This blog post was published on December 20 2005. §
My journey to Lebanon…1
Last time I was in Beirut with my family, it was late 1976 just at the beginning of the civil war, we used to go to Lebanon every summer vacation and we even had our own vacation house there.
This time I have been invited by people working in the media a mix of journalists and TV / satellites anchors musicians and artists (one of them is my sister, who is permanently resident in Lebanon right now), most of theme people I know long time ago.
All the costs are pre-paid including the airplane ticket. I planed the journey not to be longer than tow weeks but for the weather situation I stayed for one more week.
I had the opportunity to discuss Arab world situation, war in Iraq, the US involvement and other issues, most of the people if not all agreed that the US is responsible of the chaos in the world now.
Although they are happy with democracy breeze blowing through the Arab world but they don’t trust the US (and they have the right about this), for example:
Lebanese I talked to showed their joy that Syria evacuated from their country and the US used pressure against Syria to withdraw from occupied Lebanon but at the same time they all agreed that American and Israeli hands behind the assassinations waves in Lebanon and Syria have nothing to do with this ( after all the US allowed Syria to occupy Lebanon as a bonus for joining the allies in the first gulf war).
To my surprise I’ve been told that all the Iraq’s election TV Ads were made, directed and acted by Lebanese people filmed in some locations in Lebanon, even the whole cast are lebanese paid by a shadowy American company which also responsible for marketing these Ads.
Next post I will talk about the situation in Lebanon and the Iraqis in Beirut
To be followed