Pessimism Sets In Over Escalation of War
English version of article published in Der Spiegel
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,426693,00.html)
July 13, 2006
Beirut - On the hot and humid day in Beirut, the normally bustling Hamra Street in West Beirut, is uncharacteristically calm by the afternoon. Shops have been progressively closing during the day; traffic has lightened.
Off of Hamra Street, Zakaria, a flower shop keeper, on Jeanne d’Arc Street explains: “I am used to the Israeli actions. I don’t know about tonight but certainly something will happen”.
And when it comes to where he might go if the situation gets worse, Zakaria continues: “I was here during the Israeli invasion in 1982, I did not leave then, I will not leave now.”
Nadia standing further up the road is a little less stoic about the ensuing events. Frustrated she burst out: “ I don’t like politics... What are we going to do? There is no agreement in parliament and we just want to live.” In response to what her contingency plan may be: “If I were to leave? Where would I go? There is no one to take us in.”
With little faith in a positive political outcome, the Lebanese people are left to their own devices.
In the southern neighborhood of Dahia, a Hezbollah stronghold, eyewitnesses described the area emptying. Cars packed with people and furniture attached to the roof have been leaving. Hussein born in Dahia has gone off to stay with relatives in another neighborhood.
In the downtown area, many coffee shops are closed. For the few that are open, there were not many clients.
Tariq and Salah from Kuwait describe their vacation taking a strange turn: “We had a lot of fun the first few days here but things have turned 180 degrees from fun to fear... we have poor timing” they finished lightheartedly.
Not far from the downtown, at the five star Intercontinental Hotel, Phoenicia, guests are sitting with the bags packed in the lobby.
Speaking to a group of women on vacation from the Gulf visiting relatives, they are not sure what is going to happen. The events overnight and throughout the day have led them to cut their vacation short by a week. “We are packed, yes, but we do not know how we are going to leave the country... There is Syria of course, but we have to wait and see”.
Farah a receptionist working at the hotel describes his morning as being hectic: “ A lot of people left this morning. Embassies sent buses down to the hotel, to take the guests to border with Syria”.
In the meantime, Atif, a driver taking people out to the frontier explains that the border is jammed with cars cueing between 5 and 6 hours for exit visas.
Yet fleeing through the border is not cheap. Taxis on the other side are reportedly charging 250$ to get to Damascus, a ride which usually costs around 10 to 20 dollars.
Back at the Intercontinental Phonecia, lady meeting a friend at the hotel for lunch describes her morning: “I woke up early this morning to the sounds of the bombing of the airport, and my mother yelling in the house. The recent events have really upset my her”, explains Lina who is in Lebanon holiday visiting her parents. “It is not the same as in the war” she continues referring back to the 15 year Civil War she grew up in, “but the feeling of instability is hard no less.”
No one knows what the next move will be. Rather, the general feeling is one of sitting tight and waiting.
With the airport incapacitated from this morning’s bombing, and the naval blockade stopping boat traffic, the reality that there is nothing else to do but to wait and see for the time being.
Driving through town, the traffic is light, although there are still workers and people walking along the street. For those standing by and sitting on public benches their immobility is indicative of the general atmosphere.
In the meantime, cars began this morning and throughout the day to cue at the gas station.
On Tabariz, next to downtown, the station manager of Medco, Shukri, explained that so far they have served about three times as many customers than on a usual day: “We were really busy, we serviced about 1000 cars in eleven hours. At this rate can last for another 3 days and then we won’t have any more gas.
When asking him about how to get gas now the traffic at the port is blocked, he says optimistically: “This crisis won’t last more than one week, we will be getting gas again.”
As the day cool off with the incoming evening breeze off the sea, the city is bracing itself for the possibility of it being a long night.
Elias, a 22 year youth thinks over the tracer fire of last night followed by the sound of anti-aircraft fire, and the news of this morning bombings raids in the south of Lebanon: “Maybe war is a good thing, it might help us to finally come up with one solution. It is always the same problem, no one agrees, each community for its own skin, and there is no national solution.” He continues: “We need reform and reconciliation. With a single hand, Lebanon could make good decisions”.
A difficult future to face, Elias believes in the importance of national unity and cohesion.
As difficult as it is to say what will come of the recent events, the thought of war is on people's mind's whether in memory or pessimistic anticipation.
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,426693,00.html)
July 13, 2006
Beirut - On the hot and humid day in Beirut, the normally bustling Hamra Street in West Beirut, is uncharacteristically calm by the afternoon. Shops have been progressively closing during the day; traffic has lightened.
Off of Hamra Street, Zakaria, a flower shop keeper, on Jeanne d’Arc Street explains: “I am used to the Israeli actions. I don’t know about tonight but certainly something will happen”.
And when it comes to where he might go if the situation gets worse, Zakaria continues: “I was here during the Israeli invasion in 1982, I did not leave then, I will not leave now.”
Nadia standing further up the road is a little less stoic about the ensuing events. Frustrated she burst out: “ I don’t like politics... What are we going to do? There is no agreement in parliament and we just want to live.” In response to what her contingency plan may be: “If I were to leave? Where would I go? There is no one to take us in.”
With little faith in a positive political outcome, the Lebanese people are left to their own devices.
In the southern neighborhood of Dahia, a Hezbollah stronghold, eyewitnesses described the area emptying. Cars packed with people and furniture attached to the roof have been leaving. Hussein born in Dahia has gone off to stay with relatives in another neighborhood.
In the downtown area, many coffee shops are closed. For the few that are open, there were not many clients.
Tariq and Salah from Kuwait describe their vacation taking a strange turn: “We had a lot of fun the first few days here but things have turned 180 degrees from fun to fear... we have poor timing” they finished lightheartedly.
Not far from the downtown, at the five star Intercontinental Hotel, Phoenicia, guests are sitting with the bags packed in the lobby.
Speaking to a group of women on vacation from the Gulf visiting relatives, they are not sure what is going to happen. The events overnight and throughout the day have led them to cut their vacation short by a week. “We are packed, yes, but we do not know how we are going to leave the country... There is Syria of course, but we have to wait and see”.
Farah a receptionist working at the hotel describes his morning as being hectic: “ A lot of people left this morning. Embassies sent buses down to the hotel, to take the guests to border with Syria”.
In the meantime, Atif, a driver taking people out to the frontier explains that the border is jammed with cars cueing between 5 and 6 hours for exit visas.
Yet fleeing through the border is not cheap. Taxis on the other side are reportedly charging 250$ to get to Damascus, a ride which usually costs around 10 to 20 dollars.
Back at the Intercontinental Phonecia, lady meeting a friend at the hotel for lunch describes her morning: “I woke up early this morning to the sounds of the bombing of the airport, and my mother yelling in the house. The recent events have really upset my her”, explains Lina who is in Lebanon holiday visiting her parents. “It is not the same as in the war” she continues referring back to the 15 year Civil War she grew up in, “but the feeling of instability is hard no less.”
No one knows what the next move will be. Rather, the general feeling is one of sitting tight and waiting.
With the airport incapacitated from this morning’s bombing, and the naval blockade stopping boat traffic, the reality that there is nothing else to do but to wait and see for the time being.
Driving through town, the traffic is light, although there are still workers and people walking along the street. For those standing by and sitting on public benches their immobility is indicative of the general atmosphere.
In the meantime, cars began this morning and throughout the day to cue at the gas station.
On Tabariz, next to downtown, the station manager of Medco, Shukri, explained that so far they have served about three times as many customers than on a usual day: “We were really busy, we serviced about 1000 cars in eleven hours. At this rate can last for another 3 days and then we won’t have any more gas.
When asking him about how to get gas now the traffic at the port is blocked, he says optimistically: “This crisis won’t last more than one week, we will be getting gas again.”
As the day cool off with the incoming evening breeze off the sea, the city is bracing itself for the possibility of it being a long night.
Elias, a 22 year youth thinks over the tracer fire of last night followed by the sound of anti-aircraft fire, and the news of this morning bombings raids in the south of Lebanon: “Maybe war is a good thing, it might help us to finally come up with one solution. It is always the same problem, no one agrees, each community for its own skin, and there is no national solution.” He continues: “We need reform and reconciliation. With a single hand, Lebanon could make good decisions”.
A difficult future to face, Elias believes in the importance of national unity and cohesion.
As difficult as it is to say what will come of the recent events, the thought of war is on people's mind's whether in memory or pessimistic anticipation.
posted by Irina Prentice at 11:52 PM
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