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Voices from the Middle East

18 July 2006


The current military operations take Lebanon back to war times, bringing with it bitter memories of 1994 and 1996 with all its massive displacement and destruction of infrastructure. Since yesterday, Israel conducted bloody attacks and raids targeting infrastructure all over Lebanon in response to Hezbollah’s action. Israel has bombarded the Damascus International Road, most of the major bridges linking the south to other regions, and villages in the Beqa’ and south. All three airports in the country were bombed, especially Beirut International Airport which is now closed. Israel has instigated a strict sea blockade off the coast of Lebanon. 

Syria: More assistance given to besieged Lebanese

18 July 2006


The government has set up four welcoming centres on the Syrian-Lebanese border to receive people fleeing ongoing aerial bombardments by Israel. Damascus has also opened up government schools and other institutions to Lebanese nationals who have nowhere to stay. A senior Syrian Red Crescent (SRC) official told IRIN on Tuesday that the aid organisation had established a direct telephone line to assist Lebanese nationals who are stuck without money or shelter. According to SRC head Abdul-Rahman Attar, some 20,000 Lebanese, Arab and other travellers traverse the four border crossings every day. 

Boycott Israel to Stop its War Crimes in Lebanon and Gaza!

18 July 2006


This new double-failure by the international political system to hold Israel to account for its grave violations of international law on both fronts is the most recent indicator of the urgent need for international social movements and civil society organizations to take the lead in applying a comprehensive regime of boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel, similar to that successfully used to end apartheid in South Africa. All these measures should be maintained until Israel fully complies with international law and respects fundamental human rights of Arabs, whether in Lebanon or Palestine. 

Israel: Investigate attack on civilians in Lebanon

16 July 2006


On Saturday, a number of families fled the southern Lebanese village of Marwahin after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned them to evacuate ahead of a threatened attack. On the road leading to the coast through Chamaa, however, Israeli missiles struck a convoy of the civilians. Maps of southern Lebanon show this road to be the only direct route for escaping the dangerous border area. A photographer for an international news agency who arrived at the scene two hours after the attack told Human Rights Watch that he saw a white van and a passenger car completely destroyed. He counted 16 dead bodies. 

Disproportionate number of British journalists in Israel versus Lebanon

18 July 2006


The Daily Mail’s Richard Pendlebury reported on 15 July: “Visiting the towns in northern Israel I could understand the sense of vulnerability they feel.” He added that “all I can report is what I have seen on the Israeli side of this seemingly intractable, ongoing conflict …” However, the Guardian’s Middle East editor Brian Whitaker wrote on 17 July: “Viewed from Lebanon, the TV coverage of destruction in Israel, in terms of the amount and the tone, seems wildly out of proportion compared with what is happening across the border.” 

ICRC Bulletin No. 1 - Lebanon/Israel (12-18 July 2006)

18 July 2006


According to official sources, more than 650 people have been wounded and more than 180 killed in Lebanon since the conflict broke out on 12 July. The south is the area that has witnessed the most violence and casualties but the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Bekaa valley and the north have suffered as well. More than 100 villages and towns have been targeted in sea, land or air attacks (or a combination thereof). Although a great many people are fleeing the south and the southern suburbs of Beirut, their numbers are impossible to estimate at this time. Displaced persons are mostly staying in overcrowded schools and outdoor parks. Moreover, tens of thousands of people have crossed into Syria. 

UN Security Council must adopt urgent measures to protect civilians

18 July 2006


“The past few days has seen a horrendous escalation in attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Yet the G8 leaders have failed conspicuously to uphold their moral and legal obligation to address such blatant breaches of international humanitarian law, which in some cases have amounted to war crimes.” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East Programme. “Beyond the blame game exercise, what is needed are concrete proposals for urgent action to stop the killings of civilians in both Lebanon and Israel.” 

Lebanon: Continuation of hostilities between IDF and Hezbollah

18 July 2006


Two IDF ground incursions inside Lebanese territory were reported yesterday. Three PUMA armored vehicles entered approximately one kilometer inside Lebanese territory in the area of Ras Naqoura on the Mediterranean coast yesterday afternoon, and withdrew to the Israeli side after a while. IDF forces also operated on the Lebanese side of the divided village of Ghajar. They demolished two Hezbollah outposts on the northern edges of the village, and set up a barrier of cement blocs along parts of the northern boundary of the Lebanese side of the village. Exchange of fire was reported during this operation. 

Lebanon: Hostilities between IDF and Hezbollah

17 July 2006


There is a pressing need for UNIFIL to secure supplies of diesel fuel, water, and food to its positions throughout the area. Despite repeated requests addressed to the Israeli Defense Forces Command by the UNIFIL Force Commander, General Pellegrini, we have received no response to ensure the safe passage of logistic convoys to re-supply UNIFIL positions. UNIFIL was able to dispatch two supply convoys on 15 July, but the situation at the UN positions remains critical. UNIFIL notified the IDF today that we will dispatch a logistics convoy to re-supply our positions in order to ensure the continuation of UNIFIL’s vital functions on the ground. 

A Beiruti's drawn diaries: "How can I show sound in a drawing?"

Mazen Kerbaj Beirut 18 July 2006


The following drawings are by Mazen Kerbaj, a Beiruti comic author, painter, and musician who was prompted to start his “Kerblog” after “two years of laziness” when Israel began to bomb his country and city. With the dark humor characteristic of his blog entries, he writes, “I’ll begin then by thanking Israel, who burned in one night two years of efforts to avoid getting myself trapped in this adventure. Good job guys! Especially the airport party. And the bridges. No way to leave the country. Nothing else to do than this blog.” His entries onto Kerblog are a heady mix of despair, wit, and the determination to persevere.