...can be described in one word:
Recently, a colleague of mine went to Lebanon with a group of other delagates from Scotland. This group consisted of 28 folk which included MP's & MSP's (Ministers of Parliment & Ministers of Scottish Parliment), membesr of Scottish Friends of Lebanon, Stop the War Coalition, Glasgow University; Glasgow City Council, Strathclyde Fire-fighters; human rights lawyers, journalizts, writers, and the Iona Community. The Iona Community was the only Christian representation in the group. The group spent 7 or so days traveling through Beruit and other areas in Lebanon which were bombed by Israel---and in many places, cluster bombs are a current & present danger. Here are some of Helen's reflections: (I'll try to get some photos too...)
Day 1:
1938, world war 11, buildings bombed to smithereens, streets filled with rubble, rations, people bewildered, afraid... only this is not world war 11. This is 2006, downtown Beruit.
Nothing could have prepared me for the devastation around Beruit itself. Around 1/2 Million people, in one very crowded suburb, whose homes have ALL been reduced to rubble from teh bombs. ALL 1/2 Million. Street after street after street. At one point I put the camera down - there was so much to film, so much to show the world, and yet no camera in the world could convey the amount of destruction here. It was hard not to cry.
One woman returned to the bombed flats with her daughter. They were trying to find clothes for the winter, and searching through the mounds of rubble to see what they could find.
In central Beruit, bombed bridges, more bombed buildings, more rubble everywhere. "If one Hexbullah lived here, in one buildinng block or block of flats, the whole building would be destroyed" our guide told us. In the middle of a shopping center, a "small" bomb had done right through the middle of the building, the shops on either side are still standing, the bomb shaft exists in between.
In another part of the city, another woman - still shocked, looking at what was once her flat, crying because she had lost not only her home, but her son... and she is now a refugee, a refugee in her own country. The shortbread I gave her was of little comfort.
Tomorrow we meet the Prime Minister and Parliamentary officers. And later in the week, we will visit the bombed areas in the south.
More to Follow,
Helen
Youth Department Coordinator
Away from the bomb-sites in Beirut, the Scottish delegates* spent a second day meeting officials and delegates from the Lebanese Parliament, from Hezbollah (the parliament, in contrast to the spiritual leaders met yesterday), and from the Christian Church. It has not been an easy day. The delegation is beginning to process the bombardment - on the one hand from seeing the most terrible, terrible sights, and on the other from being plunged into a very, very complex governing system. While analysis, opinions, statistics, and future hopes can be easily understood, the complexity and diversity within government, with its diverse culture, ideology and religious practice, in many ways adds to the physical mess now needing cleared up.
Another side to Beirut has also been witnessed today - wealth is evident in this city. While the issue of homelessness has now reached desperate levels, parts of Beirut remain prosperous, alive, cosmopolitan. In one part of the city, one could perhaps live in a cocoon, ignoring the chaos and devastation in surrounding areas. But a 5 minute drive from the parliament buildings and downtown Beirut, gives a stark reality check - it is clear to the naked eye that the problems here as a result of the Israeli invasion are massive. A member of Parliament told us today that 300 unexploded cluster bombs still exist in the South. The rains have come, burying them under-ground. Consequently, they expect the death toll to rise. So far, we have not witnessed any NGOs or humanitarian agencies working on the ground here - Christian or other.
On a related issue: on Friday we hope to visit Sabra and Shatila refugee camp.
Helen
Utter annihilation. Two little words, but can they possibly convey the depth of destruction witnessed by the Scottish delegates today in South Beirut? I’m not sure.
And worse, when the sight of village after village, swamped by hills of rubble where once stood houses, shops, schools, roads, and even hospitals only 2 months ago, when these sights no longer shock and become common place to the naked eye, ironically, it is then that the depth of destruction can actually begin to be realised. It will take some time to process and share all that has been witnessed.
Leaders in the area told us that the greatest poverty in Lebanon exists in the South, and that southern Lebanese people feel neglected by their government - a statement backed by the one Irish activist we spoke to on the ground. I guess this should not be too unsurprising. All too often in conflicts, it is the poorest people who suffer the most. And yet, amidst this suffering there is a calmness in the air: the people were warm, open, friendly – carrying on with daily affairs in the midst of utter, utter chaos everywhere. We joked with families and played with children while their parents were trying to pick clothing and furniture from under one pile of rubble. As a Christian I felt humbled by their calm resilience and will carry that image with me for some time to come.
Helen
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