Yo Bliar!...A Word from Lebanon

With the current crisis in the middle east - amidst all the comment and statements of groups and countries and factions it is easy to forget that behind each batch of casualty figures are real lives and real deaths. Even those who are not killed or wounded, still suffer from the trauma of war. If anything in the fucked up situation we see unraveling around us means anything at all, I think perhaps we need to listen to the voices of ordinary people. This is an email written by Raida, one of IndyMedia Lebanon's volunteers;

Hi Petros

Thank you for writing to me, I am fine, and all the members of my family are fine, some of them had to sleep in the shelters as they live close to the bridge that was attacked twice yesterday and today by Israel, the house of my sister was damaged seriously yet she and her family are fine, of course the children are terrified.

As for my coworkers in the Palestinian camps in the south, I am not able to reach them by phones, I lost contact with them in the 2nd day of the Israeli war, I hope they are fine. Israel destroyed Lebanon completely. We have electricity for 2 hours per day yet other regions have no electricity at all.

I think you are following the news, 4 massacres till now, two families were killed, all members of the families, two civilian cars also were attacked and many were killed, till now 100 civilians were killed among them there is many children.

Israel says this war will continue for two weeks, this means the attacks will reach every region in Lebanon. Iraqis, Syrians and Kuwaities were killed also in the attacks. The photos attached are of people displaced or killed in the israeli shelling and bombing.

I will end my email now because I fear the electricity will be cut again now. Thanks again for your email and concerns, I salute you and Sue and all the other friends by your side hope always to hear from you

Salaam
Raida

Contrast the words of ordinary people ("...of course the children are terrified...") with our beloved leader, Bliar. This is his assessment of what to do to stop the killing (death toll currently over 300 in total); "Well... it's only if I mean... you know. If she's got a..., or if she needs the ground prepared as it were... Because obviously if she [condi rice] goes out, she's got to succeed, if it were, whereas I can go out and just talk." Does that mean you can't achieve jack-shit Mr.Blair? I think it does. It shows in full effect that the UK is a client state of the US. Blair is toothless to stop the killing and Bu$h just does not give a shit, after all its the Syrian's fault. None of which stops the killing.

I also checked out Israel Indymedia to see what was being written there, but at the moment it seems to be under a spam attack by people opposed to its coverage and so you can't get much from it.

I notice that there will be a show solidarity with people under Israeli attack called by Bristol Stop The War Coalition: Friday 21st July between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on the Centre opposite the Hippodrome.

Images of the bombing here...