Qana,Lebanon: A Deja Vu

In the most barbaric, savage, inhumanitarian way... they perished
Sleeping in the arms of their mothers...one last breath...and they were gone
Gone...fled away like angels out of this barbaric world that does not distinguish between a fighter and a CHILD
Qana's children, Lebanon's children would be looking down at us from the sky, watching over us, praying that other children would be able to live what they themselves have missed...

Refuge under the Sanayeh Sky

“I came from Dahieh two weeks ago with my grandmother”
“I came from Baalbeck 7 days ago, with 14 members of my family”

As the Israeli attacks on Lebanon did not spare any region or village, all the displaced Lebanese united under one roof and for those less fortunate under the same sky of the Sanayeh Public Park.
While some families are considered lucky to be sheltered in schools and in houses, others were less privileged and were only left with what they had on while fleeing their bombed houses, and find no shelter but the Public Sanayeh Park.
For the superficial eye, you might think that these families are enjoying a nice picnic under the sun, but reality will hit you hard as you step further inside the Public Park. Each family adopted a tree, a tree that will become their only shelter for the next, well no one actually knows for how many more days, as it would probably take months till their battered homes are rebuilt.
A woman in Sanayeh said “ We don't want war anymore, we are fed up! I can’t believe that the Israelis want to invade our country again. We should all go kill Rice like they are killing our children and us.
According to the United Nations, around 700,000 civilians are displaced; UNICEF estimates that 45 per cent are children. Approximately 125,000 of them are now living in 587 schools and shelters and in are in urgent need of water storage and tankers, improved sanitation, and health kits. They depend on supplies from the Lebanese government and Hezbollah and different NGO’s, for the most created just after the war.
(Woman in school) We came here last Sunday from Haret Hreik under the bombardments, me and my 5 children, we were able to flee and minutes later the whole house was destroyed. While most of them admitted on camera they are ready to face anything for their country, however the fear of tomorrow seems quite obvious in they eyes of many.

Mowatinun: For Lebanon's sake, Solidarity is the key!

The following is a report i wrote for the TV station i work for about a non-political organization mobilized to help the displaced Lebanese. For more info : check http://mowatinun.blogspot.com


They are one group of Lebanese citizens who made a choice. Even if some of them have a dual citizenship, they decided to stay in Lebanon during war time and help those less fortunate.
You can find them facing the Sanayih Public Park. The cant be missed. A group of around 60 enthusiastic students will strike your eyes deploying all possible efforts to humanitarian aid for more than 3000 displaced families in Beirut. Muwatinun, or citizens, is a group created 15 days ago, the day the Israeli aggression on Lebanon started with one humanitarian, non-political mission, provide help and relief to the refugees who fled the regions under attack as well as to strengthen solidarity between the citizens of Lebanon regardless of political or religious affiliations.
Most of those students, who for the most experience the war for the first time, dedicate their time to buying, collecting, packing and delivering the supplies to the unfortunate families who lost everything they possess.
Around 6 in the afternoon, Muwatinun members begin to mobilize to start another round of delivery. We joined Wael Mansour, one of the many students and “Muwatinun” members that tours the different families in Beirut to supply them with water, dairy products, hygienic materials, cooked meals and medications.
We reach a building in Hamra Street. We enter an apartment on the ground floor where around 30 families have been living since they fled the Israeli attacks. We were received in one room. One room, four walls, a12 m2 area became the only shelter over the head of a family of 27 people from Southern Lebanon.
And as Lebanese children were one of the targets of Israeli assaults, Muwatinun created an entertainment unit for kids in order to help them overcome the trauma they might have passed through while fleeing their houses under the harsh Israeli attacks. (July 26th,2006)

"They are un-building Lebanon"

Out of all the articles, statements, messages, thoughts i heard and read about what has been happening in Lebanon these past 15 days now, this sentence summarized everything taking place. Robert Fisk, is a british foreign correspondent who has been living in Lebanon for the past 30 years painted the most realist picture of the current Lebanese reality under the fierce Israeli attacks,"They are un-building Lebanon" , he said. Fisk reported how slain Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri introduced him to French President Jacques Chirac in the middle of Downtown Beirut by sayin "Jacques I want to introduce you to the reporter who said I couldn't rebuild Beirut!" And now our dear maryred Premier it is being un-built.

Lebanon is a country that never sleeps. The Lebanese , and as Premier Fouad Siniora said it flawlessly "LOVE TO LIVE". The problem is that some evil, and i'll go as far as saying demons do not want the children of lebanon to celebrate another birthday, wear new holiday clothes or enter a new school year. These evil, senseless, heartless, un-humanitarian creatures(as no human-being can commit such crimes) prefer to see Lebanon's children pleading for help from under the rubble of their massacred houses or even better, they prefer to see them saying with their last breath "What did we ever do?"" Why us?" and the hardest question "Why didnt anybody stop them?".