or economic damage that Lebanon has suffered and will suffer, peoples homes, buildings, offices, etc. All this under the guise of “Hizbullah only targets.” I would like to see the equivalent statistics for Israel.
I remind my readers that at the end of June this year, Lebanon was issuing a formal complaint to the United Nations about a Mossad cell (like the CIA) in Lebanon, “Lebanon’s friends at the UN should support us against Israeli operations [assassinations] on our territory,” a source stated.3 Tension and provocation at the border is nothing new and it has been going on both ways, for years. The only difference is that Israel has the military might and the backing of the United States. So they get to bomb when and how they feel like it. How nice.
And as usual, pass this along to friends and family… or does it go without saying now? Have I got you trained now? Don’t forget to check out the attachments showing pictures of the atrocities as well as a map indicating areas hit. Thanks a million!
Rosie AKL
Notes:
1. The Daily Star, July 22, 2006, page 2
2. The Daily Star, July 24, 2006, page 6
3. The Daily Star, June 21, 2006, cover page
Labels: letter from Lebanon
Letter from Lebanon: Update Friday, July 21, 2006
From Rosie
z.
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Dear Family and Friends,
First: We are safe. Although some fuel shortages are appearing in the mountain region, life “on the mountain” is pretty normal, other than it is accompanied by tattered nerves, tension and angst. Since Israel is targeting trucks, the garbage collectors are too afraid to make the rounds and garbage is starting to collect around the large communal garbage bins.
Second: Thank you all for your letters of concern and support. They are really appreciated.
I started this letter yesterday, but just didn’t have time to finish it. There was the first massive organization of evacuation for Americans. As a warden for the US Embassy, I am responsible for informing about 30 American families in my region. The US Embassy called me yesterday with directives for evacuation that was for 5:00 a.m. this morning. I received the call around 7:00 p.m. I, therefore, had to call all the families on my list and a few more. It took nearly three hours to contact and communicate the message to everyone, plus calls during the day I received from concerned families. I must have been on the phone at least four hours yesterday including one call I received after 11:00 p.m. Since the war started, I am in frequent contact with the families on my list, passing on emails that I receive from the Embassy as well as receiving nearly ten calls a day, to answer further questions and to share information with each other. Before 10 o'clock this morning I had already received a half dozen phone calls from those on my list.
Many people are extremely worried about the future. The main fear is that once the foreigners leave, the Israeli will double up their efforts against Lebanon.. Then what?
And why are so many foreigners leaving? It demonstrates that the Embassies realize that their citizens are in danger because the Israeli assault has not just focused on Hizbullah targets as they claim but civilian lives and infrastructure everywhere.
Listen carefully to the news. Listen to the words that the newscasters are now using. When is the last time you heard them talk about saving the two Israeli soldiers? The rhetoric has changed to “disarming Hizbullah,” which was the Israelis’ goal from the beginning. As I wrote before, this was never about the two soldiers. (I hope those poor soldiers sue their country for using them as bait.) Now Syria keeps being brought into the picture. I hope they are not as stupid as Hizbullah and get lured into this war.
Now getting back to Hizbullah. I want to make it very clear to my readers that in no way, shape or form am I a supporter of Hizbullah. I support the Lebanese as a unity. There are many Lebanese who have been fed up with Hizbullah for a long time, and who are furious that they got the Lebanese into this war. But as I see it, and as I have stated before, this is a well planned and executed war. This was going to happen sooner or later, whether Hizbullah took the two Israeli hostages or not. Israel was waiting to pounce. The Israelis are trying to enforce UN resolution 1559 requiring that all the militias in Lebanon disarm. But again, since when did Israel give itself the authority to enforce a UN resolution in another sovereign state? Can you political science majors help me out here? What gives Israel the legal right to do this? They have no legal right. They have military power. And that is what is speaking. And they have the backing of the West, namely the US and Britain. Israel is doing their dirty work.
Remember, Israel ILLEGALLY occupied the south of Lebanon for over ten years. How many times the Lebanese government went to the UN demanding their evacuation. Nothing was done. No one wants to realize how many illegal incursions and infractions Israel has done over the years with IMPUNITY. The US blindly backs Israel. For over ten years they were in Lebanon! Until the Hizbullah pushed them out. Now I ask you, if you are pushing a squatter, that murders your family, out of your land, are you a terrorist? Would you get the least bit irritated if someone was not letting you get to your own home, for ten years? Would you just relinquish your rights without a fight? And if you fight, would you like to be called “terrorist”? The West and Israelis now use the word “terrorist” for their convenience.
And I remind my readers, that at the same time Israel is illegally enforcing a UN resolution, they are DESTROYING Lebanon, against the Geneva convention which forbids the destruction of infrastructure. So again, with their military might and hiding everything under the guise of “disarming Hizbullah,” and “Hizbullah targets,” they are destroying the essential fabric of Lebanon. Lebanon built itself up after a deadly war with blood, sweat and tears, plenty of tears. While Lebanon received some aid for reconstruction—in the form of soft loans-- from the Arab League and other international organizations, they don’t have a sugar daddy like the United States to plump up their bank accounts with grants. Since World Word II, Israel has received from the United States aid (that means it’s free) equal to $140 Billion. That’s American taxpayer's money. Israel would be nothing, but a dirt hole (it’s primarily a desert compared to the lush land of Lebanon) if they hadn’t received this aid as well as other loans, many of which were forgiven, grants, and direct foreign investments, from the United States. And thanks to the United States, Israel is a major nuclear power. The Lebanese army was not even allowed to rearm; they have some helicopters dating back to the Vietnam era. Does this seem balanced to you? Do you see perhaps just a little, why there is so much tension in the Middle East?. The United States has created its own Frankenstein.
I am a firm believer in peace. The smart Arabs know that they must reconcile with Israel. This war has set the Lebanese back 20 years and the peace process back a century. But this war as with most conflicts with Israel, the injustices, the wrongs, the beliefs run deep. It’s hard to give up on your beliefs.
A short update on some recent destruction caused by Israeli bombardments and other repercussions of the war:
The Israelis bombed silos that are near the port. What, are the Hizbullah hiding arms there? They bombed a bridge in Mdeirij, the tiny village where my husband lived as a child. We recently drove by the bridge a couple of months ago on our way to a luncheon at some friends’ of ours. The Israelis had bombed portions of it before, but they came back for its near total destruction in two further raids. For what purpose?
July 19, they killed 55 civilians, the single most casualties in one day since the war started. The death toll has risen to more than 325, mostly civilians, with a 1,000 wounded. Israeli deaths 29, fourteen of them were soldiers.
Today the Israelis bombed Baabda, a Maronite (Christian) community, not a Hizbullah target!
Israel had stopped the passage of an Australian ship carrying evacuees. Later they were allowed to continue, but it halted further Australians boarding a second ship until the sea was free.
In the south of Lebanon, Israeli warplanes are targeting all civilian or military cars, including UN bulldozers and forklifts needed to remove heavy rubble.
In Tyre, an ancient port city in the south of Lebanon, they hit the French Cultural Center, killing a relative of a friend of mine. My friend’s family had thought the French Center would have been a safe place…
Most stores in Beirut and the suburbs are open for short periods, closing by 12 noon. The streets are almost barren. The middle of summer, when the roads are normally jammed pack, now a few cars pass.
As many of you know, Lebanon deals with both the Lebanese lira and the US dollar. There has been such a demand on the dollar that banks are now limiting the daily amount you can withdraw, sometimes only $200, other banks up to $1000.
People are still taking the precarious route to Damascus. The ride normally would cost $100; now it’s jumped to $1,000.
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Douste-Blazy, arrived in Lebanon appealing to the United Nations to force Israel to allow a humanitarian corridor into Lebanon to provide fuel, food and medications. As of this writing, it is not clear whether it will be granted.
“UN Secretary General Kofi Annan criticized Hizbullah for triggering the latest outbreak of violence but he also condemned Israel’s excessive use of force in Lebanon and collective punishment of the Lebanese people, saying the conflict had triggered a humanitarian crisis.” (The Daily Star, July 21, 2006)
I agree. In the meantime, the United States is still waiting to pull the strings on Israel. Of course, there is no guarantee that Israel will listen to the United States when the moment comes. Then the United States will say it cannot control Israel. And the barbaric attacks on innocent lives will continue.
Rosie-AKL@gmail.com
Please keep posting these emails and forwarding them to your friends and family. The Lebanese are suffering more and more each day.
Thank you.
Rosie AKL
P.S.: 11:30 p.m. and I think I heard the garbage trucks. Maybe they decided to sneak out during the night… Will know tomorrow.
Labels: letter from Lebanon
Letter from Lebanon: Update Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Here's another letter from Lebanon sent to me by Rosie, an american living in Lebanon.
z.----Dear Family and Friends,
The United States has finally started evacuation. The process is slow and not very well organized. There are about 25,000 Americans living in Lebanon. Not all will choose to leave, but even if half want to leave and one ship holds 1,000 people, well you can do the math…..
Yesterday, during the day our area was quiet, but they were bombing in the south, although we could not hear it. However, we were bolted awake in the middle of the morning, as in 3:30 a.m. (Wednesday) with a slew of explosions. We are fine. Not sleeping well, but we are still safe.
In my note yesterday, there was an incorrect word. I had written: “I know many, many, many Arabs of different nationalities and they are not terrorists, but they will defend their country. And they will defend their country against aggressions that are perpetuated by Israel.” It should have read: “perpetrated.” Maybe it was a Freudian slip…
I am so upset that I can barely think let alone write, but I am determined to get this information out. This is not a war; this is a blitzkrieg. A total destruction of a country while the world watches. This is abominable! I can’t believe it, if I weren’t living it, I wouldn’t be able to believe it. And President Bush refuses a cease-fire because he thinks that the Israelis are defending themselves when in actuality they are using this line of rhetoric to destroy Lebanon.
As of this morning the Lebanese death toll was close to 300, with nearly 500 wounded, depending on your source. Death toll for Israelis is about 24. (Always keep in mind the 10-15:1 ratio of Lebanese deaths to Israeli deaths, so if you don’t hear about the Lebanese deaths and just about the Israeli deaths you know by which factor to multiply to estimate the deaths in Lebanon.)
The Israelis bombed Gallery Semaan, famous for being at the center of the Green Line during the prior war period in Lebanon. It is a furniture store that imports fine Italian furniture from where we bought some of our furniture nearly nine years ago. This is also the area that has the Ford service agency where we have our two Ford cars maintained. True this is in a Hizbullah area, but did the Israelis think that Hizbullah was hiding under the furniture?
Two dairies were destroyed, Candia/Liban Lait, Lebanon’s largest dairy, and Tanayyel. Liban Lait was not hit just once but six times! It took years for the Lebanese to finally restart producing fresh milk after their war, and now the Israelis destroy these. These dairies, both owned by Christians, are located in the Bekaa Valley, the heartland of Lebanese agriculture. Hizbullah has nothing to do with these dairies. So what is the meaning when the Israelis pummel them six times? The Americans are okay with this? Are you?
The Israelis destroyed or disabled a paper mill, a packaging firm and a pharmaceutical plant. The local newspapers quoted industry insiders as saying that “the losses will cripple the economy for decades to come.” The Israelis know exactly what they are hitting! Why is the international community doing nothing???????
This morning, Israel targeted a truck on Abdel Wahab Englizi street, in the heart of a Christian section of Beirut. They are targeting trucks to paralyze the transportation of supplies to the different regions. Transportation costs have skyrocketed; in some instances going from $67 to $500 to transport the same load. You can imagine what will be the cost of fruits, vegetables, fuel and pharmaceuticals, for example, with this increase in transportation costs; a burden that the already impoverished Lebanese can hardly sustain.
Gas stations are targeted, not only in the south but in Beirut as well.
This is all very, very bad news.
Zahlé, a Christian town in the east, where my husband’s family has many homes and relatives, was bombed.
My friend from St. Jude Cancer Center for Children, which is included as part of the American University hospital, said this morning that they are trying their best to get the patients from the south of Lebanon. And those that are able to make it up to the hospital are not able to make it back of course, so they are doing “their best to find housing for them, which is costing [this non-profit organization] a fortune.” Both St. Jude Cancer Center for children and the American University of Beirut Pediatric Cardiac Care Center need donations badly.
I had stated in a prior email that close to a third of the population was displaced. Although that may eventually be the reality, published statistics range from 400,000 to 500,000, still no small number in a country of 3.5 million. The public school in our small village already houses several displaced families from the southern suburb of the capital.
A friend of mine from the British Embassy, who lives in the Christian section of downtown Beirut told me there is now a nasty smell in the air from all the explosives. The Israelis are using phosphorescent bombs that burn everything around after they explode; their use is forbidden by the UN. The long term affects of this war will only be realized later, unfortunately when it will be too late.
In the today’s edition of the local English paper, The Daily Star, Israeli General Gadi Eisenkot is quoted as saying, “We don’t see Syria or the Lebanese Army as a target….” But they are targeting the Lebanese army bases: they have already hit at least two army caserns, radar stations owned and operated by the Lebanese army.
The Israelis say one thing and do another. They say they are targeting Hizbullah infrastructure, but in reality most of this destruction is to the civilian population. What is the effect of the naval blockade? It is to prevent oil and fuel from reaching the average Lebanese. Today, we could not fill our diesel container. I hope we can tomorrow as we have only enough reserve fuel for our generator for 24 hours. For the moment we have electricity for at least half the day.
Other shortages are just around the corner as damaged or destroyed roads and bridges will prevent food from be transported.
THE ISRAELIS LONG AGO STOPPED FOCUSSING SOLEY ON HIZBULLAH TARGETS; THEY ARE TARGETING CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND CRITICAL SUPPLIES.
United States Secretary of State, Condolezza Rice “said she was primed to visit the region when it will be ‘helpful and necessary.’” If she waits another day, her job will be easier, because Lebanon will cease to exist.
And all the while, President Bush is sitting with his feet up on the desk relaxing:
“WASHINGTON, July 19, 2006 (AFP) - The United States and Israel have initially agreed to wait one week, while the pounding of Hezbollah targets continues, before seeking a buffer zone and an international force in southern Lebanon, The New York Times said Wednesday.”
President Bush has agreed with Israel, agreed with Israel? What is this??? Lebanon doesn’t exist? The Lebanese people don’t exist? How can the United States of America, the pillar of democracy and justice, simply ignore the illegal attacks that Israel is making into Lebanon? The Lebanese people are the sacrifice. That’s all there is to it. They are the sacrificial lambs so that Israel and the United States can have their will in the Middle East.
These have been the headlines in the local English Newspaper in the last few days:
Friday, July 14, 2006 “War comes back to Lebanon”
Saturday, July 15, 2006 “Lebanese brace for long war”
Monday, July 17, 2006 “War takes even deadlier turn”
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 “The ruin of a nation”
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 “Wasteland in the making”
Please, anyone, let me know what country in modern civilization has intentionally destroyed another country over two kidnapped soldiers? I admit I am not a history expert, so let me know.
I need your help. The Lebanese need your help. Please send this email to all your friends and family, to newspapers and other media. Put it on your blog if you have one. Thank you.
You can address your comments to Rosie.AKL@gmail.com
Rosie AKL
P.S.: It’s around 8:15 p.m. The Israelis just bombed the southern suburb of Beirut. I am surprised that I am not afraid when I hear the explosions. Maybe because I know that my area is safe, knock on wood. Anyway, I really don’t have time to be afraid.
Labels: letter from Lebanon
