Jordan Telecom’s support campaign, Help Support Lebanon in one of the following 3 methods:
1. Send an SMS with the word: help -or- عون to 99132.
2. Make your donations at wanadoo offices.
3. Call 090099123 from a fixed line and donate 1 JD/call.
All Donations will be sent to the victims and their families through the Red Crescent Organization in Jordan. Hurry Up!
1,911 Views Email this post- 65 killed and wounded (mostly women and children, many handicapped) in Qana when an Israeli air strike leveled a four-story residential building used as a shelter by refugees
- 1,600 injured civilians
- 750,000 refugees (representing 12% of the population), of which 100,000 are sleeping in empty schools, parking lots and public gardens
- 4 international UN observers killed in an attack on their post in Khiyam even though the UNIFIL had warned the Israeli army several times that they were hitting too close
- 2 Indian UN peacekeepers wounded in an Israeli air raid on their post
- Attempts at creating a humanitarian corridor unsuccessful because of the destroyed bridges and roads that do not allow access to the villages that have the greatest humanitarian needs in the South
- Inability for ambulances and civil defense crews to reach areas with heavy civilian casualties because of intense bombardment
- Only 10% of the humanitarian aid needed has arrived to the country by ship or plane
- Refusal by Israel to allow for a 72-hour truce as requested by Jan Egeland, the UN’s top official for humanitarian relief, to evacuate the wounded, the children, the elderly and the disabled from the crossfire
- Bombing of a medical convoy from the Emirates
- Bombing of 2 Red Cross ambulances (Israel claims that Hezballah uses ambulances to move weapons, yet there has been no proof of that and only civilians have died when these ambulances were attacked)
- Bombing of 3 hospitals
- Bombing of fleeing civilian cars and buses
- Over 4500 air attacks mostly on villages where civilians haven’t been able to evacuate because of the bombings and destroyed roads
2/ Human Rights and War Crimes implications for Israel
- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights claims that Israel’s actions in Lebanon could lead to the prosecution of its military commanders. Statement issued suggesting that the failure to spare civilians is a clear violation of international criminal law.
- Human Rights Watch claims that Israel has used artillery-fired cluster munitions in populated areas of Lebanon. Researchers on the ground in Lebanon confirmed that a cluster munitions attack on the village of Blida on July 19 killed one and wounded at least 12 civilians, including seven children. Human Rights Watch researchers also photographed cluster munitions in the arsenal of Israeli artillery teams on the Israel-Lebanon border.
- Human Rights Watch claims that Israel may be guilty of war crimes, citing: the destruction of about 60% of a nine square blocks area of southern Beirut composed mostly of apartment buildings, attacks on the village of Srifa, in which 10 houses were destroyed and at least 42 civilians killed, attacks on a vehicle of villagers fleeing Marwaheen, in which 16 civilians were killed. All these events took place despite the alleged absence of legitimate military target in sight.
- Blackened bodies of children and civilians are showing up in hospitals with no sign of being burnt (hair is still present) indicating that Israel is using weapons with toxic material. Tests indicate the presence of an unidentified chemical substance. The Human Rights Watch is still to verify whether Israel is using phosphorus in their weapons.
- Amnesty International has denounced “blatant” violations of international law and called on the UN to deploy an immediate fact-finding mission to investigate attacks against civilians and other breaches of international law.
- Amnesty International has also called for an arms embargo on Israel and Hezbollah amidst concerns on the transfer of weapons from the US to Israel, via Britain
3/ Infrastructure, Economical and Industrial Toll (overall losses valued at more than 2 billion dollars)
- Air, sea and terrestrial blockade
- Bombing of the Beirut International Airport
- Bombing of the Rayak military airport and Qaleiat domestic airport
- Bombing of the ports of Beirut, Jounieh, Tripoli and Tyr
- Bombing of the roads from Beirut to Damascus
- Destruction of at least 5000 private homes and residential buildings in villages in the south of Lebanon, in the south of Beirut and in the Christian center of Beirut, Achrafieh
- Bombing of hundreds of firms and industrial factories (losses valued at more than 150 million dollars)
- Destruction of the main Lebanese milk factory, « Liban LAIT », of a tissue paper factory, a bottle factory, a packaging firm and a wood plant
- Bombing of food and humanitarian trucks
- Destruction of all the main bridges (at least 100 bridges, most of them newly built, including Mdairej bridge, the highest one in the Middle East, which cost an estimated 44 million dollars), dams and overpasses
- Destruction of all more than 600km of roads in the south, making it impossible for civilians to flee their villages
- Bombing of religious symbols: Imam Ali mosque (Baalbeck) and prayer centers
- Bombing of most power plants, power stations, sewage plants, water facilities, fuel stations and transport trucks
- Bombing of the historical port of Byblos resulting in a huge oil spill
- Destruction of the historical headlight of Manara
- Bombing of Lebanese military barracks and radar installations which are not supposed to be weakened or involved in the fight
- Bombing of the telecommunication infrastructure (losses valued at more than 15 million dollars): mobile networks of Faraya, Jounieh, Zghorta (in the Christian areas), radio antennas, TV stations LBC and Manar
- Biggest ecological crisis ever in the Mediterranean resulting from the bombing of the Jiyeh power plant: 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes of oil have spilled into the sea, affecting not only 1/3 of the Lebanese coast, its sea life and marine ecosystem (including the endangered green turtle), but also the coasts of Cyprus, Syria, Turkey, Greece and Israel. This oil spill is of the size of the Erika oil spill that affected Spain and France but its impact more serious considering that it is not an open ocean as with the Erika oil spill.
- In 18 days, all 15 years of reconstruction efforts have been shattered. Lebanon’s fragile democracy is now the weakest it’s ever been, both in its ability to function and in the eyes of its people, thanks to Israeli aggression.
4/ Progress with Israel’s war objectives
- Hezbollah is still firing rockets and has threatened to hit the center of Israel
- Hezbollah doesn’t seem to be weakened despite IDF allegations and will even emerge stronger as they are now viewed as heroes across the Arab world
- Iranians are volunteering to help Hezbollah in their fight
- Al Qaeda vows to avenge Israeli onslaughts on Lebanon and threatens Israel and its allies
- The world has become a more dangerous place as the potential for new terrorists and terrorist acts is increasing daily fueled by the anger and hatred that is being bred by this war which instead of targeting Hezbollah militants has targeted Lebanese civilians and has completely destroyed Lebanon
- These events are damaging Israel and the US’s image around the world and is breeding more hatred, particularly in the Arab and Muslim world and amongst existing terrorist groups. Not to mention that it is alienating Israel and the US from their allies.
- The risk that the war spreads out in the region is very real
- Now that the one and only multi-confessional democracy in the Middle East has been completely weakened and brought back “20 years in time” as per Israeli military objectives, Bush’s goal of creating “a new Middle East” is starting to look more and more like his Iraqi ambitions
In conclusion
“War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.”
Thomas Mann
+ Bob Via Shaعtalization
يا حكومة بلادي.. أرجوكم أخبروني الآن:
ألم تقتنعوا بعد بأن عدوكم الحقيقي هو إسرائيل؟
(المصدر: الجزيرة نت. من عملية انتشال ضحايا مجزرة قانا الثانية)
782 Views Email this postI guess all of us Arabs have established the fact that we condemn, hate, object to, are against (… etc) the Israeli atrocities in Lebanon during the past few weeks, and certainly their atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territories over the past decades.
The time has come to ask ourselves what can be done to effectively put an end to this.
Many of us have donated money, which is great, many of us have held protests and rallies which usually ended in brutal encounters with our “friendly” neighborhood policemen, very good, many of us have boycotted and are boycotting US and Israeli products, good, BUT, the question remains: What can we effectively do that cannot be considered an act of violence, and that can convince our governments that they need to listen to us?
I am not sure if people simply decided to forget about it, or if some western research institute decided that it no longer works, but has anyone considered recently the effectiveness of a simple, peaceful STRIKE lately?!?
In Europe, strikes happen almost every year, especially with new legislations and tax laws being issued under the new EU governing body. Truck drivers, airline employees, train station workers, fisherman, you name it! They simply decide jointly and peacefully not to go to work for a period of time, to demonstrate their true objection of a certain law or situation. No violence involved, and the government is forced many times to reconsider.
Objectively speaking, it takes 20-30% of an entire working community in a city to stay home for a couple of weeks to drive certain sectors in the economy to a stand still position!
This would certainly create a serious commotion that is untraceable by authorities as they cannot go knocking on every door, and at the same time unbearable by the economy!
Realistically speaking, we cannot change our governments overnight, we simply need to convince them to see things the way their people see them. And a civil strike may sometimes be the best way to attempt to do this.
A country without its economy in no longer a country, and a government without a country is no longer a government!
Duri Al Ajrami
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We have to do something about it… They should know that there is no room for war anymore…
Join our flickr photo campaign on
… to send a message of NO War
I started with 3 photos and i hope the number will increase
pick up your camera and say it “No for War”
4,113 Views Email this postI am Jewish and a Zionist. I would like a dialog. I have been reading your website and I am impressed by the honesty of your views, although I don’t agree with them at all.
I have read a lot of writings by Arabs/Palestinians. I have read about life and conditions in the West Bank and Gaza. I have read a lot about life in the UNRWA refugees camps. It’s utterly horrible. I wouldn’t want it. I wouldn’t want my city occupied by a foreign army. I wouldn’t want to have to go through a checkpoint to travel to the next town. I wouldn’t want middle of the night arrests. I wouldn’t want a foreign army’s helicopters above my town. I live a comfortable life. Wouldn’t those people want the same comforts of life? Of course.
The Palestinians are victims, no doubt about it, but of who and what? There is one key thought that they refuse to enter their minds. They refuse to consider or accept that the root cause of all of this is that they have always wished to destroy, and have always taken steps to destroy, the State of Israel. They don’t see that everything Israel does is a reaction to that. I repeat. They don’t see that everything Israel does is a reaction to that. Israel considers that it is defending itself. Arabs never once acknowledge this in their writings. You never hear it uttered from their lips.
Read what Israelis and Jewish people are saying. This is self-defense. You may not agree that it is self-defense, but you must accept that this is the Jewish and Israeli perception and the thought behind their actions. Israelis and Jewish people have absolutely no wish to kill Arabs/Palestinians for fun!
Why don’t Arabs including Palestinians accept that their desire and intention to destroy the State of Israel is the root cause of the conflict? Two reasons I believe.
First, it’s easier, more comfortable, and politically correct for them to see themselves as victims. Some people are like that – always feeling sorry for themselves and seeing themselves as victims – and never seeing that anything they do themselves may be the cause of their problems.
Second, because they can never give up their wish and intention to destroy the State of Israel. They would rather die than accept Israel’s existence. And if they did accept Israel’s existence, perhaps they would have to accept that after all these years, they were victims of themselves.
In recent years we have the new factor of religion. Israel is on “Islamic” land. I am old enough to remember when religion was not a factor as it is today.
Most Jews and Arabs including Palestinians don’t bother to look at the other side’s writings or listen carefully to what they are saying – because they can’t bear to listen. Everyone is yelling but no one is listening to the other side. They are just listening to their own side.
If Israel believed, truly believed, that the Arabs and Palestinians no longer desired to destroy Israel and would never again try to destroy or attack Israel, wonderful things would happen. Do any of you see that?
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Under the slogan “Human Life First”, several leagues and institutions came together to launch a campaign opposing the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, and spread awareness of the enormous toll Israeli attacks is having on Humans in Lebanon in international circles.
Our foreign media and information team designed several brochures in foreign languages to be sent to European, American and Canadian NGOs and parties. For its part, our relief team coordinates the aids sent by institutions from abroad and shelters refugees in homes and schools that welcome them in Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the North.
This campaign is made possible by the participation of:
-The National Lebanese League
- Kulluna Lilwatan Group (www.nowarlb.com )
-Tahawolat Magazine (www.tahawolat.com )
- Beirut Lemons (www.beirutlemons.com )
You may contact us via e-mail: beirutlemons@gmail.com
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“15 thousand tonnes of fuel spillage…”
“It will require decades to clean up the surrounding shores…”
“This is the worst pollution crises Lebanon has ever suffered in its history as a nation…”
Watching the news late last, I surprised myself. Somehow, I was even more shocked, more hurt, more devastated by images from Beirut - despite the fact that I had begun to feel ‘jaded’ these days. But then again, it never occurred to me that Lebanon’s beautiful shores would also be forced to shroud themselves in the mourning colour of black.
I can’t describe to you how much it hurt to see the environmental destruction Lebanon is suffering. It’s now enough that 25 percent of the population has been forced to flee. It’s not enough that children are sleeping in the empty hallways of school buildings and against the rough gravel of the street - those children, that is, who have not been charred to a black cinder.
It’s not enough that the country has been bombed to a rubble, that the economy is in shreds, that employment is non existent, that blood flows freely in the demolished streets and alleys.
No…now that reassuring blue of a constant ocean has also been tampered with, and the beautiful, comforting shores of Lebanon are defiled.
My God…does Israel even realize how much hate and anger they are fueling in the most pacifist of souls??
Does Israel honestly think they can continue insulting our intelligence for so long and claim this war is against Hizb Allah?
Does the US honestly believe we will buy into the claims it makes - that Israel is simply being a ‘helpful’ neighbour to Lebanon and aiding in removing ‘terrorist’ influences in Beirut and its nation?
Do people in this world of ours REALLY buy into that?? DO THEY????
Hat tip to
+ Beirut Update for the pictures
+ Blogging Beirut
+ Beirut to the Beltway
While Human Rights Watch is accusing Israel of using cluster bombs, the Lebanese president Emile Lahoud says Israel is also using white phosphorus. Lebanese doctors have reported witnessing the effects of white phosphorus on their patients. Independent journalist is in Beirut and has spoken to some of those doctors.
1,011 Views Email this postI’ve just received this message in my youtube account, and am willing inshAlla to respond to there call, I hope you can join them and help them out.
Here is the text of the message I received.
821 Views Email this postHello. I’m Lordnevets
I live in Liverpool in the UK!
A fellow YOUTUBER called EendjeKwak from Holland
sent me a message.
We want to make a global YouTube video with a simple message about what going on in the World.
“Stop It Now!”
The idea is to get as many like minded people to send me a five second video clip of them just simply saying
“Stop It Now”
Each will be tagged with their name and location.
The video is going to be called
“Peace Breaks Out!”
If you can help. Please do.
When finished. I can send out the complete vid to each person and we can launch them together.Here is EendjeKwak’s message:
EendjeKwak wrote:
>
> A suggetion:
> John Lennon once spread mysterious posters (or billboards) over the world with a message of peace. Maybe we can ask a lot of Youtubers from all over the world to download a poster we made. They have to put it somewhere (in a public toilet, in the city, on a tree) and film it. And you can make a news item about it! “All over the world mysterious posters appear with the weird orange eyes man”
> Or maybe a message: “Make video’s, not war!”We are not mute anymore.
We never used to be able to say so much to so many people ever! EVER!
There may be comedy, sadness. anger. pain. in the complete video but as long as we get together and share it. We can make a difference!
All I need is five seconds and send it to:My email address is lordnevetsJohntitts@yahoo.co.uk
or
lordnevets@blueyonder.co.ukHope you can help out!
Thank you and keep safe
Lordnevets (Steve Lofthouse - liverpool.
02:26am GMT 26th July 2006)
 Dear Starbucks Customer,First and foremost I want to thank you for making Starbucks the $6.4 billion global company it is today, with more than 90,000 employees, 9,700 stores, and 33 million weekly customers. Every latte and macchiato you drink at Starbucks is a contribution to the close alliance between the United States and Israel, in fact it is - as I was assured when being honored with the “Israel 50th Anniversary Friend of Zion Tribute Award” - key to Israel’s long-term PR success. Your daily Chocolate Chips Frappucino helps paying for student projects in North America and Israel, presenting them with the badly needed Israeli perspective of the Intifada. Starbucks, through the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah, an international network of Jewish education centres, sponsors Israeli military arms fairs in an effort to strengthen the special connection between the American, European and Israeli defense industries and to showcase the newest Israeli innovations in defense. As my contribution to the fight against the global rise of anti-Semitism, the reason behind the current conflict in the Middle-East, I help Aish HaTorah sponsoring the website “honestreporting.com” and produce material informing of Israel’s side of the story. Without you, my valued customer, I wouldn’t be able to raise hundreds of millions of dollars each year to protect Israeli citizens from terrorist attacks and keep reminding every Jew in America, to defend Israel at any cost. $5 billion per year from the US government are no way near enough to pay for all the weaponry, bulldozers and security fences needed to protect innocent Israeli citizens from anti-Semitic Muslim terrorism. Corporate sponsorships are essential. Having the bigger picture in mind, Starbucks have donated a store to the US army to help in the “War on Terror”. I cannot emphasize enough, how vital the “War on Terror” is for the continued viability and prospering of the Jewish State. So next time you feel like chilling out at a Starbucks store, please remember that with every cup you drink at Starbucks you are helping with a noble cause. Howard Schultz My Comment: The above copied article is available on this URL should you want to check it out yourself. http://www.ziopedia.org/content/view/578/1/ Everytime time you visit Starbucks and drink a cup of chocolate chips frappucino… think your drinking a cup of ARAB BLOOD WE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE… BOYCOTT STARBUCKS Starbuck’s Origin: |
Probably you heard what Hizbullah announced. They will start launching missiles deeper than before. Of course if this happens the Israelis will go crazy, i mean craziererer and …
Will we see a regional war? God knows!
I hope not! When will this nightmare stop?!?!
799 Views Email this posthttp://www.beirutlemons.com
Beirut Lemons Special From Amsterdam By : Lenie van Malde
Protest demonstration in Dutch capital Amsterdam against the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza
On the 22th of July there was a protestdemonstration in Amsterdam in the Netherelands: “Ring the Emergency Bell”, organized by a left wing party “Groen Links” and by the Dutch-Palestinian Committee. It started at one o’clock with a speech by somebody from the “International Socialists” ending with “Ya Beirut”, from Fairuz. People started to cry. Then the march started through the city by a quite diverse looking crowd. Many Lebanese flags, many Palestinian flags, a few Hezbollah flags. There was even a flag from Saudi Arabia, which was quite remarkable, considering the relation between the two countries. A turkish flag and a communist flag. And many many banners against the violence and destruction.
All kinds of people joined the demonstration. Many people would have been in Lebanon if the war hadnot broken out, some just returned. A lot Lebanese came in groups from different parts of the Netherlands, Palestinians who came here as refugees and live here already for a long time, Dutch who married Lebanese walked together with their children and a lot of Dutch people who are otherwise involved and worried about the situation in Lebanon. Some thousands of people were present. Now and then some slogans were yelled. Many Christians, Muslims, Atheists and Jews (“donot do to others what you donot want to be done to yourself”, on the protestpapers they carried on their bodies. People who were dressed in a very religious way and people who liked to show their shapes, people of all ages and children.
At the end of the march there were speeches from all kinds of organizations and people obviously differed from opinion on many subjects, but they had one issue in common: the violence should stop and Israël should stop. At the end a Lebanese young woman expressed her fear and sorrow about the incredible destructing and killing and about the whole world that witness this and suddenly the rain started to pour down from the sky. She scried: “Stay! Here it is raining water. There it is raining bombs!”. People looked for a shelter under huge different flags which some held above their heads . They were pressed together. When the thunder started someone shouted ”the Israëli’s”. And with the next heavy thunder: “Allahu Akbar”. There was a sense of unity between extremely different people sheltering together as a wish to Lebanon.
Pictures by Abdelghafour el Bacha - From Ministry of Bla di Bla Blog
1,212 Views Email this postزينب ابنة ال18 ربيعاً التي فقدت كل عائلتها امها وابيها واخوتها واشقائها وغيرهم في تلك المجزرة، نجت من الموت وهي مصابة في بطنها وقدمها ويدها. تروي زينب حكايتها مع الموت وكيف أنقذت نحو 115 فرداً من بلدتها. تقول وهي تبكي الذي كان يقوده والدي، توقفنا، نزل لإصلاحه وكانت القذائف تنهمر علينا. حاولت الهرب، لكن البارجة كانت تقصفنا وشاهدتها بعيني وسقطت قذيفة علينا، وعدت لأقول لوالدي إنهم يقصفوننا فوجدته غارقاً في دمه ولم يُجبني… لقد مات. وجدت أبناء أخي حسين وحسن ومحمد وعلي ومحمود وأختي وزوجة أخي ثناء وزوجة خالي زهراء وابنيها… وجدتهم كلهم إما اشلاء ممزقة وإما يحترقون. سمعت صراخ بعضهم وأنين البعض الآخر. ماذا أفعل لقد ماتوا جميعهم، كنا 28 فرداً مات منّا في هذه المجزرة 23 شخصاً من عائلتين، ومعظمهم من عائلتي، رحت أستغيث ولا مَن يجيب او يسمعني.
تضيف زينب: . وراحت تبكي بصمت.
Even before Israel became a state, it was torn between “we want to live in peace” and “there’s no one to talk with”.
During Israel’s history, the pendulum swung between those two sentiments.
In this war, the Israeli government has totally taken the side of “there’s no one to talk with” and bombs Lebanon like hell. Each and every bomb that the Israeli army drops on Lebanon adds more hate to the hearts of people around the Arab world and beyond it. Every bomb makes sure that there will be less and less people to talk peace with.
When you write and show on your blogs how the Israeli army is doing terrible things in Lebanon (and Gaza), you add hate to your hearts and the hearts of your readers. And let’s not be mistaken, there’s a lot to hate.
But can’t we go further than this while not forgetting all the suffering?
Can’t we not NOW, in these terrible times, think of how to make this tortured region a place of peace?
I think we all should.
I have some faint ideas on how to do this but I am not quite sure.
What do you think each and every one of us should do?
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لا توقظوه..
فالمكان مكدس بالجدران التي ضاقت بكرته..
لا توقظوه..
حلمه مات على طريق الجنوب..
لا توقظوه..
بيروت وعِدتْ بالسواد.. وشجرة أرز مجروحة..
(المصدر: رويترز)
3,498 Views Email this post
Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune BBC News | Middle East | World Edition
Reuters: International News Lebanese Blogger Forum Palestine Blogs
أخبار من قناة العربية أخبار قناة الجزيرة بي بي سي Lebanon News by tayyar.org
