Thank you BBC for this news piece about the firefighters killed in the Beirut explosion.
The top political Lebanese authorities literally sent them to death…
Yes, no one told them what product was stored at the Beirut seaport when they went to extinguish the first fire. Can you imagine?
Furthermore, there were about 20 LONG minutes between the second and third (apocalyptic) explosion. Despite this, they did not tell them!
Clearly, they prevented them from the possibility of securing the area, from getting more support (police, army, etc.). They could have even told Beirut citizens to stay away of their windows, and risky places, etc. Many lives could have been saved (many eyes too…).
Instead , they just told them some wheat was burning at the port… Can you imagine?
How not to feel upset by this criminal negligence?
Bambi is saying the above, regardless of whether the nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (more or less, who cares?) were “forgotten” at the seaport (for 6 years) OR were being used for civil purposes (e.g., agriculture) OR… meant for another type of agriculture, namely related to seeds of terror.
We may never know the truth… without an international investigation.
His new song, filled with heartfelt emotions expressed in both French and Arabic on an oriental music, moved Bambi’s heart in the middle of the night (yes, she did listen to this beautiful song of hope shared by her sister Roula whilst sleeping). How could she not be deeply touched hearing him singing: “I have heard the tears of Lebanon; On the cedar, the sap of blood… ”.
All profits will be donated to the Lebanese Red Cross.
THANK YOU “Cheb Khaled” (whose nickname literally means “Young Khaled”)!!
As very well written by Mr. Christophe Levent in “Le Parisien” in his article entitled “Her name is Beirut: Khaled sings hope for Lebanon’s capital” [«Elle s’appelle Beyrouth»: Khaled chante l’espoir pour la capitale du Liban”, shorturl.at/jnANS]:
“In Arabic and French, for the chorus, on music with necessarily oriental accents, the single was produced under the influence of the immense emotion felt by the “king of Raï”. “I was very touched, bruised by this disaster. I lost my smile. I have often gone to sing in Beirut since 1993. I have seen this destroyed city rebuild after the war. I like this country. I have a lot of musician friends there… So seeing the images of destruction again, homeless people in the street, it hurts. I wanted to do something to help them,”he says.
This cry from the heart, Khaled considers it first of all a message of hope and support. “It is the role of the artist, of the music to bring a little joy to life. Don’t let people sink into sadness. But I know the Lebanese and I have a lot of admiration for them: they never give up. Even without roofs, they are still able to smile. This city will be rebuilt. I also understand their anger: sometimes, as it happened in Algeria, the people have reasons to yell”.
The Beirut explosions took place on August, 4, 2020. They resulted in about 180 death thus far whilst injuring 6,500+. There are 30 citizens still missing and about 300,000 families made homeless. The total damage costs amounted to at least $15 billion (as of August 12, 2020).
Once again, many thanks to Khaled as well as Rodge!
For those who do not know it, President Aoun (along with his party and largest parliamentary bloc) has aligned himself with the Hizbullah since 2005 upon his return from exile in France.
Hizbullah is the country’s only remaining heavily armed militia post ciivl-war (of course with its classical excuse of “resistance” to Israel. The latter occupied Lebanon for 15 years, until 2000.
Hizbullah is the main ally of Iran and of Mr. Syria’s Bachar el-Assad’s, along with Russia during the Syrian war (if Bambi is not mistaken).
As a reminder, Syria, which occupied Lebanon for 30 years, withdrew its troops in 2005 (in the middle of a so-called Cedar Revolution. The latter is a chain of demonstrations, triggered by the assassination of PM Rafik Hariri. Of course, this is what happened on the ground. Of course, capitals of the key players of the world may have also helped the cause by pushing for this move given the seriousness of the crime).
Below, you can see two tweets by Lebanon’s President, one following the other. The first was published prior to the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the second immediately following its final verdict. Thanks to journalist Roula Douglas for her thoughtful tweet, combining the two original presidential tweets by l’Orient Le Jour (a quick translation will follow).
In the first tweet, Lebanon’s President is saying: “After a long period of time, “justice is no longer just”. HOWEVER, immediately following the (rather useless) verdict, he changed his mind, writing: “Justice has been rendered to everyone’s desire to shed light on this crime“.
Well, the President’s tweets show us an absurd contradiction. Isn’t it?
Anyhow, FYI, here are the two original tweets again:
Bambi does not know if she should bitterly laugh or just smile to such contradictions in life. She is saying so whilst feeling BOTH sad and angry about impunity in her birth country.
Indeed, her heart goes to ALL the innocent victims of ALL the crimes, from the large explosion that killed PM Rafik Hariri and many innocent people to the many other assassinations, which followed it.
Look at this handsome youth! Why did he have to die? Why do his parents and loved ones have to suffer? For whom? For what? For which ideology or just stupid negligence? Or both?
Elias (Khoury) was just 15 years old. He died today from his injuries caused by the Beirut seaport explosions. Bambi’s heart goes to his family :(.
As you know, the latest “crime” in Beirut was its surrealistic seaport explosions that killed over 180+ people, including Elias (it also injured 6000+, destroyed the city, and made over 300,000 homeless). Whether accidental or not, Bambi is convinced that the blasts (i.e., the circumstances leading to them…) MUST be internationally investigated. Of course, Lebanon’s President is against the latter (like his “chum”, Mr. Nasrallah).
This being said, after today’s verdict of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, one may wonder to what extent are UN-backed international tribunals truly able to help save Lebanon from its two life-threatening diseases: criminality and corruption? Of course, Lebanon has also a third acute crisis, namely the coronavirus, like the rest of the world. However, despite the high danger of the covid-19 pandemic, especially now it seems, the latter is perhaps the mildest of Lebanon’s three comorbid tragedies.
Indeed, thankfully, even a long pandemic will eventually diminish and may end one of these days. That’s for the dangerous coronavirus… When will the deadly bacteria of impunity stop in Lebanon? Please tell Bambi when!
He seemed to be saying that he will be taking another job “to keep serving Canadians”, namely the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or OECD (https://www.oecd.org/canada/ ). Maybe he negotiated this deal whilst stepping down as Finance Minister? Or maybe it was a planned career move? Anyhow, best wishes to him now that he stepped down (hoping he learned lessons that will serve him in his new role). This being said, it is a bit strange to see someone promoting a career move whilst resigning.
As also expressed in an earlier post, Bambi thanks him for his long service… minus the WE Charity conflict of interest.
As for Mr. Trudeau, once again, he has the exact same behaviour as in the past (at least he is true to himself): He seemed to have “sacrificed” one of his significant team members to use the translated term of a journalist from Radio-Canada who asked Mr. Morneau a question in French at his press conference this evening.
Mr. Morneau appeared dignified (nervous of course at times, although remarkably calm, diplomatic, and… again dignified).
The sarcastic reaction came fast from Mr. Pierre Poilievre who tweeted the following:
Mr. Poilievre, the clever (and at times funny) Shadow Minister of Finance (Official Opposition) will be having a press conference tomorrow at 11 AM EST.
Bambi is curious to also hear from Mr. Blanchet, BQ leader. As a reminder, he has been calling for the resignation of Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Morneau, and Ms. Telford (the latter, Chief of Staff, may have been involved in yet another conflict of interest).
As for Mr. Trudeau, everyone is expecting he would name Mr. Mark Carney (a solid name) to replace Mr. Morneau.
This being said, how will Mr. Trudeau justify that, 6 days ago only, he told us that he has full confidence in Mr. Morneau?
What happened to that confidence Mr. Trudeau? It is you who should have resigned tonight, not him… or, ideally, both of you (as Bambi posted a while ago).
Of note, one journalist asked Mr. Morneau, did you lose confidence in Mr. Trudeau?
Of course, Mr. Morneau was wise, strategic, and respectful. In all his replies, he used the right words in both languages. Of note, at least tonight, he seemed to be a more reasonable politician than his (former) boss.
To conclude this post, had Bambi been Mr. Morneau, she would feel relieved not to be closely working with Mr. Trudeau anymore :). Who knows? In reality, these two men may remain united in the “Unis” (We Charity, in French) saga that could follow their reputations longer than they think? Mind you, who knows, they may still closely work together, throughfuture collaborations between the OECD and the government (assuming Trudeau will survive)?!
Mr. Nagi Sukkarieh. A picture taken from the video posted below.
He is FULL of talent.
If you do not believe Bambi, just listen to the video showing him playing the piano and see for yourself!
Before doing so, you may be curious to know: who is Mr. Sukkarieh?
Mr. Sukkarieh is Bambi’s good friend from her childhood neighbourhood in Beirut.
Specifically, he is one of Marina’s brothers.
Well, Marina (now in Los Angeles) is initially a friend of her sister Roula, in addition to being a good friend of her other sister Rania and a friend of Amale, a friend in Montreal (also from their same neighborhood). Let’s call her another sister to them/us all. It is simpler :). Seriously, it tells you something about Marina and her family. Everyone loves the Sukkariehs.
To come back to Mr. Nagi Sukkarieh, he is not just a friend of Bambi but of her entire family.
Mr. Sukkarieh’s heart is aching for his beloved Beirut, capital of his birth country.
Naturally, he turned to his piano.
Generously, he accepted Bambi’s invitation to share his music on her blog. She is grateful and honoured.
Thank you, Dear Nagi, for reminding Bambi that music can heal our pain.
This being said, let Bambi tell you more about her friend Nagi:
Mr. Sukkarieh immigrated to the United States at a young age, over 3-4 decades ago.
He is an accomplished engineer in New Jersey, USA.
He is a devoted father and a loving spouse.
He is also an amazingly caring sibling to his talented sister and brother (hello Marina and Michel, Bambi misses seeing you too!).
He grew up in Beirut on the same street as Bambi’s family. Hence the strong ties.
For those who do not know it, neighbours do have a significant place in people’s hearts in Lebanon. These ties are even deeper, during a civil war, when everyone is in a survival yet supportive mode.
Like Bambi, the Beirut explosions hit close to home, for him and his family.
On a lighter note, Bambi will always remember when she visited New York (NY) with Mirella and Lea in 1994. Bambi was so happy to chat with Nagi on the phone to the point that she prevented her friends from sleeping. Indeed, Mr. Sukkarieh and her connected by phone late at the end of that day (after his work). At one point, Bambi forgot the time and started laughing in the middle of the night to stories and memories from their Beirut neighborhood. OK, Bambi admits that that was not thoughtful on her behalf, especially that she usually cares for her friends’ well-being. Well, luckily Mirella and Lea did not kill her that night, even if they were exhausted from their long bus trip. Of course, they forgave her when they met Nagi the second day. Like Bambi, they were touched by his kind spirit. MANY years later, this silly story remains a funny memory of their NY trip.
Many years following the above story, the 911 tragedy devastated NY and impacted us all. Well, until now, Bambi connects every year with the Sukkariehs by email to remember and honour innocent people who died in this catastrophe. Lately, it was moving for Bambi to hear many Beirutis call their surrealistic blasts “their own 911“, as reported in the international media.
To come back to music and conclude this post, let’s borrow the beautiful and famous words of Mr. Gibran Khalil Gibran (another Lebanese-American, 1883-1931):
“Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”
May music, love, and compassion prevail in Beirut.
May music bring healing, closure, peace, and hope to all.
May Beirutis succeed in re-building their lives, slowly but surely, despite their grieving hearts, injured bodies, destroyed houses, psychological trauma (in addition to coping with their country’s financial crisis and the covid-19 pandemic).
May justice be served for all the victims. Until then, may music help everyone alive in hanging on to life… Of course, not an easy task when we feel shattered deep inside.
To vent their mixed feelings of anger and sorrow following tragic events like the Beirut explosions or other, people can resort to different strategies. They can scream. They can cry. Some remain silent or pray. Others can go for a walk or perhaps write.
Well, today Bambi decided to express her feelings by writing to Mr. Nasrallah, leader of the Hizbollah. Below you can find some of her sarcastic comments, as a reply to Nasrallah’s own speech. Bambi’s replies are in bold. Mr. Nasrallah’s comments are taken from an article published in Naharnet yesterday (see further below).
Please keep in mind that she is sharing her thoughts with you, without any filter (Mr. Trump’s style!). This being said, before officially starting the post, Bambi would like to show Mr. Nasrallah two recent re-tweets by journalist Roula Douglas, based in Beirut. At the end of this post, she will share with him (and you) more moving pictures taken from the same source, from l’Orient Le Jour, and/or from An Nahar.
Nasrallah: Hizbullah is not confused
or in a crisis and along with our allies we are the strongest in the region.
Bambi does not care about your confusion or crisis. She does not care about your muscle show off. Indeed, Bambi ONLY cares about her family and about all the other families’ sufferings. Same for the whole planet watching Beirut news or rushing to help its citizens. Everyone is sad for Beirut and we are concerned about Lebanon.
Nasrallah:
There was a state of anger among our supporters over the past days and we sought
to control the situation, because clearly some were trying to incite strife. We
tell our supporters to keep this anger, because we might need it one day to put
an end to all the attempts to drag Lebanon into civil war.
What do you mean we sought to “control the situation”? By taking a whole community and an entire country hostage? By oppressing people?
No one is dragging Lebanon into civil war as much as your weapons. The latter are scaring innocent citizens and destroying Lebanon.
Just to refresh your memory, Mr. Nasrallah, people are sick and tired of the political elite. They want a change to the political system. They want an end to corruption and impunity. They want peace. They want to live.
Nasrallah: The coronavirus situation
in Lebanon has spiraled out of control.
You are a public health expert now?
Please let the medical experts talk. Your expertise is rather terror.
Nasrallah:
As Lebanese, we should be aware that some will try to exploit the rulings and
we should show awareness.
Here, you are absolutely right… and
of course, this includes yourself and your allies in the region.
Nasrallah:
We cling to the innocence of our brothers should unjust verdicts be issued
against them.
How surprising (this is a sarcastic comment, obviously). You are positioning these folks as victims and the International tribunal’s verdicts as being unfair.
Nasrallah:
We’re not concerned with the STL’s rulings.
If you are not, why are you
bringing this up then?
Nasrallah: We demand the formation of
a strong, capable and politically protected cabinet and talk of a neutral
government is a waste of time.
Please shut up Mr. Nasrallah. Everyone is sick and tired of you. Not just human beings, even animals like Bambi.
Nasrallah:
It was not those who toppled the government. The government was toppled by a
host of circumstances and difficulties. In fact, a blast of such magnitude
would have made it difficult for any government to continue.
Here, you have a point indeed. However,
only an international probe can uncover the truth and can end impunity.
Nasrallah
said Lebanese political forces had sought in the past days to “topple the state
and put Lebanon on the brink of civil war to serve personal and foreign
interests.”
Stop lying Mr. Nasrallah. Nobody takes you seriously… Even 3-year-old kids like Lexou (or Alexandra) who died in the Beirut explosions (whether accidental or not).
Nasrallah: We witnessed an attempt to
topple the state in the very first hours after the blast. Political forces and
media outlets exploited people’s pain to target not only Hizbullah, but also
President Aoun.
“Kiloun yiwen kiloun” is the clever slogan of Lebanese people’s revolt. As you know, this means: ALL of them means all of them. President Aoun is one of them (so are his relatives). No one should be above the law in a democratic country, Mr. Nasrallah. Stated differently, Mr. Aoun should resign… and you should shut up.
Nasrallah: Hizbullah cannot remain
silent over a crime of such magnitude if Israel is behind it and it will pay
the price.
Lebanon’s external tragedy is its harsh
neighborhood or neighbours. Lebanon’s internal tragedy is your organization and
your warrior’s mindset. People just want to live in peace. They love life. They
do not want to die.
Nasrallah: If the investigation
determines that Israel is involved, the Lebanese state and people should have a
say in the issue.
Are you talking about that internal
investigation that you control, directly or indirectly (via your allies, including
the clan of President Aoun mentioned above) in what is left of the so-called
Lebanese state?
Please have the decency of not including people here… especially that people want an international (independent and transparent) investigation. They signed petitions, demanding this.
Nasrallah: We do not trust any
international investigation.
Sure, you are scared of the truth.
Nasrallah: An FBI investigation would
absolve Israel of any responsibility.
Mr. Nasrallah, what are you afraid of precisely? You have a history of accusing Israel every time you have something to hide. People do not care neither of you nor of Israel. People are fed up of BOTH you and Israel… You the first now because you are Lebanon’s internal problem, along with corruption. Financial and moral corruptions going hand in hand.
Nasrallah:
We are not the ones conducting the investigations.
Ha!ha!ha! No need to. You control the President, the judge, the whole judicial system, and… of course, any hypocritical report at the end of the process.
Nasrallah:
The investigation should be continued and answers should be offered to the
Lebanese people.
Here
you are stating the obvious. You sound ridiculous, Mr. Nasrallah.
Nasrallah: National security inside
the country is the state’s responsibility.
Ha! Ha! Ha! For a long time, you have hidden behind the poor Lebanese state. The emperor has no clothes. The whole planet is seeing your ugly nakedness.
Nasrallah: Until now, nothing proves
that there was an airstrike through a warplane or a drone.
LEBANESE
PEOPLE WANT AN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION!
Nasrallah: Hizbullah is awaiting the
results of the investigation.
Are we talking about this same investigation orchestrated and controlled by you (or those who sold their souls to the devil)?
Nasrallah: Hizbullah does not have an
account of events about the Beirut port blast.
Yes,
AN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION!
Nasrallah has slammed the UAE move as
“treason.”
This
is between the UAE and Israel. None of your business. Stop using the
Palestinians. Stop using people. Just stop!
Nasrallah: We have not been surprised
by the move of some of the UAE’s rulers.
No
comment. Bambi does not care about your feelings (of surprise).
Nasrallah: The decision to respond to
the Israeli strike (in Syria) is still on the table and the issue is a matter
of time.
Stop
wars. Stop violence. Stop revenge. Stop. Just stop.
People are fed up of wars. People
want to live, not die.
Enough…”Khalass”!
Nasrallah: Israel’s mobilization on
the border is part of our punishment.
We do not care about all this violence. We care about peace. We care about love. We care about Lebanon, contrary to you.
Nasrallah: From the very first day,
our choice was to respond to Israel’s airstrike in Syria.
We do not care. We are grieving. Give us a break, Mr. Nasrallah.
Nasrallah: Until further notice, and
as long as no alternative has been presented, the resistance will remain our
choice.
Your so-called “resistance” is the “Ponzi scheme” (fraud) of morality and security. ONLY the Lebanese Army should be defending the country. If you meant to tell us that you will not disarm, why don’t you say it more clearly? If you are threatening people with a regional war, why don’t you say it clearly?
Nasrallah: To us, the resistance is an
existential matter.
For the people of Lebanon, you/your group are an existential threat.
Nasrallah: Claims that Hizbullah is practising hegemony over the Lebanese political life are lies and they know this.
Ha! Ha! Ha! It is not because you are saying it as a truth that it is the truth.
Nasrallah: They want to get rid of
this strength.
Lebanese
people want to live in peace and security.
Nasrallah: Their problem with us is
the strength of the resistance.
Please
change your method of so-called “resistance”. How about using a pencil, a
policy, an argument instead of terror?
Nasrallah: Only the balance of
deterrence and the army-people-resistance equation are protecting Lebanon at
the moment.
SHUT
up, Mr. Nasrallah. Leave the Army alone. Leave the people alone! Let the army
resist as needed, it is their job. Not yours.
Nasrallah: The balance of deterrence
is getting stronger day after day.
Your
irrelevance as well.
Nasrallah: The balance of deterrence
established during the 2006 war protects Lebanon.
You
and Israel destroyed Lebanon in 2006… Shame on both of you.
Nasrallah: The U.S. is now trying to
bolster a scared Israel.
No
comment.
Nasrallah: Resilience and resistance
in Lebanon toppled that scheme.
Resilience: Mmm, a psychologist now, Mr. Nasrallah?
Resistance: See Bambi’s earlier
comments. Then, please shut up.
Nasrallah: The capture of the two
(Israeli) soldiers expedited the timing (of the U.S. scheme).
Yes,
by dragging Lebanon into a deadly war. Very clever. Very noble.
Nasrallah: That war thwarted the U.S.
administration’s New Middle East scheme.
What else can we expect from a guy leading an organization whose motto is “Death to America” (just like Iran, what a coincidence!)?
Nasrallah: The July War had historic
results at all levels.
What’s wrong, Mr. Nasrallah? You used to say “divine”. Now, it is “historic”. Is there any hope of logic and common sense here?
How can you keep using a language of wars and destruction, without ANY respect for people’s trauma and grief generated by the Beirut port blasts?
Nasrallah: The July (2006)
confrontation was a real war… The Zionist enemy imposed it on Lebanon
following a U.S. decision.
Are you lying again, Mr. Nasrallah? Your group kidnapped and killed two of their soldiers. This is what sparked this deadly war. Anyhow, Israel or Hizbollah… Chicken or egg? Does it really make any difference to the innocent people who were taken hostage between you and Israel? Your stupid conflict (by proxy, maybe the Iranian-American conflict taking place in Lebanon?) killed about 1300 Lebanese people and 165 Israelis, in addition to destroying Lebanon’s civil infrastructures, displacing about 1 million Lebanese, and perhaps 300,000 or 500,000 Israelis.
In sum, shame on you Mr. Nasrallah. Stop taking Lebanese people hostage of your loyalty to Iran and your related ideology. Just STOP. Why don’t you put Lebanon first for once, especially after the latest surrealistic tragedy?
A screenshot from Naharnet, published on August 14, 2020
Some of the 17 victims of the Saint George Hospital in Beirut
Anger of the Lebanese people who protested following the explosions in Beirut. A picture taken from local Lebanese Media (unknown source)
These three men are related (same family). The picture, taken from Naharnet, reads “Heroes”…. They went to extinguish the fire at the Beirut port.
A picture taken from l’Orient Le Jour. This woman lost her son in the Beirut explosions. If Bambi recalls well, he was one of the firefighters…. Another fallen hero.
This picture was taken from l’Orient Le Jour.This picture was taken from l’Orient Le Jour. Bambi’s brother-in-law was badly injured in this neighborhood. Thank Goodness, he survived and is recovering well. This picture was taken from An Nahar. Amazingly, this lady fell from the balcony and…. survived.Mr. Ali Sawan was not as lucky as the lady above… His body was recovered yesterday from his car that fell in the Mediterranean sea. May he rest in peace. May his family and friends find peace in their hearts, with every passing day and night. Thank you journalist Roula Douglas for sharing the news and for your thoughtfulness. A moving picture…. Best wishes in searching for this missing port worker. A picture taken from An Nahar.A picture taken from An Nahar.
Today is August 15th, the assumption of Mary (mother of Jesus).
It is also the National Acadian Day! As they say around here, “Bonne quinzou“.
Well, there is a joyful Acadian song that Bambi likes. It is entitled “Tous les acadiens et les acadiennes” (originally by Mr. Michel Fuguain). She would like to dedicate it, along with the “Ave Maris Stella”, to each Acadian or each citizen of Acadian ancestry, whether fully or partly, closely or remotely (including her own family members).
On this August 15, 2020, may the kind Mary comfort all those affected by the Beirut’s explosions.
Below, you can listen to a famous French song called “Beyrouth” (Beirut in French). Thanks to Mr. Enrico Macias for his immortal song! The video features beautiful pictures of Beirut (pre-explosions). Bambi posted this song earlier, on July 13, 2020. Today, she would like to dedicate it to Beirut. Christiane, thanks for re-sharing it last week. May your broken heart embrace healing, following your multiple losses. Much love to you!
Finally, on a lighter note, Bambi would like to wish her friend Fadi a Happy Birthday (despite the sorrow, from abroad)! Fadi is like a brother to Bambi. They grew up together. He used to volunteer with her in the Lebanese Red Cross and at the destroyed Saint George Hospital, near her parents’ place. Bambi and her family left Lebanon before him (just four months before the end of the civil war). Well, Fadi is a funny guy. During each of Bambi’s visits to Beirut and in Montreal, he used to tease her (especially on her birthdays), saying that she will always remain 17-year-old in his mind. Why? Because that was her age when she left Lebanon. Isn’t this funny, especially over three decades later?
Of course, what happened in Beirut last week is MUCH larger than civil war. However, once again, many people would want to try to immigrate now. This déjà vu reminds Bambi of the large wave of people who left Lebanon in the 1990s (perhaps also in 2006?). In her CEGEP only (college in Québec’s education system), she recalls how she bumped into several friends from Beirut whom she did not know that they survived like her. Of course, that was before the internet era, which makes Bambi a dinosaur, not just a deer!
Yes, the UAE became the third Arab country to normalize its relations with Israel (since Jordan in 1993-4, following Egypt om 1979). Perhaps this tells us the following: (1) Iran, with its large threat to the Arab world, “succeeded”, over the past years, in pushing the UAE in the arms of Israel. One must not also forget the simple saying of “the friend of my friend is my friend” (both countries are friends of the USA); and (2) Whether the media and the political analysts like it or not, Mr. Trump may have shown us yesterday that he is far from being an idiot, after all. To use the words of a Dear family from Toronto, “will Mr. Trump get a peace noble prize now“? This may seem like a joke, especially to all those who cannot stand Mr. Trump. However, in the bloody Middle East, any move toward peace is a miracle in itself. If only for the latter, Bambi will say bravo and thank you for giving us hope that peace is possible!
Bambi wrote the above whilst not being a fan of Mr. Trump (she is not fatally allergic to him neither… plus, who said that the alternative(s) are necessarily better?). Mind you, since she is not American, her opinion does not matter as she is not voting in the fall. Sadly, she just knows that the United States are internally as divided as the Lebanese politicians, now struggling to form a government. Each wants a piece of the cake (but the Lebanese desert has totally melted during the Beirut explosions…).
Once again, as per an earlier sarcastic post entitled “Mideast Peace counter-plan” (see further below), Bambi disliked a key part of Mr.Trump’s so-called peace plan for Jerusalem. She had wished it was the capital of both states (Israel & Palestine) and if, need be, put under international mandate for a while. She is not saying this from a religious point of view (she does not care much about religions despite having faith in her heart). She is saying so from a citizen point of view. She does not care much about ideology (whether religious or not!).
This being said, Bambi salutes any step that can take the Middle East toward peace and economic prosperity, not toward more hegemony or wars (by anyone, today it is by Iran. In the past and tomorrow, by someone else). Yesterday, something apparently very positive was achieved. Time will tell how this will unfold in the legalities and on the ground.
The UAE did their best interests (good for them), plus annexation of the West bank is now halted. What can we ask for more for God’s sake? Didn’t the Palestinians and the Israelis, and by extension some in Lebanon and the area (Hezbollah, Syria et al.) and the Middle East had enough of wars lately? Bambi is thinking of Iran, this elephant in the room whose own population suffers, like the Palestinians, the Lebanese, the Syrians, and the Iraqis. Bambi cannot stop thinking (even whilst sleeping) about the citizens of Beirut in the fragile Lebanon.
Yes, the tragedy of the Palestinians is still in your face. No one can deny it, especially when we come from the Middle East! Despite this, Bambi dislikes radicalism (i.e., Islamism or other). Bambi is with love and respect. Bambi is all for peace and prosperity… especially after watching the consequences of political negligence, corruption, and/or violence, as you can see in this incredibly moving CBC interview entitled “Parents of Canadian child [Alexandra or Lixou, featured in an earlier post] who died in Beirut blast hoped she would be ‘miracle of this big tragedy’” (great job by the sensitive journalist… and MUCH love to the amazing grieving and injured parents):
In all honesty, to come back to the peace deal, Bambi does not understand why the Palestinians are unhappy, considering this a stab in the back from the UAE. The latter is a separate and sovereign country, no? Perhaps because they are under the influence of radicals like in Lebanon, could it be?
In Bambi’s mind, both Palestine and Israel missed historic chances of signing peace treaties. In the case Israel, a clever peace deal was proposed by the Arab League at a meeting in Beirut (2002) a few years ago. Sadly, Israel missed the chance of making history then. For Palestine, Bambi cannot remember precisely but likely more than once.
Of course, we all have been dreaming for a resolution of the Palestinian tragedy for ages (what happened to the Palestinians is sad beyond words. It is somehow similar to the Acadian past tragedy. As a reminder, Lebanon has been dragged into the Palestinian tragedy during civil war. So, clearly, it paid a heavy price, resulting even in a 15-year Israeli occupation that ended 20 years ago). Furthermore, Syria which occupied Lebanon for 30 years prevented it from negotiating peace with Israel on a one to one basis.
Is Bambi fond of the Israeli occupation and/or abuses of Palestinians or continuous construction of colonies? Of course not! How could she be? Does this mean she supports radicalism then, in both Palestine and Lebanon (financed by Iran), to supposedly fight Israel, or at least to permanently hate it? Of course not. What about those fire bombs suspended from balloons sent to Israel and those strikes on Gaza? No, Bambi is against violence. Period. There are other more constructive ways to make peace and secure justice.
We can have the most beautiful peace treaties of the world everywhere but if people’s hearts are not filled with tolerance, love, and humanity, no peace deal will ever succeed. Alternatively, when there is love and tolerance, no need for peace treaties. Respect and love are antidotes to wars and fear. We must learn and commit to de-escalate and… eventually to trust. Yes, we can learn to re-trust and it goes both ways.
At the end of the day, peace is very simple in Bambi’ mind: All our children deserve to live in peace everywhere, across Canada as well as in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia, China, etc.
To conclude this post, enough blood and fire. Enough fear and grief. ENOUGH please. This is why, between violence and peace, Bambi clearly prefers peace. The latter is not an abstract choice. The latter is a personal choice rather. It is a mindset. It is a heart. It is an extended hand.
Peace is about building bridges, not destroying them. It is about knowing that our loved ones have the basic needs of the Maslow Pyramid: Physiological needs and safety/security needs. Check the red and orange parts of the pyramid below: How many Beirutis do not have these basic needs right now (e.g., 300, 000 homeless, 6000 injured, 170-78 dead, and some still missing)?! How and when could they move again to the top of the pyramid, where they have traditionally been, as “Paris of the Middle East“?! Even the worst country on the planet (likely not even Venezuela) is now ahead of Lebanon, in terms of quality of life!
“Vielen Dank FC Bayern”. Thank you Ms. Roula Douglas for re-tweeting and sharing.
Thank you Ralph (Mellehe). Bambi’ heart goes to your family 🙁 and all your friends.
Ralph was among those firefighters who rushed to the
Beirut port last Tuesday evening.
We can see his two pictures above, one as a firefighter and the other cheering for his favourite soccer team: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Bayern_Munich (Bambi shares his passion for this team. So does her family. She was maybe of his age when she had the chance to meet her heroes celebrating a victory in the streets of München).
No one trusts the Lebanese leaders. How could they? How could we? They ruined their country, destroyed their capital, injured and killed innocent people like Ralph.
We want justice and healing for Beirut. We want peace for Lebanon (and the world). We want love. Enough is enough.
Once again, only an international investigation can uncover the truth behind Beirut port explosions!
