Friday, July 28, 2006

Christians Fleeing Lebanon Denounce Hezbollah


Christians Fleeing Lebanon Denounce Hezbollah
By SABRINA TAVERNISE

July 28, 2006
Refugees

TYRE, Lebanon, July 27 ­ The refugees from southern Lebanon spilled out of packed cars into the dark street here Thursday evening, gulping bottles of water and squinting in the glare of the headlights to find family members and friends. Many had not eaten in days. Most had not had clean drinking water for some time. There were wounded swathed in makeshift dressings, and a baby just 16 days old.

But for some of the Christians who had made it out in this convoy, it was not just privations they wanted to talk about, but their ordeal at the hands of Hezbollah ­ a contrast to the Shiites, who make up a vast majority of the population in southern Lebanon and broadly support the militia.

“Hezbollah came to Ain Ebel to shoot its rockets,” said Fayad Hanna Amar, a young Christian man, referring to his village. “They are shooting from between our houses.”

“Please,’’ he added, “write that in your newspaper.”

The evacuation ­ more than 100 cars that followed an International Committee for the Red Cross rescue convoy to Tyre ­ included Lebanese from several Christian villages. In past wars, Christian militias were close to Israelis, and animosity between Christians and Shiites lingers.

Throngs of refugees are now common in this southern coastal town, the gateway to the war that is booming just miles away. The United Nations has estimated that 700,000 Lebanese, mostly from the southern third of the country, have been displaced by the war.

But thousands of people have been left behind, residents and the Red Cross say.

What has prevented many from fleeing is a critical shortage of fuel. Roland Huguenin-Benjamin, a spokesman for the Red Cross who accompanied the convoy to Tyre, said Red Cross officials had offered to lead out any people who wanted to drive behind, but many did not have enough gasoline for the trip.

Those who did get out were visibly upset. Some carried sick children. A number broke down it tears when they emerged from their cars here.

“People are dying under bombs and crushed under houses,” Nahab Aman said, sobbing and hugging her young son. “We’re not dogs! Why aren’t they taking the people out?”

Many Christians from Ramesh and Ain Ebel considered Hezbollah’s fighting methods as much of an outrage as the Israeli strikes. Mr. Amar said Hezbollah fighters in groups of two and three had come into Ain Ebel, less than a mile from Bint Jbail, where most of the fighting has occurred. They were using it as a base to shoot rockets, he said, and the Israelis fired back.

One woman, who would not give her name because she had a government job and feared retribution, said Hezbollah fighters had killed a man who was trying to leave Bint Jbail.

“This is what’s happening, but no one wants to say it” for fear of Hezbollah, she said.

American citizens remain in some southern villages. Mohamed Elreda, a father of three from New Jersey, was visiting relatives in Yaroun with his family when two missiles narrowly missed his car, while he was parking it in front of his family’s house. His 16-year-old son Ali was sprayed with shrapnel and is now in a hospital in Tyre.

“I have never seen anything like this in my life,” said Mr. Elreda, who arrived here on Thursday morning. “They see civilians, they bomb them,” he said, referring to the Israelis.

“We had to move underground like raccoons.”

He said a person affiliated with the United States Embassy arrived in Yaroun and shouted for everyone to join a convoy that the Israelis had promised safe passage.

He left in such haste, he said, that he had pulled on his wife’s sweatpants (they had a pink stripe running down the length of each leg). His son’s blood still stained his shoes.

He said Yaroun had been without electricity and clean water for more than a week, and he had stirred dirty clothes in a pail of water and bleach to make bandages for his son’s wounds.

The village is largely Christian, but has Muslim pockets, and Mr. Elreda said he walked at night among houses to the Christian section, where a friend risked his life to drive his son to Tyre, while Mr. Elreda stayed with the rest of the family.

On Thursday he joined his son at the hospital.

“He’s my son,” he said, standing at the foot of the boy’s bed. “I just can’t see him like this.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/world/middleeast/28refugees.htm?_r=1&oref=slogin

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Update Lebanon Situation - WCCR Letter to H.E. George W. Bush - Current Middle East Conflict … Hezbollah / Israel / Lebanon

The Cedars Revolution
www.cedarsrevolution.org
cedarsrevolution@aol.com
Tuesday 26th July 2006
Washington Bureau

H.E. George W. Bush
President
United States of America
White House
Washington DC USA

Re – Current Middle East Conflict … Hezbollah / Israel / Lebanon

The World Council of the Cedars Revolution is outraged at Hezbollah’s continuous and indiscriminate attacks upon the people of Israel. These attacks do not in any way represent the mentality, attitude and behavior of the great majority of the people of Lebanon, nor do they reflect the wishes of the current Lebanese government.

The Cedars Revolution has been working in a close relationship and partnership with the United States Government and the United Nations Security Council, seeking means and ways to disarm and disband all terrorist militias in Lebanon in accordance with UNSCR 1559.

We acknowledge that due to the unwarranted and inappropriate attacks by Hezbollah, Israel was compelled to carry out reprisal attacks which have proven to be devastating and most destructive of Lebanon’s infrastructure and economic development.

The World Council of the Cedars Revolution wishes to convey its support for Israel’s efforts to disarm and disband Hezbollah and all other armed terrorist militias in Lebanon. Given that Israel has committed itself before the world to crippling Hezbollah and all terrorist militias, anything less than that would be absolutely unforgivable by the people of Lebanon whose country has been invaded with such intolerable and catastrophic damage.

It would have been much more preferable for Lebanon not to suffer such a war. However, Israel now has an opportunity not to allow this type of conflict to occur again. Any result other than a complete eradication of Terrorist Militias will be deemed a failure and give rise to another conflict in the near future. With enemies such as Iran and Syria holding smaller and defenseless countries like Lebanon to tyranny and control, Hezbollah and other militant terrorist organizations will resurface. The only justification in Israel’s current behavior is to ensure that Lebanon will not again have to suffer the existence of terrorist militias on its sacred soil and the opportunity of peace between the two nations can become a real option.


Joseph P Baini
President

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

WCCR Letter to H.E. George W. Bush - Current Middle East Conflict … Hezbollah / Israel / Lebanon


The Cedars Revolution
www.cedarsrevolution.org
cedarsrevolution@aol.com


Tuesday 18th July 2006
Washington Bureau


H.E. George W. Bush
President
United States of America
White House
Washington DC USA

Re – Current Middle East Conflict … Hezbollah / Israel / Lebanon

Dear President Bush,

The World Council of the Cedars Revolution is outraged at Hezbollah’s continuous and indiscriminate attacks upon the people of Lebanon’s southern neighbor, Israel. These attacks do not in any way represent the mentality, attitude and behavior of the great majority of the people of Lebanon, nor do they reflect the wishes of the current Lebanese government.

The Cedars Revolution has been working in a close relationship and partnership with the United States Government and the United Nations Security Council, seeking means and ways to disarm and disband all terrorist militias in Lebanon in accordance with UNSCR 1559.

We acknowledge that due to the unwarranted and inappropriate attacks by Hezbollah, Israel was compelled to carry out reprisal attacks which have proven to be devastating and most destructive of Lebanon’s infrastructure and economic development.

Our major concern would be if Israel has carried out these attacks simply to satisfy itself in destroying Lebanon’s progressive redevelopment. Given that Israel has gone so far and continues to impose so much destruction on Lebanon and given that it has committed itself before the world to crippling Hezbollah, Palestinian and other terrorist militias, anything less than that would be absolutely unacceptable to the people of Lebanon whose country has been invaded with such intolerable and catastrophic damage.

It would have been much more preferable for Lebanon not to suffer such a war. However, Israel now has an opportunity not to allow this type of conflict to occur again. Any result other than a complete eradication of Terrorist Militias will be deemed a failure and give rise to another conflict in the near future. With enemies such as Iran and Syria holding smaller and defenseless countries like Lebanon to tyranny and control, Hezbollah and other militant terrorist organizations will resurface. The only justification in Israel’s current behavior is to ensure that Lebanon will not again have to suffer the existence of terrorist militias on its sacred soil.
In turn that will go a long way towards ensuring security for Israel and a possible peaceful coexistence in the region, at the very least with Lebanon.

Joseph P Baini
President

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Press Release - Current affairs in southern Lebanon - 12 July 2006


The Cedars Revolution
www.cedarsrevolution.org
cedarsrevolution@aol.com
Wednesday 12th July 2006
Washington Bureau

H.E. Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
New York N.Y.
USA

Your Excellency,

Re – Current affairs in southern Lebanon

The World Council of the Cedars Revolution representing the hopes and aspirations of the great majority of the many millions of Lebanese throughout the Diaspora is absolutely appalled at Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel, killing several Israeli soldiers and capturing two others; which has seen Israel, immediately carrying out reprisal attacks bringing destruction and devastation upon the people of Lebanon.

Our senior executives have on numerous occasions met with your Deputies and with Ambassadors of all members of the UN Security Council, strongly and emphatically expressing our desire of the UNSC to disarm Hezbollah and block the continuous supply of arms by Syria to Hezbollah, the Palestinians and other militias operating on Lebanese soil, fearing the occurrence and escalation of the events which are unfolding before our very eyes.

The people of Lebanon are innocent. All attacks against the people of Lebanon must cease immediately; and the only body which can make this happen is the UNSC. Hezbollah is armed and controlled by Syria and Iran; and that’s where the Israeli response should be directed.

It should be clearly understood that the World Council of the Cedars Revolution considers it absolutely unacceptable that Hezbollah should maintain any arms and must be disarmed as soon as possible. The Lebanese Diaspora is outraged at the UNSC’s soft approach towards disarming Hezbollah. We are horrified at the possibility of escalating hostilities in the Region. Such a conflict will have an intolerable effect upon the defenseless people of Lebanon who have only recently come out of thirty years of Syrian domination and tyranny.

We condemn this barbaric conflict and call on the United Nations Security Council to send urgently a UN Security Force to protect the borders between Lebanon and Israel and between Lebanon and Syria, until Lebanon’s territorial integrity could be safeguarded and all militias disarmed.

Joeseph P. Baini
President