TruthDig.com Dahr Jamail “The history of liberty is a history of resistance.” —Woodrow T. Wilson “We rely on Hezbollah and these other countries which are helping us now because it’s all we have,” Abu Khalil, an unemployed construction worker injured by bomb shrapnel during last summer’s war in Lebanon told me. As we stood talking
Rebuilding Resistance
BEIRUT — As reconstruction resumes in the heavily bombed southern Beirut district Dahiyeh, the signs are evident of a rebuilding of resistance against Israel and the U.S.-backed government, largely by way of increased support for Hezbollah. Hezbollah is leading much of the reconstruction. Dahiyeh was bombed by the Israelis last year because it was seen
Refugees Learn to Substitute Government
BEIRUT — The influx of refugees from Palestinian areas and the inability of the government to do much for them has strengthened a unique NGO providing essential services. The Popular Aid for Relief and Development (PARD), which began working in the early 1980s before registering as an official NGO with the Lebanese government in 1990,
Tensions Run High After Sunni Killings
Inter Press Service BEIRUT — The killings of two pro-government Sunni Muslims has raised tensions across Lebanon. Rival political leaders have called for calm amidst fear that the killings could spark civil strife. The Lebanese police found the bodies Thursday of a pro-government supporter and a 12-year-old boy abducted earlier this week. The abduction was
Political Loyalties Being Rebuilt
Inter Press Service AITA ECH CHAAB — 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 Protest Won’t Go Away
Inter Press Service BEIRUT — Lebanon is caught in political gridlock in the face of sustained opposition to the U.S.-backed government. The government is refusing to give in to opposition demands for more representation. The government says it is there to stay; so do the protestors.
Tempers Rise Over Reconstruction
BINT JBAIL, Apr 23 (IPS) – Eight months after Israeli attacks left devastation across many villages in southern Lebanon, reconstruction comes with mounting anger towards both Israel and the central Lebanese government. The war which raged between Israel and Hezbollah Jul. 12 to Aug. 14 last year destroyed many villages in the south, and left
Ongoing Defiance/Political Gridlock in Lebanon
Last night, 19 April, Jeff and I visited the ongoing opposition sit-in near the Lebanese Parliament. In sum, there are four main political parties which participated in a sprawling protest on December 10, 2006, probably Lebanon’s largest ever, immediately followed by the launching of a sit-in against the U.S./France/Saudi Arabia-backed government.
One Unexploded Bomb Per Person
Inter Press Service Dahr Jamail SRIFA, Southern Lebanon — Close to a million unexploded bombs are estimated to litter southern Lebanon, according to UN forces engaged in the hazardous task of removing them. The United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) was created by the Security Council in 1978 to confirm an Israeli withdrawal from