Letter to Israel: You have made a terrible mistake
by Chercheuse d'Or
Bravo ya Israel...
You are destroying Lebanon, and it's the worst move you ever could have made.
Everyone who can is leaving. And they're not just going to sit tight until this ends, packed bags waiting by the door... they're looking for jobs outside Lebanon, resettling.
The Israeli fantasy of the Lebanese rising up against Hezbollah won't happen. Why? Because Hezbollah supporters will soon be the only ones left in the country.
Just a few minutes ago, a dear friend of mine called to say he was evacuating in a few hours for the Gulf. One of the people I thought would never leave. But he has no work here anymore, and he just can't afford to stay. I begged him to promise he'll come back when this is over. The sadness in his voice as he replied cannot be described.
"Carine... come back to what?"
You are driving everyone away. Why do you hit towns like Ehden and Jounieh, why do you hit LBC towers and Lebanese army installations, if you are only after Hezbollah? The supermarkets are stripped bare, the streets are empty. People simply cannot stay.
After you lift your siege, the only people left in Lebanon will be the poor Shia who have lost everything in the war: friends, families, their homes. Even if you succeed in destroying Hezbollah, do you think 100 new Hezbollahs won't spring up from all this misery?
And where will the displaced live, now that their towns and neighborhoods have been decimated? A friend in the Chouf reports that his entire town has been taken over by southern Shia-- and their militiamen, who now roam the streets. So the Druze residents of the village have all left.
In Achrafieh, Lebanese Forces members have started patrolling at night to make sure displaced people don't try to break into buildings or cause trouble in the streets. It reeks of impending sectarian conflict.
The most ironic part, ya Israel, is that Lebanon is the only country in the region that could've potentially, someday, been a friend. A warm peace rather than a cold one. I always heard, from people who'd travelled to Israel, that the two countries were remarkably similar (aside from the big political issues, of course). They said Tel Aviv was essentially Beirut in Hebrew. And recently, the subject of peace had started to enter polite conversation here.
No one is talking about peace anymore. Aside from the obvious reason-- no one will forget (or forgive) the atrocities committed here for a long, long time-- people also won't bring it up because it's irrelevant. Peace was usually discussed in the context of it being good for tourism and the economy.
What tourism? What economy? Both are dead here.
Shops and businesses are closing every day. Most of my friends have lost their jobs.
Yes, ok: you had to get your soldiers back. Ok, you wanted to get rid of Hezbollah once and for all. But your soldiers are still missing, and you have made your own country far less safe. You may say that Lebanon brought this upon itself, but that is exactly what people will be saying to you, ya Israel, in the future.
You have made the situation much, much worse for yourself. And you have killed something fragile that you ought to have nourished: a liberal Arab neighbor.
I don't want to start considering that Lebanon may be dead forever, that the businesses won't reopen, that life won't flow back into Beirut. Because if that is really true, I'm not sure I will ever be able to be happy again.
I feel like my heart is dead right now, because this country is and always has been my whole heart.
I'm sorry to be so pessimistic, it is not like me at all. But slowly, I've gotten the creeping feeling my persistent optimism may just be denial. Please, if anyone has hope, leave some in the comments...
***
Just as I am about to hit publish, another bomb shakes my home. Please Israel, put down your weapons. If there is still time to save my country, it is a matter of hours or days, not weeks or months.
Bravo ya Israel...
You are destroying Lebanon, and it's the worst move you ever could have made.
Everyone who can is leaving. And they're not just going to sit tight until this ends, packed bags waiting by the door... they're looking for jobs outside Lebanon, resettling.
The Israeli fantasy of the Lebanese rising up against Hezbollah won't happen. Why? Because Hezbollah supporters will soon be the only ones left in the country.
Just a few minutes ago, a dear friend of mine called to say he was evacuating in a few hours for the Gulf. One of the people I thought would never leave. But he has no work here anymore, and he just can't afford to stay. I begged him to promise he'll come back when this is over. The sadness in his voice as he replied cannot be described.
"Carine... come back to what?"
You are driving everyone away. Why do you hit towns like Ehden and Jounieh, why do you hit LBC towers and Lebanese army installations, if you are only after Hezbollah? The supermarkets are stripped bare, the streets are empty. People simply cannot stay.
After you lift your siege, the only people left in Lebanon will be the poor Shia who have lost everything in the war: friends, families, their homes. Even if you succeed in destroying Hezbollah, do you think 100 new Hezbollahs won't spring up from all this misery?
And where will the displaced live, now that their towns and neighborhoods have been decimated? A friend in the Chouf reports that his entire town has been taken over by southern Shia-- and their militiamen, who now roam the streets. So the Druze residents of the village have all left.
In Achrafieh, Lebanese Forces members have started patrolling at night to make sure displaced people don't try to break into buildings or cause trouble in the streets. It reeks of impending sectarian conflict.
The most ironic part, ya Israel, is that Lebanon is the only country in the region that could've potentially, someday, been a friend. A warm peace rather than a cold one. I always heard, from people who'd travelled to Israel, that the two countries were remarkably similar (aside from the big political issues, of course). They said Tel Aviv was essentially Beirut in Hebrew. And recently, the subject of peace had started to enter polite conversation here.
No one is talking about peace anymore. Aside from the obvious reason-- no one will forget (or forgive) the atrocities committed here for a long, long time-- people also won't bring it up because it's irrelevant. Peace was usually discussed in the context of it being good for tourism and the economy.
What tourism? What economy? Both are dead here.
Shops and businesses are closing every day. Most of my friends have lost their jobs.
Yes, ok: you had to get your soldiers back. Ok, you wanted to get rid of Hezbollah once and for all. But your soldiers are still missing, and you have made your own country far less safe. You may say that Lebanon brought this upon itself, but that is exactly what people will be saying to you, ya Israel, in the future.
You have made the situation much, much worse for yourself. And you have killed something fragile that you ought to have nourished: a liberal Arab neighbor.
I don't want to start considering that Lebanon may be dead forever, that the businesses won't reopen, that life won't flow back into Beirut. Because if that is really true, I'm not sure I will ever be able to be happy again.
I feel like my heart is dead right now, because this country is and always has been my whole heart.
I'm sorry to be so pessimistic, it is not like me at all. But slowly, I've gotten the creeping feeling my persistent optimism may just be denial. Please, if anyone has hope, leave some in the comments...
***
Just as I am about to hit publish, another bomb shakes my home. Please Israel, put down your weapons. If there is still time to save my country, it is a matter of hours or days, not weeks or months.
7 commentaires:
Ce qui est triste c'est que ce que fait Israël va rendre l'avenir du Liban très difficile et notamment va l'affaiblir un peu plus vis à vis du charmant voisin syrien... et puis cet affaiblissement profitera au Hezbollah aussi et peut être qu'on aura une république islamique au Liban bientôt... oh ces problèmes existaient déjà avant l'intervention israëlienne, il ne faut pas l'oublier. Disons que cette intervention va sans doute les renforcer et nuira en définitive à Israël.
Quefaire contre la connerie humaine de tous bords, contre ces surenchères qui se répondent systématiquement ? On comprend le pessimisme... un sentiment d'ailleurs qui n'a cessé d'exister dans l'histoire du Liban, toujours mêlé d'espoir aussi. Les deux sentiments sont indissociables.
don't worry youyou beirut will be rebuilt ..i m sure...i hope.
la machine de guerre israélienne ne saura jamais éteindre cette éfervescence et cet amour de la vie inhérent plus que tout aux libanais...au liban..l'histoire le dit et le redira éternellement....
quelque phantaisistes que soient mes propos, c'est ce que je ressens...putain y en a marre de voir ces "sans histoire", israel et bouch_land,assujettir la terre de la plurisécularité la plus riche et féconde.............
écoute youyou je voulais te demander un truc...enfin non rien laisse tomber..:)
"The most ironic part, ya Israel, is that Lebanon is the only country in the region that could've potentially, someday, been a friend. A warm peace rather than a cold one."
Wake up! It's just illusion.
Les sionistes ne cherchent pas la paix, leur but est d'occuper, tuer envahir et soummetre les peuples...tu connais pas le mythe du drapeau israelien?
@walid , Le « grands israel » ne fait plus partie des objectifs d’israel…et ceci depuis qu’ils ont rendu donné le Sinaï à l’Egypte(terre biblique)… Il y a beaucoup d’israéliens qui ont en marre des guerres, comme beaucoup d’arabe d’ailleurs…
Les israéliens ne forment pas un seul bloc politique, ils ont une droite extrême, des centristes, une gauche… etc…
@roumi
Le problème est beaucoup plus sérieux que ça je pense, on dirait que t'as laissé à part les vrais enjeux de la situation en évoquant des conséquences de cette guerre que je trouve assez absurdes surtout en ce moment..la syrie..république islamique...!!!
Certes j'ai toujours cru à la necessité du désarmement de hezbollah, de l'abolition de la sous_tutelle syrienne mais je trouve ton jugement et ta "perspicacité" assez insignifiants, je m'en exuse, israel est en train de détruire le liban, c'est une guerre d'envergure roumi, les premières cibles de cette offensive sont le hezbollah, le hamas, la syrie....searais_je peu clairvoyante si je dis ça ?
Je m'incline devant ton objectivité et ta lucidité mais please il ne s'agit pas d'une "intervention" israélienne c'est une "offensive", "une guerre".....
@amilcar
De quel centrisme et de quelle tempérance parles tu amilcar?
Si ce n'est de changer la carte géopolitique du moyen et proche_orient, finalité que les sionistes prétendent abandonner, les intentions d'israel seront au moins ""illiminer tous ceux qui lui déplaisent.."", est ce par amour de la paix qu'on fait ça amilcar???????????????????????????
Dear mannou,
De quel centrisme et de quelle tempérance parles tu amilcar?
Oui, et je le redis. La société israélienne ne forme pas un seul bloc. Plusieurs sensibilités s’y trouvent. (Mais bon, c’est un peu H.S de parler de la politique intérieure israélienne)
Les modérés ont laissé la place aux faucons ces derniers jours. Il est logique qu’en temps de guerre, tout le monde s’unis autour d’une seule idée. Ca arrive dans tous les états du monde.
changer la carte géopolitique du moyen et proche_orient, finalité que les sionistes prétendent abandonner
Que veut dire « changer la carte géopolitique » ? Le grand israel ?
Si c’est le cas, je dirai que c’est encore un de nos fantasmes (et pas que nous d’ailleurs, mais aussi de quelques rabbins orthodoxes fous…)
est ce par amour de la paix qu'on fait ça amilcar???????????????????????????
Non.
Je ne suis pas un adepte du pacifisme absolu. Les Libanais ne doivent pas "tendre l’autre joue". C’est juste une lecture réaliste des pertes et profits …et des rapports de forces qui largement en défaveur du Liban.
Nous en avons vu d'autres dans nos vies.Nous nous relèverons comme d'habitude (tiens!) et nous reconstruirons le pays nous allons passer maîtres en architecture les amis mais faudra construire solide. Allez nous avons rarement été aussi unis avec une donnée nouvelle : un sentiment d'appartenance à un même pays et un esprit pour une fois patriotique qui se dessine durablement.
Enregistrer un commentaire