A joint humanitarian delegation, representing Australians For Lebanon (AFL), the Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW), and later joined by the Australian Lebanese Youth Association (ALYA), has recently returned to Australia from areas of Southern Lebanon heavily affected by cluster bombs. It is calling for a global ban on these inhumane weapons. The delegation spoke with authorities in Lebanon who are attempting to clear the munitions, including the National De-Mining Office and the UN Mine Action and Coordination Centre near Tyre in Southern Lebanon, and saw at first hand the terrible impact the weapons have on communities. Read more about Australian Delegation Visits Cluster-Bombed Areas of Lebanon, Calls for Ban
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Peter MacKay, who recently traveled to Afghanistan, is planning a larger visit to the Middle East region, with the stated aim of promoting “peace and dialogue”. Conservative Party Foreign Minister MacKay will arrive in Lebanon and Palestine in the coming days. Tadamon! Montreal issues this appeal in an effort to highlight the Conservative government’s role and position as an imperialist player in the Middle East. Canadian intervention in the region is best illustrated by the Conservative government’s open support for Israel’s brutal assault on Lebanon in the summer of 2006 and by Canada’s ongoing military presence in Afghanistan. Read more about Appeal to Oppose Canadian Foreign Minister's Visit to the Middle East
The past year hasn’t been a great one for the art scene in Beirut. As of January, Lebanon was still reeling from the political assassinations and phantom bombings of 2005. Whatever momentum artists, curators and dealers built up over the next six months was trounced by the war with Israel that erupted in July. Numerous projects geared toward establishing a modern art museum or a contemporary art center in the Lebanese capital got shoved to the back burner, gallery exhibitions were cancelled and individual bodies of work had to be shelved by the artists who had been hoping to realize them. Read more about Down but not out: Artists refused to give up
Tadamon! Montreal has launched two Weblogs focused on Israeli violations of the U.N. ceasefire and incidents involving cluster bombs, as a contribution to the growing international challenge to Israeli’s ability to defy international law with impunity. In the media-induced amnesia that defines North American political culture, these virtual memories will help track important historical facts, even as political leaders manipulate the public’s weak grasp of history in pursuit of their political agendas. Read more about Weblogs on Current Effects of Israeli Military on Lebanon
MONTREAL: Several Montreal-based organizations are speaking out in defence of the popular protests which have overtaken Lebanon’s capital for more than a week. The groups are concerned with a prevailing bias in Canadian media coverage of the events in Lebanon. This bias misrepresents the purposes of the protests and the dynamics that underlie them. It also fuels a dangerous sectarianism that threatens Lebanon. Read more about Montreal Organizations Call for Fair Coverage of Mass Protests In Lebanon
A new Indymedia film addressing the situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon has been released. The 22-minute film shows their lives in their camps and provides an opportunity for the refugees to share their experiences with the viewing audience. They discuss their miserable social, political and economic situation and reflect on their relationship to Palestine. The footage of this video was filmed in the refugee camps of Shatila and Mar Elias (beside Beirut), Naher al-Bared (Trablous), Bourj ash-Shamali (Sour) and Ain al-Hilweh (Saida). Read more about Independent film portrays Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
A-Films announces a new short film by independent media activists published under the name “Siddiqine’s Harvest”. This video deals with the longterm consequences the Israeli ‘war against Hezbullah’ has for the people and the agriculture of South Lebanon. The short movie “Siddiqine’s Harvest” was produced in the end of September in the southern Lebanese village of Siddiqine. It is the result of a 10-day video-workshop done by indymedia-activists in this hard-hit community. Four young people from the village deal with some major problems Siddiqine is facing after the war. To a large extent, this concerns tobacco agriculture. On one hand, many people were displaced during the war and therefore missed the tobacco harvest, on which a majority of the inhabitants depend. Read more about "Siddiquine's Harvest": New short film from Southern Lebanon
Following the recent massacre in Beit Hanoun, a group of citizens, united by sense of outrage at the silence of western and Arab governments, will be engaging in a four day hunger strike, outside of the UNIFIL office in Tyre in solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza. Nationalities participating include Lebanese, Palestinian, US, and Irish activists. The participants have worked for the past months in humanitarian and community projects in villages in the South. This symbolic hunger strike will take place from Tuesday 14th November till Friday 18th November 2006. We are choosing to be hungry in solidarity with those who have no choice. As a result of continual economic and military siege the majority of Palestinians now live in extreme poverty. Read more about Lebanese activists: UN past time to disarm Israel
Espace SD and xanadu* present Nafas Beirut, a multimedia venue for artists bearing witness. The aim is to create a platform for artists, poets, writers and filmmakers to share their work produced during or in reaction to the Israeli siege of Lebanon of Summer 2006. Believing it crucial to highlight these works, Nafas Beirut documents the emotions and experiences, and brings artists and viewers together, historicizing the moment. Nafas Beirut is a platform for these immediate responses through a multimedia exhibition and a month long series of events including, video screenings curated by various organizations and collectives, concerts, an open mike poetry jam, and a lecture on the oil spill. Read more about "Nafas Beirut": A platform for artists bearing witness
A British-Muslim delegation under the broad heading ‘United for Lebanon’ returned to London on Saturday, 26 August 2006, following a fact-finding visit to Lebanon. The group, which included Dr Phyllis Starkey MP and which was supported by a diverse group of Muslim organizations and charities, including the Muslim Council of Britain, Al-Khoei Foundation, the Muslim Association of Britain, Interpal, and the British Muslim Forum, looked at the extent of devastation and internal displacement following the recent ceasefire in the region. Read more about British-Muslim delegation returns from Lebanon
