Political
Loyalties Being Rebuilt
By Dahr Jamail
27 April, 2007
Inter
Press Service
AITA ECH CHAAB, Apr
26 (IPS) - People in this southern Lebanese village are rebuilding
their destroyed houses with renewed vigour. And, with renewed loyalties
to a combination of Hezbollah, Qatar and Iran.
This village of about 3,000 less than a kilometre from the heavily guarded
border with Israel was one of the first places bombed by Israeli warplanes
during the war last summer. Residents here grow tobacco and work on
their small farms.
The Hezbollah raid in which
two Israeli soldiers were detained took place nearby. The village was
hammered by incessant bombings by Israeli warplanes throughout the conflict.
But rather than turn people
away from Hezbollah, the attacks seem to have made residents fierce
supporters of the political group, now providing some of the only reconstruction
assistance.
"The sound of the bombs,
the warplanes, the drones was relentless for us," Fatima Ridda,
a mother of 11 whose husband was killed in an Israeli rocket attack
told IPS, as UN helicopters buzzed overhead. "Now Hezbollah, Iran,
and Qatar are the only people helping us try to rebuild our lives. Our
own government will do nothing."
Hezbollah members distributed
12,000 dollars to each family whose houses suffered damage during the
war, to help them with reconstruction.
Further undercutting the
Israeli-U.S. hopes that the war would turn Lebanese people against Hezbollah,
the political gridlock between Hezbollah and the U.S.-backed Lebanese
government led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has motivated people
to support those helping them -- which means Hezbollah, Iran and Qatar.
To that extent people are
also turning against the government. And this further strengthens Hezbollah
leader Hassan Nasrallah and the others seen as helping people.
"I love Iran for helping
us so much. Our own state has done nothing for us," Abed Ridda,
a businessman who works in Saudi Arabia but lives in the town told IPS.
"Qatar is also helping us rebuild, so of course we love the people
who are helping us."
Qatar, a Sunni Gulf state
that maintains trade relations with Israel, and Iran, have both been
financing reconstruction projects across much of southern Lebanon.
Immediately after the war
last July, Qatar took responsibility for rebuilding four largely Hezbollah-supporting
towns in southern Lebanon -- Khiam, Ait Ech Chaab, Bint Jbail and Ainata.
By the end of January the
Qataris had handed out more than 5,000 compensation cheques averaging
about 6,000 dollars each in the four towns. That is as much as the total
U.S. aid offer of 30 million dollars. At least two further instalments
from Qatar are planned.
Qatar has also repaired hospitals,
schools and nearly 400 religious buildings and mosques.
Iranian money and expertise
has overseen the repair or reconstruction of 60 schools across Lebanon,
with work planned on another 100. Iran has pledged more than 112 million
dollars to help the south rebuild.
Hussam Khoshnevis, head of
the Iranian mission to aid reconstruction of Lebanon, told reporters
recently that four hospitals in a list of 22, and 30 places of worship
including 10 churches and some Sunni mosques have been repaired.
Electricity has been restored
to 60 villages in the south with Iranian aid, and ten major bridges
have been rebuilt. Iranian engineers are also overseeing the repair
of all of Lebanon's damaged roads.
The relief work has strengthened
allegiances to these opponents of Israel and the U.S.
"Was it reasonable to
see (Prime Minister Fouad) Siniora sitting with Condoleeza Rice when
Israel is bombing us with U.S. bombs," Abed Ridda said to IPS,
referring to the visit the U.S. Secretary of State made to Beirut during
the war. The move infuriated most Lebanese across the south.
"We rely on Hezbollah
and these other countries who are helping us now because it's all we
have," Said Abu Khalil, an unemployed construction worker injured
by bomb sharpnel during the war told IPS. "And we rely on Hezbollah
to protect us again from the next Israeli aggression, because our own
government can't and won't do that job."
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