Hiba Bou Akar is a friend in Beirut that graduated from MIT and was planning on returning to the US this fall to pursue her PhD at Cal. She's been displaced from her home and her family is now in a shelter, along with the thousands of other innocent Lebanese that are being brutalized by the indescriminate, disproportionate and unjust revenge that Israel is taken out in response to the kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. Hiba's letter, copied below, is her firsthand experience in Beirut.
While Hezbollah is clearly a terrorist group that is a proxy for Iranian interests, and the murder and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers is a hateful and unacceptable crime, Israel's victimization of the entire country of Lebanon, targeting soldiers, civilians, women, children and core infrastructure necessary to sustain a viable nation, is unconscionable. Israel's brutal exercise of military power against innocents betrays any claim to a moral high ground. Democratic Party leaders like Dianne Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi have moral consciences that are short circuited by their allegiance to various lobbies, and the Lebanese people are being hung out to dry. The rest of us are not so morally dysfunctional.
Please examine your conscience and do what you can.
International Red Cross Bulletin
Lebanese Red Cross
Web site of Dianne Feinstein
Web site of Nancy Pelosi
From: hiba.bou.akar@gmail.com Hiba Bou Akar
To: Undisclosed-Recipient
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 14:49:09 -0700
Subject: Lebanon is under Attack- A Humanitarian Crisis
Dear all,
Many thanks to all of you who asked about me and showed their support. I really appreciate it and need it to cope with all the destruction and death surrounding me. I need your support to stop the mass massacre that my people are facing as a result of the Israeli attacks on my country that have been non-stop for 4 days.
My country is under attack with a level of aggression that I have not seen in my entire life. Barbaric acts against civilians, with no attention paid to the difference between children, women, elderly, and the handicapped on one hand, and fighters on the other. Everybody is a target for the bombs that are falling on us like black rain, like fire balls, from military planes that have not left our air since Wednesday July 12th, 2006. Their horrific noises have deafened our ears. Children's cries of horror are tearing our hearts. We asked for the international community's help to broker a cease fire. They did not care. All they care about are their regional interests. Israelis did not stop the bombs! Did not stop deaths! Continued their mass destruction! We are under attack without hope for an end.
The aggression is not only against people, but against infrastructure. All the bridges, tunnels, roads, electricity plants, fuel tanks, IT networks, water dams, and every other aspect of infrastructure has been or is being destroyed. Thousands of people have been displaced. We are currently helping people to settle in schools and other public facilities, and trying to supply them with minimum survival amenities. The entire relief effort is through personal initiatives since there is not yet an aid organization helping with the crisis.
It all started 4 days ago, when Hezbollah took two Israeli soldiers as hostages. We as Lebanese citizens condemned this act. We were surprised by this military operation. We did not want war, but they did not ask us. We Lebanese people are tired of war, we want peace. Too many loved ones have died over 20 years of wars. I was born in war, grew up in war, lived through wars, through Israeli occupation, through assassinations, through horror, through displacements, and I had enough, we had enough, Lebanese people had enough, Lebanon had enough! Enough Destruction..enough!
Unfortunately, two Israeli hostages were taken and three were killed, an operation which I am deeply sorry that we could not stop. But does this justify a barbaric attack that has up until now killed at least 160 people, injured hundreds, displaced thousands, and ruined an entire country? Israel bombed today a bus with 21 women and children fleeing from their village. Innocent people, running for their lives, not terrorists, not military people but women and children were burnt. Today Israel bombed three such buses! The international community remains silent.
This summer was our summer. We were happy to show our beautiful small country to the entire world after we have been rebuilding it for 15 years. We invited friends, family, business people and promised them a lovely time. We were so proud of what we accomplished. In four days Israel shattered our dreams in an unbalanced, crazy, sad, barbaric act of aggression; high-tech military planes high in the air bombing unarmed and defenseless people on the ground. In 4 days, Israel destroyed our country, killed our people. Blind Unjustified Aggression!
We are under siege! We are under attack from the air, from the water, and from land. We are cut off from the entire world, without any form of aid or support. Medical and food supplies are limited. Hunger is already creeping into those villages that have been isolated from the rest of the country. Injured people are stuck under ruins. Lebanon is officially facing a humanitarian crisis. Please help us in spreading the word. I and all Lebanese people need your support.
Thank you very much for your help!
Best Regards,
Hiba
