The Lebanese Perspective

I received this email from a schoolmate. US news offers, what is essentially, the Israeli perspective on the conflict. It is fascinating to read about the conflict from the perspective of Lebanese graduate student. Reading this email illustrates why it is so difficult to find peace in the region:


Dear friends,

Hope you are all doing well, and working well on your dissertation.

I am not asking for a political stand, but a Humanitarian one....

israel is detaining 3 Lebanese prisoners since 30 years, and 4 Lebanese since 12 years, that is other than the 10000 Palestinian prisoners held since years and years...all of them without a trial. Plus israel is still occupying a part of Lebanon in the south, and it is still breaking the Lebanese sea, land, and air everyday since 1978 with its fighter planes, military ships, and tanks.

The UN and Geneva convention allows all countries who have occupied land, prisoners, or any kind of attack by another country to have a resistance to fight back and free the land and prisoners in all ways possible that abide by human rights.

Our brave resistance, abiding by Geneva convention that allows to capture soldiers if fighting countries has prisoners in one side, as to exchange them, has captured 2 israeli soldiers and our government said we want to exchange them with Lebanese prisoners in israel. But israel does not give us that right, neither the USA, neither Blair, nor the EU. That is why israel, backed by those people started attacking Lebanon with a plan put previously to be done in September, unfortunately started on the 12th of July.

The barbarian attack of israel, backed by USA, Bush and Blair, on my country Lebanon is crossing all kind of humanitarian agreements. The israeli forces are using illegal bombs, such as phosphoric and chemical(Human rights watch announced this yesterday), killing innocent citizens, they are even killing the United Nations forces in the south of Lebanon. They have destroyed all our infrastructure, all bridges in Lebanon, our airports, our sea ports, any road that connects cities, electricity plants, TV stations, broadcasting stations, houses, villages in the south were completely destroyed with their occupiers inside dead, by now there is about 600 killed, around 2000 injured, and more than 750000 forced to move from their houses. israel did not stop here, it even bombed all food and commercial factories, hospitals in the south, even the red cross cars where bombed, plus all kind of trucks, whatever they are carrying, food supplies, or even medical aid brought by the UN and red cross and EU were bombed. The suburb of Beirut the capital was completely destroyed, all kind of petrol stations were destroyed, even civilian ones...

Massacres are done in front of the UN and ambassadors of the EU and USA, the israeli forces asking all the people in the south to leave the houses, when they leave they bomb their cars on the roads and kill them. Entire families were killed, children, elderly, women... \n\nThey are killing everyone, except the army and our brave resistance, that they should dare and fight with them.\nBut unfortunately, israel backed by the USA and Blair, are using their technological arms, air fighters, and smart bombs to kill and destroy my country Lebanon in all means. Bombs of 25 tons (which is heavier than the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan) are used to destroy buildings in the country. By now more than 20000 bomb is being used against Lebanon. \n\nAll of this and the USA, israel, Blair, and EU are not allowing us to defend our country and bring back our prisoners and occupied land. They are saying we are terrorists!!! Remember all when UK was on the edge of being attacked by Hitler, Churchill created the national resistance, France with Degaulle created the French Resistance, each and every country has resistance when its land is occupied or threatened by another country.. Why are we not allowed to do so? we just want our land, prisoners, and security back... Lebanon now has a huge shortage of money, food, medical supplies, cloth, bedding... The people who were able to leave their houses are staying in schools, public gardens, government buildings... Any kind of supplies coming is being bombed by israel, but sometimes the red cross and UN are able to convince israel not to bomb their trucks that move food supply. My message here is because I am starting a donation campain. So if you would like to donate please contact me and I will arrange it for you, as transferring money to Lebanon will cost a lot. I will take the money from you and transfer its equivalent from my Lebanese account to an A-political charity working in the south that is in need for money.

Massacres are done in front of the UN and ambassadors of the EU and USA, the israeli forces asking all the people in the south to leave the houses, when they leave they bomb their cars on the roads and kill them. Entire families were killed, children, elderly, women...
They are killing everyone, except the army and our brave resistance, that they should dare and fight with them.

But unfortunately, israel backed by the USA and Blair, are using their technological arms, air fighters, and smart bombs to kill and destroy my country Lebanon in all means. Bombs of 25 tons (which is heavier than the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan) are used to destroy buildings in the country. By now more than 20000 bomb is being used against Lebanon.
All of this and the USA, israel, Blair, and EU are not allowing us to defend our country and bring back our prisoners and occupied land. They are saying we are terrorists!!! Remember all when UK was on the edge of being attacked by Hitler, Churchill created the national resistance, France with Degaulle created the French Resistance, each and every country has resistance when its land is occupied or threatened by another country.. Why are we not allowed to do so? we just want our land, prisoners, and security back...