One of our Prog Blog affiliates, Matthew Good, has been hosting some bloggers from both Beirut, Lebanon and Haifa, Israel the last day or so. Both comment on the daily terror they face… and it seems both view each other as victims in this war. Its heartbreaking.. but maybe also hopeful that these 2 bloggers in the 2 affected countries express sympathy for each other.
First came the reports from Beirut by Samar Mazloum, an Environmental Engineer. She currently lectures at a Lebanese University and oversees a bottled water plant project.
In her first report from Beirut, she criticizes the Israeli strategy:
Israel war planes have been dropping leaflets depicting Hizbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah as a snake. They then dropped leaflets saying things like Hizbollah was supposed to defend you but look what they caused, all this in an attempt to have the Lebanese turn against Hizbollah. People on the streets would grab the leaflets and tear them up. Lots of people here don’t support Hizbollah, I being one of them, however they all realise that the Israeli response is not even close to what Hizbollah did. The Lebanese army has not been shooting at the Israelis and the only ones defending the attack are Hizbollah so naturally the Lebanese people who are being attacked by Israel all day will side with Hizbollah over Israel.
She goes on to sadly report about the villagers killed in a bombing attack.
Her next blogging comes the next day, where she says the general Lebanese population was stunned at the Hezbollah missile attack on Haifa:
The bombing of Haifa even shocked the Lebanese public. Not too many people believed that Hizbollah would have something that could reach Haifa. Now that this has happened I’m expecting things to get even worse. Violence only breeds violence… I wish someone could step up and tell both sides to stop and negotiate but no one like that seems to be around.
Later, she takes Bush to task for his inaction on this front, and wonders if it might not have consequences for the “War On Terror”:
..just last week Lebanese Internal Forces arressted a man who was accused of planning to bomb New York City tunnels. Lebanon as a government was very supportive of the fight against terror. A few months ago president Bush was on Lebanese Future television discussing how proud he was of the Lebanese Democracy, and how the USA was a “friend” of Lebanon. Where is this new friend of ours in our time of need???? Oh wait they are supporting those bombing us… Oh that’s because those bombing us are better friends of theirs. Friends who the US funds to research weapons only to later pay them to buy those new ideas & inventions.
Lets stop and think for a bit. What’s the reason there are terrorists??? Is it because most of those people feel there is injustice in Palastine? Or maybe have suffered injustice in their own countries?? How can a person living in a war ridden country support those who are bombing him?? So it brings me to that old cliche.. “actions speak louder than words”. So the USA told us they were our friend then they turn against (us). So when we can help them they want to be our friends and when we need their help they throw us to the dogs. How can we trust them again? Why would we want to help them again? I just hope all of this ends before a new breed of terrorrist is out there, before more hate is created, making peace even harder to reach.
Today, we get a look at the situation in Haifa from Shiri Levy, who is 21 and just completed her 2 years of service in the IDF. She plans on beginning graphic design studies next year. Here is her perspective:
I didn’t leave my house since Friday, neither do my parents and my seventeen year old brother who are living together with me in the same house. I personally didn’t expect the rockets to reach here, I was sure it will remain a local issue, in all those smaller cities in the north that always seem to get hit. But I was wrong and for the last two days, dozens of rockets have hit Haifa, killing eight people and injuring dozens. I live in the “safe” part of the city but the “booms” of the rockets are clearly heard here.
Later, she reflects on her being casual about whats going on with her.. and also her sadness at the Lebanon situation and in general:
This is strange. People on a Matthew Good message board say they’re sorry and wonder how come I seem calm. I’ve grown up to feel indifferent to these kinds of things, I’m not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing. Not that long ago I finished serving my mandatory two years in the army and I can’t help but think what they’re going through right now. I hear airplanes all the time. I can’t stop watching the news on TV. The images from Lebanon seem like a horror movie to me. I certainly don’t envy the Lebanese people, obviously they’re in worse conditions than we are and I believe they are innocent victims in this exactly like us.
Peace in the Middle East? Something inside me can’t help but feeling that there’s no chance I’ll live to see the day.
In the comments section of this blogentry, Samar responded:
I totally understand what you are going through. I’m on the other end of this war. So I guess we are enemies according to the countries we reside. Hizbollah bombs you and Israeli war planes & gunships bomb us. We both lose. So hey we share something…
Shiri responded with this touching reply:
Hi Samar,
I don’t see us as enemies, we just happen to live in countries that are fighting each other. Your words truly touched me and actually made me write this. It made me realize how awfully similar things are for us and yet they’re so different. I just wanted to say that I understand.
really wish there were people on both side of the crisis who were like these 2 bloggers.. willing to talk with each other and understand one another. As Matt Good said in there, What is happenning in these comments is truly amazing.
I just wanted to share that all with you.
Kudos to Matthew Good, who found these 2 bloggers and got them talking to us and even to one another.
(If Matt Good’s name is familiar to some of you, he’s a Canadian musician who is very socially active. More on Matthew Good here)
something precious on the line in the middle east, most of us are more than willing to have heaping quantities of compassion for each other on all sides while leaders run wild and people on the sidelines pass down heavy handed judgments and abuse to whatever party they feel is “responsible”. Notice the compassion for each other among those though that are really in the midst of all this war and bloodshed and really have precious lives so easy to lose in it all.
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If this account is true (we have to be careful of the ME treachery, exaggerations, propaganda and outright lies …) the death sentence of enemy combatants and non-adherence to the Geneva Conventions was not an idea of the Bush administration. Although at Rummy’s Defense Department the origins of his advisors could have been very familiar.
Right at the beginning of their [Irgun] attack, they had by loudspeaker warned the women and children to surrender and they had their lives saved. 150 women and children, only, surrendered themselves and were sent over to the English. The remainder were considered combatants and paid with their lives for non-execution of the order.
… Finally the head officer told me that the Irgun is absolutely inclined in the future as in the past to respect the Geneva Conventions and that in order for me to have a formal confirmation I must make contact with their Commander in Chief whom I will find in the Tel Aviv district.
… The Jewish Agency, shocked, declared that they accepted my request absolutely, sincerely regretted what happened, but unfortunately lacked any power over the Irgun, extremists acting on their own initiative.
Ethnic Cleansing 101: The Case of Lifta Village
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY