Posted on 08/22/2006 4:24:13 PM PDT by pissant
WISSAM ANDRUOUS'S family home lies in ruins after the war between Israel and Lebanon's Shiite Muslim militia, Hezbollah.
Plastic sheeting flaps over a hole where a bomb ripped the side of the house in the Christian village of Ain Ibl in southern Lebanon. Only the mattress springs remain of a charred room where three of his younger brothers used to sleep.
"We are Christians. We did not not belong to any party," said Mr Andruous, 31, a video technician and father of two, whose younger brother, Rany, 21, is studying in Sydney. "What if we rebuild this house and they make war again? How can I live with my children here?" he said.
While Hezbollah has claimed victory - propaganda posters across southern Lebanon declare: "Our Blood Has Won" - it is no triumph for many who have lost their livelihood and property in the violence. Although many Shiite Muslims support Hezbollah, members of other communities caught in the crossfire of this war do not.
"How can it be a victory when most of [southern Lebanon] has been destroyed?" asked Elias Hasrouni, a Maronite Christian, who manages the local electricity company. "There's no work, many people left, many people died, the houses were damaged. Is this a victory?"
Ain Ibl is next to the flattened village of Bint Jbeil, where there was heavy fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.
Imad Khoury, 38, the head of the local council, said the town is surrounded by Hezbollah missile batteries.
Hezbollah is dispensing up to $US12,000 ($16,000) to people who have lost property in the war, but Mr Hasrouni says he will not accept it. "We don't want to be indebted to Hezbollah," he said.
Residents who fled the town during the war returned to find bloodstains on their couches, or dirty handtowels where Hezbollah fighters had used their toilets, Mr Hasrouni said, adding that although many locals did not support this war, they could not stop it. Three years ago Hezbollah seized his olive groves for military purposes. He could do nothing.
"I do not like Hezbollah," said Mr Hasrouni, who still is afraid to visit his groves.
"I am disappointed with this war because Israel didn't really do the job … And I really don't believe anyone could disarm Hezbollah."
When Israel ended a decades-long occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah assumed control of the rural area. Its intelligence networks prevailed and people grew fearful of speaking out against the Islamic party.
Mr Andruous, who is not interested in politics, wants to leave Lebanon with his young family. "I visited Australia in 2004," he said, standing in the ruins of his living room. "I like the country and I have a little money. And I cannot live here any more."
Laura Ingraham had a Lebanese woman on her show a couple weeks ago (Can't remember her name, but she's fairly prominent in conservative circles). She told Laura that most Lebanese can't stand Hezbollah or the Iranians.
Lebanon PING
"I am disappointed with this war because Israel didn't really do the job"
Even the olive farmer knows...
But of course the Lebanese Christians like Helen Thomas and the Zogby brothers, who live outside Lebanon (and who have no contact with Hezbollah at all) just love the Hezzies.
It was a golden opportunity for the Christians to help take the Hezzies out. Too bad it didn't happen this time.
Because they are leftists that hate the USA. To them Hitler is preferable to Bush.
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They were only wounded. The followup will be critical, and it will be up to the US and Israel to apply the pressure, because France and the UN cannot be trusted.
The ethnic cleansing of Christians from the Arab Middle East will be as unreported as the earlier ethnic cleansing of the Jews.
Did Hisbollah wipe out their fellow shias Amal?
Where is Fox News, the Bush Administration? This information must get out.
On October 23, 1983, 241 U.S. soldiers were killed by Hezbollah in Beirut. The moronmedia and leftist lunatics don't seem to know this, or don't care. Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaeda are terrorists who we must kill as fast as possible. The Democrat "leaders" such as Hillary Clinton, Pelosi, Reid, Lamont, Dean, Obama, Boxer, Leahy, Kennedy, Kerry, Biden, Rockefeller, Feinstein, Schumer, et cetera ad nauseum, think we can just walk away from Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terror. They are either fools or allies of the terrorists - perhaps both.
Kindda surprised that Hezbollah let these Christian people stay in southern Lebanon.In most Islamic countries the Christain population is being persecuted as much as any Jews would be !!!
THE truth??? There are a whole LOT of the truths the MSM refuses to tell us.
Which is why I pay very little attention to the MSM.
Well then my Christian brothers, take up arms and fight for the civilized world.
My understanding that the giving money away by Hezbollah was a great PR campaign. The story we did not hear was that most of the $100 bills were printed right there in Beirut and are as counterfiet as John Kerry's love for Theresa!
But the bigger story will be the demise of radical Islam in the ME.
Bush has stated many times he is standing with the Lebanese people and that Hezbollah is an unwanted state within a state. The media just gives all his statements short shrift unless they can divine a negative angle.
The enemy within.
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