Lebanese
Devastated In
All Sorts Of Ways
By Dahr Jamail
24 July, 2006
Inter Press Service
BEIRUT, Jul 23 (IPS)
- Much of Beirut is a devastated city, infrastructure in many areas
lies in a shambles after the Israeli bombing. But the Lebanese are also
just feeling devastated.
"Does our country not
have the right to move forward like other democracies," says Nidal
Mothman, a 35-year-old taxi driver in downtown Beirut. "We hate
the American government for giving the green light for the Israelis
to bomb us back to the stone age."
Mothman, like so many Lebanese
in the capital city, is seething with anger over what he called "indiscriminate"
Israeli aggression towards their country.
"How many Hezbollah
have they killed," Mothman said. "Maybe just a few, while
they've killed over 350 Lebanese civilians. What kind of war are they
waging against my country?"
From the street to the leadership,
most people seem to talk the same language. Last Thursday Lebanese Prime
Minister Fuad Siniora told reporters that his country has been torn
to shreds. "Can the international community stand by while such
callous retribution by the state of Israel is inflicted on us?"
Siniora also accused Israel
of massacring Lebanese civilians and attempting to destroy everything
that allows the country to stay alive.
The facts on the ground add
credence to his remarks. The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen
by the hour, with close to a million Lebanese displaced. Officials say
at least 64 bridges have been bombed. Many roads are cut by the bombing,
and this is hindering transportation of food and aid supplies.
Other Israeli targets have
included the country's largest milk factory, a food factory, two pharmaceutical
plants, water treatment centres, power plants, grain silos, a Greek
Orthodox Church, hospitals and an ambulance convoy.
In certain districts of Beirut
life goes on as normal, but southern Beirut has been hit hard, with
entire buildings brought to the ground by Israeli air raids.
"When do you think this
war will end," 22-year-old student at the American University of
Beirut Nishan Ishaqi said. "I lived in southern Beirut, and everything
I know is totally destroyed now. I only want peace, and a safe place
to stay."
Ishaqi, who was preparing
to leave for Tripoli (north of Beirut in Lebanon) to stay with relatives,
wept as he said, "Why must they do this to us? If they want to
fight Hezbollah, let them fight them -- but not the Lebanese civilians."
Meanwhile, Israeli military
operations continue to pummel southern Lebanon, including the city of
Tyre, while Lebanese in Beirut had a day of relative calm Sunday.
Foreign war ships are crowding
ports as evacuation of foreign nationals continues. "Yes, we see
the priorities of the western countries as they evacuate their people,"
55-year-old clothing merchant in the Hamra district of Beirut, Ayad
Harrar said. "So you see, screw the Lebanese, they do not matter
to us. This is what their governments are saying to us by these actions."
Harrar said people are shocked
that his country was once again plunged into war, just when they thought
they had found peace.
"This afternoon it is
calm, but we all know that when they finish evacuating their people,
we will be bombed once more," Harrar said. "It is not possible
to live a life while we live under these conditions; not knowing when
our day to die is coming from more Israeli bombs."
On Saturday, after meeting
with members from a United Nations team who had just returned from the
region, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice told reporters that
the situation in Lebanon was part of the "birth pangs of a new
Middle East", and said that Israel should ignore calls for a ceasefire.
Not many people in Beirut
are able to see it that way. Suthir Amalat carrying her child in one
arm as she bought water to take home for emergencies said she was preparing
for everything to worsen.
"We are angry at Hezbollah
for starting this catastrophe, but even more angry at the Israelis for
destroying all of Lebanon," she said. "And America, who we
thought was our friend, clearly now supports the Israeli destruction
of our country."