Saturday, July 15, 2006

In for the long haul



That was the Corniche last night after the Dahiyeh (southern suburbs of Beirut) were bombed. I didn't have the time to add the picture in last night's post as the web cafe shut down after we heard gunfire. Even shots of celebration are testing the nerve of people in Hamra.

This morning, Rue Hamra is reasonably busy, although 95% of the shops are closed. After the Israelis hit the power stations, it would seem that generators are keeping the lights on and the air-con whirring.

The mood here appears to be one of stoic resignation. Hamra residents are out in the sunshine, trying to maintain a sense of normality. Yet with the shops closed, this normality is but a thin veneer. Shelves at the grocery stores are being emptied as people stock up on gas, tinned food and batteries. The expectation is of a protracted conflict.

Overnight was calm. I slept right through until 8am this morning. In fact, the noise in the hotel was the biggest problem, with doors being slammed continuously!

With nothing else to do in Hamra, all I can do is sit tight and wait for the British Embassy to contact me in the event of an evacuation. I'm aware that I'm in a lucky position here. The Lebanese don't have the same options open to them. Israel has bombed most of the arterial roads in Lebanon. In essence, they are slicing the country into pieces. It's not an exaggeration to say that the entire state of Lebanon (and not just Hizbullah) is under siege.

The Daily Star, Lebanon's english language paper, has a double page spread of the devastation. It's not pretty. The Star normally accompanies a copy of the International Herald Tribune. Yet this morning, the Star was only being sold on its own - a boxout just under the masthead reads: "The International Herald Tribune will not be distributed with The Daily Star today as it contains material that violates Lebanese law." I'm not sure what the violation is, but it surely pertains to the Herald Tribune's editorial stance on the current crisis.

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