Lebanese Voices

For Beirut

Those Beautiful Names

Every day, I learn a new name of a Lebanese village. Nice names. I learned "Marwaheen" two days a go. "Aitarun" is today. These are names you expect to hear in a Fairuz song. Each name comes to me now burdened with a massacre. In the latest,

"Nine civilians, all from one family and including children, were killed and four wounded in an air strike that destroyed a house in the south Lebanese village of Aitarun. Four others died in strikes elsewhere in the south."

A Small Appeal to Al Jazeera

I wish Al Jazeera TV will have mercy and warn the audience before it brandishes its most potent weapon in whatever war it's fighting. I'm talking about their favorite commentator Abdel Bary 'Atwan. He never ever has anything new to say. His matra is to diss the Arab regimes. Ok. Fhemna. We got it. Move on. I can't believe this man is a prominent public figure and "intellectual."

I must admit I find Al Jazeera irritating. I can take it in very small doses. It's good for updates but the editoralizing is just too much for me at this point. For a channel that claims to offer space for conflicting opinions, it lacks an serious critical edge.

I'm not alone. The Palestinian columnist Hassan Khader wrote this apt description:

لدينا الآن أعجوبة من أعاجيب الزمن، تتمثل في مشيخة نفطية لا يزيد حجمها عن رأس الدبوس على الخارطة، لكن لسانها الفضائي المتلفز، العروبي، الشعبوي، الإسلاموي، الإخواني، العفيف، النظيف، الشفيف، اللطيف، أطول ألف مرّة من قامتها.

"We have now one of the world's marvels: an oil sheikhdom.On the map it's not larger than the head of a pin, but it's sattelite tv, which is Arabist, populist, Islamist, brotherhoodist, pure, clean, transparent, and nice, is a thousand times taller than her."

The rest of his article (in Arabic) raises important questions regarding this compulsive criticism of Arab regimes. He is not a friend of the Arab regimes, but he is wary of the alternative.

"There Are No Words"

Is what one witness who made it out of Lebanon said about the horror she saw on her way out.

Despite the intensity of the bombing, the word going around is that things will get worse once foreign nationals leave.

Speaking of words, an Israeli official said that they are not engaged in a "war" but in a "military operation." I'm sure that will make the Lebanese feel much better.

New TV also seems to be struggling with words in relation to this war. There motto appearing on the screen up till today was "The Price of Freedom." But now they changed it to "We Are Steadfast" (Samedoun). Perhaps the word "price" seemed tastelss in light of the talk about the money Lebanon will get to reconstruct what is being destructed. Maybe they felt "Steadfast" is more appealing to the civilians who have not chosen to be the price of anything, but all they can do now is to stay alive.

Reporting the War

One big difference between Al Jazeera coverage and the Lebanese channels is this: LBC, Future, New TV all inerrupt their inteviews and their talking heads guests to receive calls from Lebanese people seeking help. I find these inerruptions moving: a guest will be pontificating about the crisis and and its regional and global dimentions to be interrupted by a call from the Mukhtar of some village in the south who is calling for help for his villagers: to say they can't get out or they are running out of bread. Al Jazeera does interrupt the guests but only to bring updates from the field.

On a related topic: yesterday the LBC reporter (Haydar Hweila) called in live to the station to report the Israeli bombing of a building in Tyre. He was unglued. He was breathless, gasping, and incoherent. I guess his behavior wasn't profesisonal. He definitely wasn't cool under pressure. But the horror he was seeing, of people dismembered and buried under the rubble, came through with every gasp he took. It was more effective than any pictures. What he saw is partially reported by the BBC: "The bodies of nine people, including six children, were also reportedly found in the rubble of a building in Tyre hit by Israeli missiles on Sunday. One report said they had been trying to shelter in the basement." The rest of the BBC report details the other victims of the latest attacks.

A War of Choice

" Regrettably, the Israel Defense Forces once again looks like the neighborhood bully. A soldier was abducted in Gaza? All of Gaza will pay. Eight soldiers are killed and two abducted to Lebanon? All of Lebanon will pay. One and only one language is spoken by Israel, the language of force," writes Gidoen Levy.

Speaking for the Victims

I know I've been warned. "Fisk is an insider internet joke," someone warned me on this blog. Maybe. But he is still speaking for the victims. That's enough for me.

Nasrallah's Speech

I watched Nasrallah's speech on TV earlier today. If you didn't know that he's talking about a war raging outside, you'd think he's announcing the opening of a community center.

I thought a low point in the speech was his assuring the Lebanese that he has friends who will give him clean money to rebuild the country. Jee, I wonder who these are? Somehow speaking of money in the middle of this mayhem does not sound right.

But money seems to be a major theme: Iran was the first to offer to pay for reconstruction. And now Nasrallah is making his assurances. Is this in response to Siniora's declaring Lebanon a disaster area? Or a hint that we don't need the Saudis (who happened to offer $ 50 million today). As I said before, all the money will not put together one child blown to smithereens.

I noticed that Nasrallah again said that he's not asking for anyone's help. "We don't need anybody." I think this is an intersting rhetorical stand. Could it be because he's been criticized by some in Lebanon for not consulting with anybody but expecting all to bear the responsibility?It also puts him in contrast to Siniora who, chocking on tears, pleaded for help from the outside.

Nasrallah's self-presentation is effective in making him come across as "manly" and self-sufficient. Of course, in the next senetence he kind of asked for support from the Arab and Muslim street by telling them that Hizbollah is now fighting on behalf of the Umma. Still he emphasized that he's saying that not because he needs them, because he really doesn't. He's mentioning it in case they are interested in doing something to save themselves here or in the hearafter.

Mohammad Sadeq al Hussini on LBC called him a lone Arab Knight.

Today's Harvest from Lebanon's Killing Fields

"Israeli warplanes have killed at least 25 civilians and wounded 33 others in a series of new air attacks on southern Lebanon." 8 Lebanese soldiers were also killed.

Hizbollah's Role: Two Views

I've been flipping through TV channels all day and night. The more you watch, the less you know. And the sicker you get. Just heard Azmi Beshra make the argument on LBC that Hizbollah captured soldiers as he did before and it was not the organizations inention or plan to get Lebanon into this war. He emphasized that Israel is the side that wanted to escalate; this is why their respone this time to the taking of the two soldiers was different. An Israeli pundit wrote (somewhere in the Israeli press; all is blurring together at this point) something similar, emphasizing that Hizbollah was surprised by the Israeli reaction.

According to this view, then, Israel is doing what it always wanted to do: disarm Hizbollah, crush any form of resistance, and intimidate Iran. For various regional and international considerations, Israel believed this was the right moment. If Hizbollah is guilty at all, it is of misreading the situation.

This is one view.

The other view (which shouldn't be dismissed as pro Israel because it's not), attributes to Hizbollah more agency in initiating the confligration. They point out to internal Lebanese politics, to the internal pressures on Hizbollah to disarm, to the Syrian desire to return to Lebanon in one way or another, to Iran's wish to distract attention from the pressures on it for its nuclear program, and finally to the negotiations between it and the US regarding its role in Iraq.

Robert Fisk seems to be favoring the second view. This is his piece on Hizbollah's response to the Israeli attack.

Please note that Fisk at no point finds any justification for Israel's slaughtering of innocent civilians.

And I agree with him on that: regardless of what view one believes in regarding Hizbollah's role in initiation this disaster, one thing is obvious: Israel now is burning Lebanon.

Unnecessary War

A demonstration in Tel Aviv took place to protest the "unnecessary war" Israel is conducting in Lebanon and Palestine.

On the Dangers of Simplifying the Obvious

For those who read Arabic, I recommend this article by Subhi Hadidi.

Real vs. Declared Objectives of War on Lebanon

According to Uri Avnery, "THE REAL aim [of the Israeli war on Lebanon] is to change the regime in Lebanon and to install a puppet government."

It's an interesting article because it reminds us of the difference between declared Israeli objectives and real ones (major and secondary). I find his argument interesting, if not totally convincing. He keeps saying that the Lebanese government was established with American help. Why would be Israel so eager to replace it then?

Also note that the US just asked Syria to help stop Hizbollah. Syria must be beaming, feeling so important.

He also leaves out Hizbollah's declared and real motives. He leaves out other regional players. It's Incomplete, still worth reading.

Destroying Lebanon

" So can the Lebanese be forgiven - can anyone here be forgiven - for believing that the Israelis have a greater interest in destroying Lebanon than they do in their two soldiers?" asks Robert Fisk.

Lebanese Voices

Check out the new blog War on Lebanon: Take II if you are interested in hearing voices of Lebanese people under attack.

A Villager's SOS

A few hours ago, the Mukhtar of the southern Lebanese village al Bustan called one of the Lebanese TV stations. He said that the Israelis told the villagers through loud speakers to leave the village or they will completely destroy it. But the villagers won't leave. They've heard what happened to their neighbors who were bombed when they left in response to similar threats from the Israeli army.

He was pleading for help. He didn't address anyone in particular. He didn't know what to do.

Slaughtering Lebanese Villagers

They order them to leave their village because they want to destroy it. When the villagers leave, they bomb them anyway.

The Sky of Beirut

"The sky of Beirut is a huge dome made of dark sheet metal. All encompassing noon spreads its leisure in the bones. The horizon is like a slate of clear gray, nothing coloring it save the playful jets. A Hiroshima sky. I can, if I want, take chalk in hand and write whatever I wish on the slate. A whim takes hold of me. What would I write if I were to go up to the roof of a tall building? 'They shall not pass'? It's already been said. 'May we face death, but long live the homeland'? That's been said before. 'Hiroshima'? That too has been said. The letters have all slipped out of my memory and fingers. I've forgotten the alphabet. All I remember are these six letters: B-E-I-R-U-T. "

From Mahmoud Darwish's Memory for Forgetfulness: August, Beirut, 1982, his memoir of an earlier Israeli war on Lebanon.

Wars on Civilians

In World War I, more civilians than soldiers were killed. During WWII, for every 9 soldiers in the Soviet Union 16 civilians died. In the Korean war, the ratio was 1:5; in the Vietnam war 1:13; according to a 1989 UNICEF report, 90 percent of all victims are found in the civilian populations; for future wars, a study anticipates a ratio of 1:100.

I think these future wars are now.

Beautiful in Blue

How do you tell a tough reporter that she is doing a great job, especially that it is dangerous with bombs dropping around her and colleagues getting hurt?

You tell her she looks beautiful in blue.

You also mention her daughter waiting for her at home.

This is what al Safeer writer said about Bushra Abdul Samad, the Al Jazeera TV reporter in Southern Lebanon. She wore a blue helmet for protection.

I just can't imagine this being said about her male counterparts.

Fisk Again

This time Robert Fisk is focusing on what Israel is best at: destroying a whole country. A warning: he does mention the S word at the end. Briefly.

Fisk and the S Word

Robert Fisk is making some readers, who usually like him, quite angry with this article of his about what's going on in Lebanon.


All because he mentions the S word.

I find the accusation that he's not blaming the aggressor, i.e. Israel, ridiculous. Fisk is among the bravest journalists out there and he never shied away from describing Israeli aggression. And I'm sure he will have plenty to say about it this time too. But the moment he said the S word, he becomes a sell out (to the Hariris since he was lent their helicopter once) and is not to be trusted. I'm sorry. I fail to see that. Hizbollah wouldn't do something like this without having the blessing of Syria and Iran. To think otherwise is to be living in lala land.

Beirut is Burning Again

It's too painful to watch. But it's impossible to turn away. Flipping between the TV Arab channels, I was reminded of other times when Lebanon burned. I'm not Lebanese. I didn't experience their wars. But I can imagine the pain and anger they feel. They woke up yesterday to discover that they are in a state of war. Those who decided to start the war did not consult with them. But that's not new. Since when do the people who are canon fodder get consulted? Their job is to die. They become the numbers that we see on our screens. 53 dead.

Iran offered to pay for rebuilding what Israeli bombardment destroyed so far. There were many broken children among what was destroyed today. Can they rebuild them? Maybe just one?

Going Away: Take II

I'm off to LA to attend a conference organized by the Journal for Middle East Women's Studies. I'm speaking on Leila Ahmed's memoir A Border Passage. I will be back July 12th.

Egyptian Politics of Clothes

The veiled Egyptian TV announcers are calling for a solidarity conference to support their demand, backed up by a court order, that they be returned to their jobs in front of the camera. Egyptian TV officials have refused to let them back to the same job and asked that they either unveil or work behind cameras.

These women have a right to their jobs. A woman should be free to wear what she wants. And I hope that these same women would support an unveiled woman if she wished to appear in front of the camera in a place like Saudi Arabia or maybe in a future Egypt. The principle should work both ways, otherwise it's hypocricy.

Related to clothes, Najwa Fouad, the once well-known belly dancer, is donating the suit she wore when she danced for Henry Kissinger to the winner of the belly dancing contest taking place in Egypt. According to Al Arabiya.net, famous clothing stores in Cairo are selling replicas of the "Henry Kissinger" suit to newly wed women who would like something sexy for the bedroom (or kitchen or wherever).



Since Shareef has boasted during the ADC dinner this year, to a standing ovation, that he played quite a role in initiating the Camp David Agreements, someone should come up with the "Omar al Shareef" briefs for Him to go with the Henry Kissinger suit for Her. This way the newly wed can have a complete Camp David ensemble. What a turn on!!

Some of us still remember the Sheikh Imam song on the occasion of that 1974 Kissinger visit to Egypt "Sharrafti ya Nixon Baba." (sorry, this is the best sound quality I could find)

I don't recommend it for the newly weds purchasing the above set. It maybe a turn off!

Pakistani Injustice

When a woman is raped in Pakistan, she is required by that Pakistani invention called the Hodoud law to produce four witnesses to corroborate the crime. In other words, the rape has to be in the city square in the middle of the day for her to get a conviction. With no such proof, she can be accused of, and thrown into jail, for adultery.

Some Muslim feminists and enlightened scholars have been arguing that in Islam for a woman to be charged of adultery or fornication, the accuser needs to bring forth 4 witnesses who have seen the act. They point out that this was a way to protect women from false accusations. With no such witnesses, the accuser is meant to be punished.

But the imagination of one Pakistani dictator, with the help of the patriarchal minds of some religious scholars, twisted the law into a nightmarish one that punishes the victims of rape.

The half hearted measures of freeing the falsely imprisoned women is not enough. Abolish the unjust law and spend this life and the next making it up for the wronged women.

The Sound of Music

It is nice to see Lebanese 'Oud player Charbel Rouhana establish his own artistic identity. I met him when he was touring with Marcel Khaliefeh. He struck me as a very down-to-earth person. This is one of his pieces called Flamenco.

Good Questions

"Did anyone think about what would have happened if Syrian planes had managed to down one of the Israeli planes that brazenly buzzed their president's palace? Would we have declared war on Syria? Another "legitimate war"? Will the blackout of Gaza bring down the Hamas government or cause the population to rally around it? And even if the Hamas government falls, as Washington wants, what will happen on the day after? These are questions for which nobody has any real answers. As usual here: Quiet, we're shooting. But this time we are not only shooting. We are bombing and shelling, darkening and destroying, imposing a siege and kidnapping like the worst of terrorists and nobody breaks the silence to ask, what the hell for, and according to what right?" asks Israeli columnist Gideon Levy.

Gay Parade in Jerusalem

Both Helem (Lebanese GLBT) and ASWAT (Palestinian Gay Women) are calling for a boycott to World Pride Parade scheduled to take place in Jerusalem. Here you can find their statements.

Any Takers?

"It would take a bold initiative from a strong third party toward a bilateral political process based on international law, rather than the balance of power and the use of force, to bring back hope of any civilized and non-violent way out of the current situation," writes Ghassan al Khatib.

Meanwhile, the usual deal makers are working. Jibril Al Rujoub is boasting of his influence and abilities to mediate with Mesh'al, the man of the hour.

Well, if you can make a deal between Mesh'al and Israel, make it. Make it yesterday.

War Profiteers

Which corporations (in addition to weapon manufacturers) are making money from war on the Palestinians?
Here is a few.

Why Israel Is Invading Gaza

"Under questioning from presenter Jon Snow of Channel Four news on the reasons behind Israel's bombing of Gaza's only power station -- thereby cutting off electricity to more than half of the Strip's 1.3 million inhabitants for many months ahead, as well as threatening the water supply -- Zvi Ravner denied this action amounted to collective punishment of the civilian population.

Rather, he claimed, the electricity station had to be disabled to prevent the soldier's captors from having the light needed to smuggle him out of Gaza at night. It was left to a bemused Jon Snow to point out that smugglers usually prefer to do their work in the dark and that Israel's actions were more likely to assist his captors than disadvantage them," writes Jonathan Cook on "The Real Reasons for Israel's Invasion of Gaza."

Ismail Shammout 1931-2006

An obituary of the Palestinian artist Ismail Shamout by Samia Halabi at Electronic Intifada

Gaza Voices Silenced: 14 in One Strike

بيت لاهيا، 6/7/2006 (رامتان): قالت مصادر أمنية وطبية فلسطينية، أن 14 فلسطينيا على الأقل قتلوا وجرح نحو 30 آخرين في أعنف غارة تشنها إسرائيل على قطاع غزة، منذ اختطاف أحد جنودها على يد ثلاثة تنظيمات فلسطينية

الأسبوع الماضي.

Not That The Politicians Will Listen to Him

"Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit, demanded for the first time Thursday the release of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for his son, Army Radio reported, " according to The Jerusalem Post.

Gaza Voices

"We can't leave our land because they will destroy it."

Defaming Egypt?

Some Egyptian MPs want the film "The Yacoubian Building" censored because, in their view, it "defames" Egypt. The film (like the novel) dared to speak, even if in a shallow, cliched, and homophobic way, about terrorism, corruption, and homosexuality. The film seems to be made even shallower than the novel, according to this review.

I guess the MPs want inomercial films like the songs we've been hearing lately celebrating Egypt's perfection by Nancy Ajram and others.

It will be interesting to see how the film's powerful backers will deal with their noisy MPs.

Reporting Robbery

According to this Haaretz story, "The government maintains a "blacklist" of Palestinians who left the territories during the 1967 Six Day War, and have since been barred from coming back, lest they sue for the return of their land, the Defense Ministry admitted for the first time yesterday. The property has been used to establish settlements and military bases in the Jordan Valley."

Of course, the Palestinians have been saying that their land was stolen from them for decades. Nobody believes them, least of all the Israelis. Maybe now that the Israeli press itself is reporting the theft, it may make an impression.

But, then, it may not.

Palestinian Women and the Intifada

In this article, the effects of the second Intifada on women are detailed. One of the problems I have is that under a "fighting back" sub-heading, the writer, a Palestinian, only mentions the women suicide bombers.

Is this the only way Palestinian women fight back?

Of course not. Palestinian women fight back every minute of every day, but because that fighting is not sensationl the way suicide bombing is, it is erased from the record. A handful of women carried out suicide bombings, but thousands carry out resistance to the occupation in many other, more effective ways. When will we learn to see them?

We usually complain that world media does not report Palestinian non-violent resistance.

I think Palestinian media, as this article demonstrates, is guilty of a similar neglect.