For almost two weeks, Lebanon has been targeted by incessant Israeli bombings. What is life like for residents there?
It’s a nightmare. The Lebanese are traumatized by the violence of this war, of which they are the collateral damage… In Beirut, the population already affected by the port explosion on August 4, 2020, now goes to bed with the echo of the bombings. And it feels like they’re exploding right next to it. I have just gone to a health center run by the Congregation of the Holy Hearts in the south of the capital: there the elderly people welcomed slept in the corridors to find shelter…
Not to mention the uprooting of a million and a half people across the country. Lebanon has less than six million inhabitants. The faces I see arriving from southern Lebanon are full of distress. They are civilians! And of all faiths. They packed up without knowing if they will ever be able to return home. Some are housed with relatives, others in convents. But many sleep on the streets, in the heart of Beirut. All Lebanese schools are now closed to accommodate the displaced.
Does this have an impact on their education?
Yes, the education sector has collapsed for several years. Schools were blocked during protests in 2019 following the economic crisis, and then remote classes were poorly managed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, a nine-year-old in the public sector (15% of school enrollment nationwide) does not know how to read and write in Arabic! Without forgetting the 300,000 out-of-school children. The level risks falling if schools remain closed for too long.
What is the state of mind of the population towards Hezbollah?
A large part of the Lebanese is angry with Hezbollah for having imported the war into Lebanon. Even within the Shiite community not everyone is favorable to Hezbollah. That doesn’t mean they like Israel. The Lebanese are held hostage to a war they do not want.
What is the Work of the Orient doing to help them?
We are originally a “friendship” association and not specialized in emergency aid. But faced with the numerous crises that Lebanon has suffered over the last fifteen years, we had to get started. Today, we therefore rely on our vast network of Christian institutions to understand the needs on site. Currently, they lack mattresses, blankets and medicines to help the displaced people.
We also do not forget the residents remaining in their villages near the Israeli border, who do not want to leave for fear that their homes will be occupied by fighters.
We also financially support the Geitaoui hospital in Beirut, the only one specialized in the care of severe burn victims, often victims of air strikes. They provide long and delicate care. For example, it sometimes takes four hours to remove a bandage… On average, care costs $800 per patient. It costs a fortune! In addition, because of the numerous power cuts that the country has suffered for many years, generators must be powered. But fuel oil is very expensive today…
Like other organizations, we are overwhelmed. What we can do seems like a drop in the ocean when it comes to such great needs.
Have you been able to benefit from an influx of donations to meet the needs of Lebanese civilians?
Unfortunately the response is very weak, donations do not follow. However, we have seen a real surge of solidarity in recent years at the start of the war in Ukraine or during the civil war in Syria. The French and the Lebanese maintain very close ties of friendship and proximity. Our partners also see it. Something unusual is happening. The Lebanese receive less support than after the Beirut port explosion. Perhaps it has to do with how the conflict is perceived. Seen from Beirut, I have the impression that little is said about the fate reserved for the Lebanese population in the media. Public opinion is following the fighting more and the humanitarian crisis is being passed over in silence.
And you, are you still hopeful?
I’ve been asked this for years. Despite this total uncertainty, if I continue my mission, it is for the Lebanese. I draw my energy daily from contact with these extraordinary people who put themselves at the service of others. I want to fight for them. And help them to promote the wealth of Lebanon: its history, its solidarity, its educated population… There is everything to make the inhabitants feel good there. The path is still possible.
