A Message from Syria

Dear friends,

Salaam alaykum - peace be upon you. The greeting used by Arabs and Muslims all over the world - and for the people of Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq, a poignant reminder that peace is a precious thing. Seeing the images of massacre at Qana today I don't know where to begin - or how to stop crying. I feel I can only convey fragments - perhaps because my heart is breaking. I'm trying hard not to seem melodramatic, because I know how it is there - you read this in the midst of a long, exhausting, busy day and too manyof these and it's too much to bear, it feels so far away. Even here in Damascus it seems removed - but the emotions are here - the frustration, anger, pain - the unspeakable helplessness, watching more children die. "The children", you hear, over and over, from taxi drivers to waiters to family and friends - "How can they do this to children?". I know people everywhere love their children. It is a love that is truly universal. In Arab culture many people, particularly in more traditional settings, are called simply Um Laith, Abu Leila - mother of, father of....a term of respect, homage to the souls they have brought to the world. To watch those souls taken from it is something there are no words for. But our government has words. Resounding words, authoritative words, presumptuous words - like "New Middle East". Amazing - Amazing the arrogance of a nation illegally and brutally implanted inthe Middle East (Israel) and one that isn't even IN the Middle East (America) declaring that they are going to create a "New" region in the most ancient partof the world. And will do so whether the people of that region like it or not -with hands steeped in the blood of their children. But I'm trying not to focus on anger now, not to dwell on the politics - I want you to be able to listen - I know it gets harder and harder to hear. So here is a more hopeful vision - a window to a different Middle East that Iwitnessed and wanted to share:Last night we were invited to a concert at the huge arts complex built by Hafezal Assad, burned in an electrical fire, then rebuilt by his son. It was aconcert in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon, played by theArab Youth Symphony Orchestra. We thought it would be sweet, if painful, as most youth concerts tend to be. Instead it was amazing. I'll use the present tense now - I want you to feel like you are there: Hundreds and hundreds of audience members pack the beautiful, new Damascus OperaHouse. The building is quite simply breath taking, part of a complex housing atheater, exhibition rooms, and Academy for the Arts plus a lot of other buildings I would LOVE to rehearse in. It is designed by a British company and built by the Syrians, all in white with gorgeous wooden lattice archways basedon the ancient Islamic style. The marble floors are cool, the red carpets rich,the ceilings high, the chandeliers enormous, the effect, impressive.The audience is quite young for the opera as we in the West are used to it -many under 25, in jeans and t-shirts, some girls in Hijab, some without, allchattering with the excitement of those who have come to see loved ones perform. Those who are older are parents and friends, and some, like us, are simply moved by the idea - raising money for the victims of a brutal attack on their neighbors, families and friends. All other festivals and events along with manyprivate weddings and other parties here have been cancelled because of thedevastation next door - who can celebrate amidst so much destruction? So this night is special - a chance to see music for the first time in weeks and stillshow respect and solidarity with their neighbors. That universal "to your seats" bell sounds and we file in - Mingled perfumes ofso many Arab women, on stage and off...Reminders in Arabic, then English, to please please silence your cell phones. The cacophony of rings from Western Popsongs to tinny Arab ones, all turning to silence and anticipation, interrupted by the occasional whispered giggle. The concert begins and I am told that the young people playing come from all over the Arab world - mainly from Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, and more. They are playing mostly Western instruments (although many are derived from Arab ones), and I am once again reminded that here they are exposed to"our" world so much more than we are to theirs. Imagine fifty American children knowing the NAMES of the oud, the nay, the dirbeke, let alone mastering them. Maysoun, the Syrian Professor of Drama who invited us to the concert, asks if Iknow the Arab composer, but I cannot remember his name. She then asks if I like Dvorzak, and I have to admit I don't know him either. She says they are playing Symphony number 8, which is nice but not her favorite. She prefers #9 - The New World. The one he wrote when Columbus discovered America. I tell her I don'tlike it already and she smiles, chides me: "There are many good things about America Leila! It is a democracy, this is very important." (Here I have to bite my tongue, trying to remember that yes, in many ways we still are). "And you have many great playwrights - Sam Shepard, Tennessee Williams, ArthurMiller, Joseph Chaikin, A.R. Gurney"...now she is mentioning names that evensome American actors would not recognize...She rattles off plays she has read and again I must admit I do not know them as well as she. Finally, she says,"America is multicultural and this is such a beautiful thing, so many different people, so important...." Here I have to agree with her and for the first time in weeks I feel a moment of pride in my country.I think of this pride as I watch the youth on stage, coming together from so many nations to make such beautiful music. I especially love watching the two girls, one in hijab, one in a tank top with long hair. They are the ones on theBIG drums, and I wish the whole world were watching. One young man with glasses, tall and lean in that way that only teenagers canbe, sits center stage with the lone oud, that most central and lyrical of Arab instruments. At moments the orchestra pauses, listens respectfully as he plays the discordant, mournful melodies of Marcel Khalife, Palestinian, genius, soulof a besieged nation.....And back to the symphony, also by Khalife - violins,cellos, trumpets and flutes. There is a different kind of melody in Arabic music - one all its own -sometimes discordant to a Western ear, but always, ultimately, beautiful. And I realize why I am so moved by this symphony. While Dvorzak's was written exclusively for the instruments of his culture, Khalife's incorporates both andmore - the old and the new - the grand suites for ten violins, and the singular soul of the lone oud - there are melodies, rhythms, pauses, discords...The juxtaposition is the heart of the symphony - there is passion in it, and beauty- and from that, the harmony is born. All we have to do, is listen.

Leila Buck
7/30/06
Damascus, Syria

AIPAC's Dangerous Grip on Washington

A Dutch friend asked me recently if the pro-Israeli lobby is actually that strong in America. With his question in mind, I did a little poking and found the following article "AIPAC's Dangerous Grip on Washington" By Ari Berman, TheNation.com. In the article he begins to describe to power structure that is the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. A must read for those who are in the dark about the influence Israel holds over the American government.

Analysis: A second Qana Massacre?

By Martin Asser
BBC News, Beirut

The southern Lebanese town of Qana is known for two events in
history, and there could soon be a third as news comes in of rising
civilian casualties from an Israeli air strike there.
In realms of biblical narrative, some believe it to be the scene of
Jesus Christ's first miracle, turning water into wine during the
wedding at Cana of Galilee.

In modern times, it was the scene of one of the bloodiest events of
the modern Arab-Israeli conflict, the Israeli shelling of a UN base
sheltering Lebanese civilians 10 years ago.

International shock at those deaths - more than 100, and another 100
injured - led to huge pressure for a ceasefire deal bringing an end
to Israel's last sustained military operation against Hezbollah
militants, codenamed Operation Grapes of Wrath.

The Qana Massacre, as it is known in Lebanon, remains a powerful
symbol for Lebanese people of what they say is Israel's
indiscriminate and disproportionate response to Hezbollah's rocket
attacks.

'No accident'

Israel still insists the 1996 shelling was an accident and that its
forces had a legitimate militant target - a Hezbollah military unit
that had fired mortars and rockets from near the Qana base.

Then, as now, Israel accused Hezbollah of using the civilian
population as human shields when they launched their attacks.

However, a UN investigation reported in May 1996 that the deaths at
the Qana base were unlikely to have been the result of an accident as
claimed by the Israelis.

The UN report cited the repeated use of airburst shells over the
small UN compound, which sent down a deadly torrent of shrapnel that
caused terrible injuries among the unprotected civilians.

The UN also noted the presence of Israeli helicopters and a drone in
the skies over Qana which must have witnessed the bloodbath.

NOW, history repeats....

"TYRE, Lebanon (CNN) -- Israel said it mistakenly destroyed a four-
story building near a Hezbollah rocket-launching site in Qana,
Lebanon, on Sunday where the Red Cross and Lebanese internal security
sources at the scene said 54 people died, including 19 children."

It was the deadliest attack in 19 days of fighting between Hezbollah militia and Israeli forces, which began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.

A Red Cross official said the Qana airstrikes hit a residential building that housed refugees, which Israel said was near Hezbollah rocket launching sites. Officials said they believed at least another 11 children were still under the rubble.

More than 60 bodies have been pulled from the rubble, Lebanese representative to the United Nations Nohad Mahmoud said.

"I saw several bodies of children, women and old men," reported CNN's Ben Wedeman. "Residents were digging with the their bare hands, taking more and more bodies out. Parts of the town were completely bombarded, as if hit by a giant mallet in many places. I was told by one Lebanese army officer that they counted more than 80 individual strikes on the town."

Rally - Voices for Lebanon and Palestine

End Israel's attacks on Lebanon and Palestine

Demand a ceasefire now!

Sunday 30 July 1-3pm Trafalgar Square

The latest news is that comedian Alexei Sayle and actor Simon Callow have confirmed they will be speaking at Sunday's rally!

They will be joining actors including Maxine Peake, John Austin MP, veteran peace campaigner Bruce Kent, Tony Benn, 13-year old Zeinab Daher who has just returned from Lebanon, and many others (full details of speakers confirmed to date are on the attached leaflet)

The rally is organised by the PSC and supported by CND, Stop the War, British Muslim Initiative and many others.

Despite increasing international pressure for a ceasefire, our government has refused to put pressure on Israel to end its assault on the Lebanese and Palestinian people. We need to send a strong and clear signal to the government that we are calling for an end to Israel's attacks and for an immediate ceasefire. Please join us on Sunday and get everyone you know to come too.

http://www.palestinecampaign.org/events.asp?d=y&id=1916

www.palestinecampaign.org

Israel nixes major U.N. role in Lebanon

Israel's U.N. ambassador, Dan Gillerman, on Thursday announced Israel will not allow major U.N. involvement in Lebanon and will not allow the U.N. to join in an investigation of an Israeli airstrike that demolished a post belonging to the current U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon where four U.N. observers were killed.

Gillerman said, "Israel has never agreed to a joint investigation, and I don't think that if anything happened in this country, or in Britain or in Italy or in France, the government of that country would agree to a joint investigation."

Tell the President

42 leading figures in British politics, diplomacy, academia and the media in a declaration urging Mr. Blair to tell the President that Britain "can no longer support the American position on the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle-East".

Note also that after meeting Bush Blair will meet Rupert Murdoch, the staunchly pro-Zionist and pro-Bush owner of 1/3 of the media in the
world, including Fox TV.

PM urged: Stand up to Bush and call for ceasefire
By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor
Published: 28 July 2006

Tony Blair will face fresh pressure over the Middle East crisis today
when he arrives in Washington to meet President George Bush. Senior
Downing Street aides said the two leaders intended to show the world
they were seeking an urgent end to the hostilities in Lebanon,
despite the failure of the much vaunted Rome summit on Wednesday to
deliver a unified call for a truce.

Israel's Justice Minister, Haim Ramon, added to the pressure
yesterday, when he interpreted that indecision as a green light to
continue the bloody assault on Lebanon.

"We received yesterday at the Rome conference permission from the
world... to continue the operation," he told reporters.

The Prime Minister's visit takes place as 42 leading figures in
politics, diplomacy, academia and the media put their names to a
declaration urging Mr Blair to tell the President that Britain "can
no longer support the American position on the unfolding humanitarian
catastrophe in the Middle-East". Their declaration, printed on the
front page of today's Independent, calls on the Prime Minister to
"make urgent representations to Israel to end its disproportionate
and counter-productive response to Hizbollah's aggression".

After his stop-over in Washington, Mr Blair will fly on to California
tonight to attend a conference with the media magnate Rupert Murdoch.
An ally of Mr Murdoch, Irwin Stelzer, insisted Mr Blair was not Mr
Bush's "poodle", but his "guide dog", particularly over the Middle East.

Downing Street officials said Mr Blair intended to respond to world
criticism by showing urgency in seeking an end to the hostilities
between Israel and Hizbollah. The Prime Minister and the President
are planning to commit their governments to a lasting ceasefire by
restoring the authority of the elected government against the
unilateral action by Hizbollah.

Their joint appearance at the White House is likely to be met with
scepticism. The Bush administration said this week it was seeking a
"new Middle East", raising fears that the crisis in Lebanon was a
proxy war between the US and Iran, Hizbollah's backers.

Senior officials in Downing Street said the Prime Minister supported
the US strategy on the Middle East, which was agreed at the Sea
Island G8 summit in 2004. Mr Blair is credited with persuading the
President to pursue a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine
problem. Mr Blair and Mr Bush will emphasise they are working behind
the scenes to push for an urgent end to the violence on both sides in
the Lebanon.

"Don't in any way underestimate the intensive nature of the
diplomacy," said one senior aide to the Prime Minister. "There is a
lot going on behind the scenes. We want to show that we are stepping
up the search for a process that allows both sides to end the
hostilities and there is urgency about that."

Mr Blair's influence on the US President, as part of the "special
relationship" with America, was ridiculed after Mr Bush was heard
saying "Yo, Blair" to him at the G8 summit in St Petersburg. In the
recorded conversation, Mr Bush refused to allow Mr Blair to mount a
diplomatic mission to the Middle East, preferring instead to send his
Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

Both leaders know that their time in office is running out, and
officials said they saw eye to eye on four out of five of the key
items on the agenda at today's meeting - the "war against terror",
the need to spread democracy in the Middle East, restoring stability
to Iraq, and the need to curb the nuclear ambitions of Iran. They are
far apart on the collapse of the world trade talks, which is also on
the agenda, but other tricky issues such as the controversy over the
use of British airports for US arms shipments to Israel will be put
to one side. "That is matter for Mrs Beckett [the Foreign
Secretary]," said one No 10 source.

Downing Street has insisted that Mr Blair has privately used
influence on the Bush administration over the war in Lebanon, rather
than calling publicly for a ceasefire that could not be enforced. The
Prime Minister's official spokesman said Mr Blair decided to "roll
his sleeves up" and work behind the scenes, rather than act as a
commentator on the sidelines.

Sir Stephen Wall, one of the Prime Minister's most trusted former
advisers, said Mr Blair's approach was wrong. "There have been times
on trade issues when the PM should have told Bush to get his tanks
off our lawn," Sir Stephen wrote in the New Statesman. "There are
still times when, as well as working quietly with Congress on climate
change, we should speak up about the irresponsibility of the White
House.

"There are times, such as the past two weeks, when a British prime
minister should have been thinking less about private influence and
more about public advocacy."

Day 16

* 600 may have died in Lebanon, says its Health Minister. Israeli
planes attack trucks carrying medical and food supplies.

* Israel calls up 30,000 reservists, but cabinet decides not to
expand its incursion into Lebanon.

* Hizbollah fires 48 rockets into northern Israel, wounding four people.

* Hamas rejects comment from Palestinian President that release of
Israeli hostage is "imminent".

* Iran's President says Israel has pushed a self-destruct button.

* Security Council expresses shock and distress at Israel's bombing
of a UN post but no condemnation.

* Al-Qa'ida's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri calls on Muslims to
repel attacks on their countries.

US 'outrage' over Israeli claim

The US state department has dismissed as "outrageous" a suggestion by
Israel that it has been authorised by the world to continue bombing
Lebanon.

"The US is sparing no efforts to bring a durable and lasting end to
this conflict," said spokesman Adam Ereli.

Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon made the suggestion after powers
meeting in Rome refrained from demanding an immediate ceasefire.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is heading to Washington for talks on
the crisis.

His meeting with US President George W Bush comes amid growing
pressure for the UK and US to join calls for an immediate ceasefire
between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel has carried out dozens of fresh strikes on Lebanon, leaving at
least five people dead.


LEBANON TWO WEEKS ON
Three airports bombed
62 bridges destroyed
Three dams and ports hit
5,000 homes damaged

At talks in Rome on Wednesday, the US, UK and regional powers urged
peace be sought with the "utmost urgency", but stopped short of
calling for an immediate truce.

That prompted Mr Ramon to declare Israel had received "permission
from the world... to continue the operation".

But questioned by reporters on the sidelines of a summit in Kuala
Lumpur, Mr Ereli said: "Any such statement is outrageous."

The US has said a ceasefire is only worth it if it can be made to
last. President Bush reiterated the US's rejection of a "false peace"
on Thursday evening.

But the BBC's world affairs correspondent, Nick Childs, points out
that Mr Bush also emphasised how troubled he was by the mounting
casualties, a suggestion - perhaps - that he is increasingly
conscious of the price Washington is paying for its closeness to Israel.

He says this public disavowal of the Israeli stance shows how much of
an embarrassment it was for Washington as it struggles with
conflicting diplomatic pressures and the frustrations of many of its
allies.

Air strikes

Some 425 Lebanese, the vast majority civilians, are confirmed killed
in the 17 days of the conflict - but a Lebanese minister has
suggested scores more bodies lie unrecovered under the rubble.


Fifty-one Israelis, including at least 18 civilians, have been
killed, mostly by rockets fired over the border by the Lebanese
guerrilla group Hezbollah.

The Israeli assault began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli
soldiers in a cross-border raid on 12 July.

In the latest violence, a Jordanian man was killed and at least three
other people wounded in one of several strikes in Kfar Joz, close to
the southern Lebanese market town of Natabiyeh

A Lebanese couple there died when their bomb shelter collapsed on top
of them, and at least three children were wounded.

There were multiple strikes on the Bekaa Valley to the east, on
villages around the coastal city of Tyre, and roads in the south-east.

Sporadic clashes were also reported in Bint Jbeil, where Israel
suffered its worst single losses on Wednesday, with nine soldiers
killed.

Shifting aims

In Israel, there is growing concern that Hezbollah is still firing
large numbers of missiles into northern Israel.

Few in Israel still speak of being able to neutralise Hezbollah, our
correspondent in Jerusalem Katya Adler says.

Instead Israel speaks of trying to establish a "secure zone" empty of
Hezbollah fighters north of the border with Israel.

The Israeli government's announcement that it is calling up three
divisions of reservists - said to number between 15,000 to 40,000 -
suggests it is preparing for the possibility of a protracted war, our
correspondent says.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/5223940.stm

July, 2006

Haifa

To all our friends and colleagues,

Thank to all of you who have contacted ASWAT to ask about our safety as we are based in Haifa . It is much appreciated that you are thinking of us in these days. We want to thank you again for your support and the ongoing friendship.

We in ASWAT, our friends and families are safe and we will keep you posted if anything changes. Our reason to write you is to let you know that in these days our hearts and thoughts are in Lebanon , not forgetting Gaza and the West Bank in Palestine and Iraq .

We have a lot of pain and sadness, watching all the pictures as a result of the hits, seeing people killed, and hearing about all the refugees; it makes us stop and raise our voices in ASWAT and say out loud STOP THIS WAR on our sisters and brothers in Lebanon and start negotiating!!!

We have received some news from activists and friends from Helem, an LGBT center in Beirut . After the influx of refugees from the southern suburbs of Beirut as well as from the south of Lebanon , Helem center, together with other NGOs, has begun providing shelter, food, and supplies for the refugees.

More information can be found at http://www.helem.net/

Helem also pointed out a few blogs so as to allow people to get first hand information from the civil society in Lebanon:
http://sanayehreliefcenter.blogspot.com/
http://lebanonupdates.blogspot.com/

Other important links:

http://arab-americans.blogspot.com/

In solidarity,

ASWAT-Palestinian Gay Women

E-mail: aswat@aswatgroup.org

Our Tears are the Spring of Lebanon

Lebanese refugees draw on a graffiti wall at one of the institutions provided by the Syrian government for the Lebanese people fleeing the Israeli attacks, in Damascus on Wednesday, July 6, 2006. Some of the graffiti reads 'Our tears are the spring of Lebanon' and 'We are steadfast'. (AP Photo Bassem Tellawi)

Deadly Israel raid on UN post clouds Lebanon crisis meet

BEIRUT (AFP) - Fighting on the Lebanon-Israeli border has intensified after an Israeli air raid killed up to four UN observers and at least nine Israeli soldiers were hit in a border town, as an international crisis meeting opened in Rome.
A chorus of intenational criticism followed the deaths of the peacekeepers in the border town of Khiam, which ironically came as the world leaders began to discuss proposals for a beefed-up international force for Lebanon.
India said one of its peacekeepers had been wounded in the attack and it was considering withdrawing its 600 troops in the existing UN force, indicating the problems that forming a new force might face.
"I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defence Forces of a UN observer post in southern Lebanon that has killed two UN military observers, with two more feared dead." -Kofi Annan

Click here for full text

Congress and the Israeli Attack on Lebanon: A Critical Reading

Here is a must read article from Foreign Policy in Focus:

Congress and the Israeli Attack on Lebanon: A Critical Reading by Stephen Zunes, University of San Francisco

"In short, both Democrats and Republicans are now on record that, in the name of “fighting terrorism,” U.S. allies—and, by extension, the United States as well—can essentially ignore international law and inflict unlimited damage on the civilian infrastructure of a small and largely defenseless country, even a pro-Western democracy like Lebanon."

On the road to safety

According to Ziad, this image has been circulating in the Lebanese community in Paris and on Friday, it was the cover of the Independent.
This map intimates at the layers beneath the onslaught against Lebanon.

Check out yesterday's article by Robert Fisk over the murder of a fleeing Lebanese family and whether it constitutes a war crime. The original story of the family ran in the Guardian. Here's a bit of the Guardian article.

"The Sha'itas had thought they were on the road to safety when they set out yesterday, leaving behind a village which because of an accident of geography - it is five miles from the Israeli border - had seemed to make their home a killing ground. They had been ordered to evacuate by the Israelis.
But they were a little too slow and became separated from the other vehicles fleeing the Israeli air offensive in south Lebanon. Minutes before the Guardian's car arrived, trailing a Red Cross ambulance on its way to other civilian wounded in another town, an Israeli missile pierced the roof of the Sha'itas' white van. Three passengers sitting in the third row were killed instantly, including Ali's grandmother. Sixteen other passengers were wounded. In recent days, families like the Sha'itas are bearing the brunt of Israel's air campaign and its efforts to rid the area of civilians before ground operations. A day after Israel's deadline for people to leave their homes and flee north of the Litani river, roads which in ordinary times wind lazily through tobacco fields and banana groves have been turned into highways of death."

Ali Sha'ita, 12, is distraught as he tries to comfort his mother, who was wounded when an Israeli missile hit their vehicle, killing three and injuring 16. Photograph: Sean Smith

War Diaries Day 12

Dear World

July 23^rd 2006, 12^th day of war.

I am slowly running out of things to say. Slowly, my eyes are getting accustomed to the smoky and bloody scenes on television, my ears are getting used to the bombing sounds.

Last night, 1:00 a.m., the Israeli war planes bombed the southern suburbs for the millionth time, I could hear the sound very clearly, but still I managed not to jump out of bed and run to the television screen like I have been doing for the past days.

I remember the first night of the war, when I woke up to a loud bombing sound (the first I heard), I ran to the living room and saw my mother and brother watching the airport burn on television, in an expression of deep sadness and disbelief. Today, watching things burn has become a daily routine, I am even starting to wonder whether I will miss or not it once all of this is over.

Today, a journalist died, Layal Najib.

Slowly, Lebanon is becoming a tabula raza. Beirut's southern suburb is slowly getting reduced into powder and the emptiness overwhelming the place, although carrying a morbid smell of death and desolation, has a mesmerizing feel to it. They bombed a building there today, among other things of course. We spent hours watching it burn on television.

Right now, four men are negotiating on television, joined, from the four corners of earth, on a screen split in four. Riadh, Washington, Lebanon and Iran. To me, it seems like an absurd play. On the bottom of the screen, people are still sending announcements, looking for their beloved.

Today, I was faced with the painful fact that this war will last for months. And I decided that the world has gone mad. There will be no cease fire, they are even negotiating other parties joining the party, what a blast! More fireworks and dead bodies flying out of the windows of their own houses. Houses that once witnessed intimate moments. Mothers cooking, children playing, young adolescent girls combing their hair or toddlers learning for the first time how to tie their shoes. These houses have fallen apart now, and slowly neighborhoods are becoming deserts. Slowly, we are heading towards nothingness, the same nothingness that fills the brains of our dear international politicians. If we look at the only positive thing about this, we could say that nothingness is a wonderful place to start from. A clean, fresh Lebanon. A blank page where you can start from scratch. I am just wondering if I will still be there by then. I am starting to have doubts.

I am starting to get tired, yet I still feel writing can do something… Usually people start shouting the first one or two weeks of the event. Then, they start talking about it, then whispering. And a few weeks later, silence prevails. I hope we can keep on shouting, whether it accomplishes something or not is not important. This shouting is for us, an immunity to the numbness that might take over our minds and emotions, too much exposed to images, sounds, screams, and opinions.

A month ago, my friend and I were talking about designing a touristic map of Lebanon, and we were worried about how complex the whole research and design process would be. Flash news! We can draw it in just a few days now. Except that there are no more tourists. No need to worry. Our country has become stranger to us; we have become tourists in our own land…

with love,

a Lebanese Citizen

Hezbollah's Apocalypse Now

Article on the motivations of Hizbu'llah by Amal Saad-Ghorayeb who teaches at the Lebanese American University in Beirut and is the author of "Hizbu'llah: Politics and Religion"

Updated map of Israeli assault on Lebanon July 12-22

Dear Friends,

A friend from Lebanon has sent the following message-

I have attached a developed and updated map (pdf format) of the Israeli assault on Lebanon (from July 12 to the 21).
The map is updated daily on the blog below. For those who would still like to receive a daily update of the pdf version by mail please let me know.
Please forward and circulate the map to your friends everywhere

Warmly,
Zeina
zm05@aub.edu.lb

http://lebanonupdates.blogspot.com/

http://sanayehreliefcenter.blogspot.com/

Photos from the rally in Amsterdam on July 22nd

July 22nd, 2006 - Thousands marched from the Beursplein to the Museumplein, carrying Lebanese and Palestinian flags and chanting "Stop the War" and "George Bush, Terrorist." Some were carrying flags from Hizbollah. I was amazed at the diversity of the crowd. It seemed like every nationality and age group was represented, even saw two pride flags. I recorded some audio from the rally, including the first speech from a representative of a Jewish organization in Amsterdam (didn't catch the name of the organization or the speaker, maybe someone can help?) His message was simple. Not all Jews support the actions of Israel.

"If you want to live in peace, let peace pour in"

I will try to get this audio posted. Also, I am posting more pictures from the protest at flicker.

Here is a translation of an article about the demonstration printed in de Volkskrant

Demonstration in Amsterdam against policy in Israel and the US

DUTCH PRESS AGENCY
AMSTERDAM - Thousands of people have taken part in a demonstration on Saturday in Amsterdam against the policy of Israel and the United States in the Middle East.
The direct reason was the Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Behind a large banner with the text 'Stop the War' they marched to the museum square. A spokesman of the organization estimated the number of participants at five thousand, but observers estimated 2,000-2,500 protesters.
Initially the demonstrators planned to meet on the Beursplein square and not march through the city. The police force however gave authorization at the last moment to the organizers for a march to the Museumplein. The protesters carried slogans such as: Intifada-Lebanon, Free Palestine and George Bush terrorist.
A woman had come all the way from Belgium to the capital of the Netherlands, just to participate in the demonstration.

"This is something that I can do, in Belgium there is no such demonstration planned," she said. A little girl from the African country Eritrea accused Israel of not being prepared to accept peace. She walked along to bring attention to injustices in Palestine and Lebanon.
Also ex-minister Hedy d'Ancona was present. She pleaded for a diplomatic solution.

“Each time that Israel throws a bomb, it makes ten thousand enemies,” said the former PvdA-politician. During the demonstration, money was collected for the purchase of medicine for Palestinians living in the Gaza strip.
On the museum square, members of parliament, Harry van Bommel (SP) and Farah Karimi (Green-left party) and PvdA-European parliamentarian Edith Mastenbroek addressed the protesters. Last Thursday during a pro-Israël-manifestation Mastenbroek was booed, pleading for an armistice and negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah. Now the mob listened to her without shouts of dissent. Van Bommel pleaded for sanctions against Israel and announced that he, as well as Karimi, are in support of a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.
At the end of demonstration, a storm broke out and it started to rain violently. The message from the organizers to go home quietly did not need to be repeated.

US citizens- Here's what YOU can do

Please copy the following text and send it to your local representative.

For a list of US House of Representatives

List of US senators

Dear [insert name of the deputy, congress man or government official who represents you],

I am writing to you in relation to the events in Lebanon. Today, and luckily for humanity, the world is increasingly connected and forming a global village. So, despite biased media reports for the benefit of Israel, we, as citizens of the world, have a clear idea of what is happening in that part of the world and [insert name of the country you come from].

Israel is destroying Lebanon and any economic viability that it has been struggling to build over the past 16 years. Before that, it was unleashing its terror and destruction on the people of Gaza. They are killing children, women and innocent civilians. Israel has been displacing families from their homes in villages ever since its establishment in 1948. In six days since July 12, 2006, it displaced over 70,000 people in Lebanon alone. It also pounded to the ground Lebanese people’s homes and infrastructure: roads, bridges, airports, ports, highways, energy plants and communication networks. These are all structures that we may have paid for with our tax money through international aid projects as we know that Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction was partly possible because of foreign aid to the then war-torn country. Israel has torn it away again, an entire country. It has no right to do so.

Israel is carrying out the same, if not worse, collective punishment that some of its people suffered during the first half of the 20^th century.

We are constantly being told that we should appreciate the fact that we live in democracies, in the free world, where freedom of speech and expression are not an issue. We are also being told that our governments are waging a war against terror to protect us. But today we wonder whether such violent actions carried out by states, which use unrestrained and disproportionate force, clearly breaching international law and justice, are not but exasperating the problem by creating more angry people who are willing to bomb themselves in train stations and skyscrapers in an attempt to turn attention to the injustice they are enduring.

Based on our concern for our own security and based on the fact that we live in democracies where an individual’s freedom of expression holds the power to change and improve, we write to you today requesting the following:

Mobilize all diplomatic efforts to:

1. Stop the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza
2. Pressure the United Nations Security Council to meet immediately and issue a Chapter 7 Resolution condemning the Israeli attacks and imposing sanctions on the Jewish state in an attempt to prevent it from repeating these attacks in the future. The international community’s failure to treat Israel like any other belligerent state has led to its recurrent resorting to violence. Ten years ago, it committed the Qana Massacre in South Lebanon at a UN base. As it remained unpunished for its unlawful acts in Qana, Jenin, Sabra and Shatila etc. Israel allowed itself to commit the mass genocide in Gaza and Lebanon in 2006 using the same argument and justification “self-defense,” “fighting against terror” etc. But killing children and innocent is far from self-defense and fighting against terror unless it is the intention. Israel should face the same treatment as Saddam did when he invaded Kuwait and if it does not, we as citizens of [insert name of the country you come from] need to understand clearly why. Our country pays membership fees to be part of the UN, I presume it is our tax money. We expect and we have the right to request that this money is used effectively. No nation should enjoy the privilege over others to kill and the UN should be able to implement its charter the first article of which is “to Maintain Peace and Security.”
3. Pressure Israel through the UN or any other effective means to pay compensation for all the destruction it has caused at least since July 12, 2006.

I, as a citizen of [insert name of the country you come from], and the free world, the policies of which supposedly rest on the sum of individual votes of choice, count on you to take my request into consideration and forward to action. Together officials and citizens can make this a better world for all races to enjoy.

Thank you in advance.

Best Regards,

[Insert your name]

Blogs from Beirut

A personal look at the tragedy from the perspective of a Lebanese woman living in Beirut
http://beirutupdate.blogspot.com/

A smart and provactive look at the situation from two Beiruti journalists
http://www.beirutlive.blogspot.com/

Press Release

Lebanese NGOs and citizens gather under the threat of the Israeli bombs to
say stop the bloodshed now

Beirut, July 20, 2006 ­- This morning more than 300 Lebanese civil society and citizens organized a rally in downtown Beirut to strongly demand an immediate ceasefire. This rally took place while Israel continues its collective punishment of the Lebanese people by bombing civilians and
infrastructure, and holding the whole country under siege.
The rally started in front of the UN building in downtown Beirut, and ended at the European Union (EU) house on Port Avenue. During which, various signs
where held up that condemned the Israeli attacks and the US support for such atrocities. Some of these signs read 4 Million Lebanese Hostages, End the Siege Now, and 300 civilians dead. The group of civil society organizations, which organized the rally and call themselves For Life, submitted a memo to the UN secretary General and the EU in which they demanded for ceasefire in sympathy with the innocent civilians and what is left of lives in the country.

Gilbert Doumit, a For Life spokesperson declared, by killing civilians,
Israel is violating international regulations and the UN Human Rights
Declaration with its attack. Up till now more than 300 civilians have been
killed, 1000 injured, and half a million have been forced to leave their
homes and are living in tragic conditions.

Wael Hmaidan, another For Life spokesperson said, We are not taking a
political stand. We are acting purely on humanitarian basis, and what is
happening is a crime against humanity.

As of nine days ago, Lebanon has been held under siege by Israel, who have
blocked all movements by land, air and sea, threatening to strangulate the
whole country. Things are going from bad to worse, and the world is hardly
aware of the extent of the atrocities that are being committed against the
Lebanese people. Hmaidan added, Attacks should stop now.

For more information: Gilbert Doumit (+961-3-227673) and
Wael Hmaidan (+961-3-506313), email: whmaidan@care2.com

Notes to editor:
The systematic destruction of the Lebanese infrastructure and economy has included our airport, all major bridges, roads and highways, water tanks, fuel and gas depots, wheat and grain silos, food storage facilities, ports, communication posts, electrical power plants, civil service centers, and army posts and barracks (despite the fact that the Lebanese army has not been engaged in this conflict).

Israel bombs TV, Phone Towers in Lebanon

The attack begins in the Christian heartland while foreigners frantically flee.

See BBC coverage

Message from a Lebanese journalist

The below message is from a Lebanese journalist. She also forwarded the attached AP pictures.

"Dear friends and colleagues ,
You will all have to excuse me for sending this. It's pictures of the bodies of babies killed by the Israelis in South Lebanon. They are all burnt. I need your help. I am almost certain these pictures won't be published in the West, although they are associated press pictures. I need your help exposing them if you can. The problem is these are people who were asked to leave
their village , Ter Harfa , this morning , within two hours , or else. ...

So those who were able to flee went to the closer UN base where they were asked to leave. I think that after the Qana massacres in 1996 when civilians were bombed after they took shelter in UN headquarters , the UN does not want to be responsible for the lives of civilians.A FEW MINUTES AGO , the
Israeli asked the people of Al Bustan village in the south to evacuate their homes. I am afraid massacres will keep happening as long as Israeli actions are unchecked. Please help us if you can.

HANADY SALMAN

News Sources

The Arab American Institute

The Daily Star Lebanon

Tayyar

BBC News Video of an attack of Beirut International Airport

Bicycle Mark interviews a Lebanese friend living in the Netherlands

Lebanon's War Diary- Day 9

Update from a Lebanese Citizen

Dear World

I am writing you to update you on the current situation in Lebanon…
I will not number the deceased, nor the wounded… They are too many.
I will not mention what places are being hit, Lebanon has become a non-place anyways…

Today, I will just focus on the people who are still alive. Lebanon is currently facing a huge social crisis. A quarter of Lebanon's population doesn't have a place to stay.

A friend of mine is volunteering in one of the public schools housing these people, and I went with him to see the conditions today. The school is housing 300 individuals: women, children, elderly. The volunteers are doing whatever possible to provide them with a decent daily life, but still all they eat is bread, packaged cheese, dry biscuits, and if they are lucky cooked rice and stew. There are over 50 000 people living like this in Beirut alone, this without counting the other villages and cities. The social crisis is huge, I just saw a sample of it today.

Today, a 100 people broke into our building's ground floor apartment because they have no place to stay, and our neighbors were complaining about them. I think that these people coming is a true blessing for us. Having the crisis closer to you actually makes you see the scale of it.

Over 100 villages are totally isolated from one another. Totally isolated from food sources, from hospitals, clinics or medication. People are starting to starve, children to get dehydrated. I just heard on television a phone call from the headmaster of one of the shelter schools in Bint Jbeil. The school has been bombed by Israeli forces, people are in the underground level. Over 100 people. Children have been without milk for 4 days. And this is only a sample… It has been nine days, it is too much.

The thing that tears me the most is that nobody is shaking a finger. This is not only about us… not about Lebanon. I simply hope that this kind of suffering is the last that happens on the face of this planet.

We want to solve this. We want to look forward. The facts are that the disaster is huge. We want to channel our energies the best way possible to do whatever is needed, the best way possible.

If the fire ceases now, we might start doing something. But they don't intend to make it stop. And the International community gave Israel one more week, enough time to finish up the country.

Please human being, if you can communicate this information to the world, to shake some human being who can actually make this stop. All we have left is our hands, our heads, and the infinite possibility within.

Sorry if I was long, whatever I say will never be enough.
Please do something, all I can do is write.

A Lebanese Citizen

From Israel to Lebanon

Some of the most gruesome pictures I have seen on the web to date from the attack on Lebanon are at the following page From Israel to Lebanon

This is not for the faint of heart. The photos depict the burnt bodies of children.

I'm curious as to the authenticity of the first pictures of the Israeli girls writing messages on the warheads. Anyone know where those pictures came from?

This is Beirut

'An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind' Mahatma Gandhi

This is a text that was sent to me by my dear friend, Maya Rizkallah.

This is a call for human beings.

The war in Lebanon started on the 13th of July, and the world has been following it up on television like another action movie. So far, the count climbs to over 130 victims, without counting the wounded and displaced families. Massacres are going on, touching civilians, mostly women and children. Among them we can mention the Marwaheen massacre where 22 civilians died as victims of targeted bombing on their pick-up van while they were trying to escape from the attacks targeting their villages. The Tyre massacre that happened on the 16th of July counted dozens of victims, and was described by the eye-witnessing television reporter as a living disaster.

I am sitting in a Beirut neighborhood. The country is surrounded, military planes are constantly roaring above our heads and throwing bombs somewhere every half an hour. The edges of Beirut are on fire, and so many Lebanese cities are nothing but total destruction. We are simply sitting here and waiting, expecting the worst. Foreign embassies are doing everything possible to evacuate their civilians, while all Lebanese civilians can do is wait. Every morning, as I wake up to the massive bombing sound, I wish all of this was just a nightmare, and it is not.

I could tell much, much more. For five days now, destruction has not stopped. Destruction of human lives, homes, infrastructure, roads, bridges, communications. This war is the biggest disaster that has ever happened to Lebanon This is not the time to look back and cry, this is the time to do something because that kind of violence should not even be mentioned in the chore of the 21st century. Too many wars have preceded it, and the whole world has witnessed the absurdity of violent actions, and yet the United Nations still think there is time to discuss whether to stop this or not.

This is not the time to discuss. Radical action is needed. We are asking for a cease fire. At this point, we don't care who is right or wrong because it is pointless. Anyone can find enough arguments to prove that he is right and that his opponent is wrong. Anyone can apologize for the slaughters that are happening under the excuse that it was not intended. Words are very easy to manipulate, talks can last endlessly, but talking is the last thing we need to do right now.

At this point, we are not addressing Lebanese, French, Americans, Israeli, Canadians, or whatever. Nationalities are the last thing that counts. After all, our nationality is only a matter of what land we were born on and what kind of ideas we were exposed to since our early age.

We are addressing human beings. We cannot sit back and watch all the suffering that is cumulating every minute, while the people who can actually make a difference still believe there is time to wear suits, shake hands and have very deep and serious conversations whether to stop murdering human beings or not. The answer so obvious… Shouldn't human well-being be our first and foremost concern?

This is a call for immediate action.

Please wherever we are, let's get into action. Petitions, manifestations, sit-ins, whatever is possible. Right now, passiveness is the biggest crime. It is human life we are talking about, and all human beings are part of us, whether we accept it or not.