When the booms and whooshes become an obsession

Accustomed to some of the most intense media coverage on Earth, Israelis, Palestinians and Lebanese, some journalists, others just bystanders, are writing and recording the current Middle East crisis, in blogs and by posting their pictures on the internet.

Here is a selection. For unusual, private photographs of the conflict, search Flickr.

"No antibiotics, no electricity, less and less gasoline. No way out," writes Beirut Notes, who like many Lebanese bloggers feels caught between Hezbollah and Israel's massive response to the capture of two soldiers and the killing of 8 last Wednesday.

He shares a sense of amazement at the speed of the destruction: "Last Wednesday I was with my girlfriend at the opening of a new trendy outdoor club. Women were dancing on the bar and men were smoking their cigars to the sound of house music. I spent last night with crying children and anxious mothers to the sound of Israeli bombs."

Hardig, who describes himself as Swedish Phd student, has set up Beirut Under Siege to record the bombing: "Just now, as I was writing, I heard a fighter jet diving outside my window, and then a boom. As I look out, I can see leaflets slowly falling to the ground down by the Corniche. Either more propaganda against Hizballah, or perhaps a warning of more strikes to come? Whatever they want to say, I’m not interested."

Christopher Allbritton, an American journalist based in Beirut who reports for Time magazine from the Middle East, describes the strange task of distinguishing old war damage from the new: "It’s an interesting challenge to remember that that balcony which appears freshly shorn off is actually from 20 years ago."

Two sites are attempting to keep track of bloggers' coverage: Lebanese bloggers (the source of the picture above) and The Truth Laid Bear. A few blogs are carrying a letter from Rasha, a woman trapped in Beirut: "I am writing now from a cafe, in West Beirut's Hamra district. It is filled with people who are trying to escape the pull of 24 hour news reporting. Like me."

A column criticising the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, in Haaretz, the Israeli daily newspaper, has caught the attention of writers on both sides of the border. From Beirut to the Beltway links to Gideon Levy's piece, which asks:

"Everyone knows how this war begins, but does anyone know how it ends? Heavy casualties in the Israeli rear? A war with Syria? A general war? Is it all worth it? Look what a new rookie government can do in such a short time."

Several Israelis writing from northern Israel recount the non-stop fear of attack from Hezbollah rockets.

From Rock of Galilee: "When the booms and the whooshes become an obsession, you know your life is changing. When you are waiting for the go-ahead to stock up on food for the next couple days, you know your quality of life is different than it was a short time ago."

In Haifa, Israel's third largest city and the object of rocket attacks this morning, the excellent Kishkushim provides photos of quiet streets, nervous bus drivers and describes hot and thirsty dogs, abandoned by their fleeing owners and afraid of the explosions:

"The fate of Haifa's dogs also tells us something about their owners and the situation in which they have found themselves. As we were walking around our neighborhood, after a few hours of quiet, we noticed a number of ownerless dogs looking for their homes."

For more, refer to The Truth Laid Bear, which also has a handy map guide to its blogs. Israel at Level Ground runs a good update on cartoons and the Israeli media. Westbankblog notes the increase in old fashioned rock on Israeli radio in between the news reports. Raising Yousuf, the diary of a Palestinian journalist bringing up her son in Gaza provides stories from the quiet, first front of the confrontation.

Comments

[Vladlena Nyzhnik]

Eventually connecting to internet would be the only thing people will be able to do or the only way to communicate with others. Great article!

[Vladlena Nyzhnik]

Great article…but who knows what the future may hold.

[bob gardner]

thanks for this article it was just what i was looking for

This war is not about Lebanon. This war is about Israel and the US on one side, Syria and Iran on the other side.
The international community aknowledged that the lebanese government was unable to deal with Hizbolla. Other measures should have benn taken. It is not about the 2 abducted soldiers. This, along with the killing of innocent palestinians has been going on for years and years. So what is different now?

Both Western countries and the Arab World needs to stop pointing fingers of blame about who started it, and think about what needs to be done to save the innocent. This is not first grade, we are not in recess.

A civilian building torn to pieces might be collateral damage. A life of a child could never be, should never be, viewed as such. When have we lost our humanity to start looking at the lives of the innocent as "collateral damage”?

There are over 350 civilians dead in the region – and the number is rising. Lebanese, Israeli, Palestinian, that's not the point. As a mother I grieve for every lost life equally, regardless of religion, creed, or nationality.

How can we claim that we are an advanced civilization, when our government sits back and does nothing to help the helpless, the hope-less.

[L C]

It is an unfortunate state of events in Lebanon today - While everyone in the world loves to preach Pacifism and how 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind' - but what does the Arab world expect of Israel? Idly sit by and suffer the gouging of a nation's eyes by allowing the kidnapping/death of its soldiers? I agree with Graham Smith's post - Against organizations bent on destroying its existence - Israel has no choice but to fight back - this is human nature - something we will never be able to extinguish

[Weaver]

I am nearly 60 years old and I am now fairly sure that most of my adult life spent listening to daily news broadcasts has been filled with endless stories of Jews and Arabs killing each other.

From now on things are going to get worse. If global warming happens as expected and the oceans rise due to melting ice caps, then the Suez Canal will no longer be a canal and much of the low lying desert will become seawater. This will affect many countries including Israel and numerous Arab states, so the quest for high ground will push everyone closer together.
Most readers should have got my point.

[Lzrhk Lzrhk]

Lebanon, beautiful Lebanon, has been in violation of UN Resolution 1559 over its refusal to disband the military wing of Hezbollah for close to 2 years now. Incompetent Annan and those whining about current events have dithered and done nothing in the past to help. Now that this slap in the face has waken then up to reality they start pointing fingers at everyone else but themselves.
Europeans, in the past, have not acted until it was almost to late with the result in the loss of millions of lives.
People should learn from that sad experience.
But UN and others, keep sitting on your hands, but don't act so surprised and outraged when your inactivity comes back to kick you in the behind.

[Giles]

I just arrived in Israel two months ago as a new immigrant from London. Im living in Tel Aviv and although there is a sense of anticipation, there is no fear. Israelis are the bravest people on the planet. I salute them and feel proud that I can count myself amongst them.

[sra]

To all the civilians caught on both sides:
My prayers are with you, for none of you caused this chaos. It is all very sad!

[Herbie]

Graham Smith has it exactly right in his post. I also think that those who object to the Israeli response seem to forget that Hamas and Hizzbollah have, as a matter of policy, one policy: the annihilation of Israel. Given that policy what alternatives does Israel have. I hear people say Hamams and Hizzobllah are democratically elected. It certianly is true that if that is the case that the electorate bears responsibility for the actions and the consequences of the people they elecGraham Smith has it exactly right in his post. I also think that those who object to the Israeli response seem to forget that Hamas and Hizzbollah have, as a matter of policy, one policy: the annihilation of Israel. Given that policy what alternatives does Israel have. I hear people say Hamams and Hizzobllah are democratically elected. It certainly true that the electorate should bear responsibility for the actions and the consequences of the people they elected

[Darlene Call]

You know, at some point it doesn't matter who did what, when, and why. Everybody on every side can claim that injustice and violence has been perpetrated against them and this is the reason justifying killing, maiming and destroying each other.

Except the children. The children have really done nothing to cause war to reign on them. Iraqi children, Afghani children, Israeli children, Lebanese children. They are all suffering because the elders in the world refuse to keep them safe.

Stop the violence. Stop the wars. Save the children.

[Adeleke kadiri]

This is a war that will produce no winners or losers becuase Israel is facing unknown enemy in form of unregistered army.Hizballah fighters are not Palestinians or Arab Armed forces that Israel is used to. I hope the whole world should find ways to resolve the problem.
But american president appears to be brainless

[Graham Smith]

Many critics of Israel have very selective memories. Try over 1000 suicide bombs, the deliberate targeting of children as when school buses were bombed (not as collateral damage but explicit targets) and organisations like Hezbollah and Hamas that have your countries destuction as one of their aims. Don't remember the critics of Israel banging on about Palestinian murderers and pleading for fairness then. I don't condone Israeli attacks on civilians but I see a population and government goaded and goaded beyond tolerance. If only all these concerned people had not been silent about the killing of Jews we might not now be where we are.

[Ahmed]

I will try hard not to take sides, but it makes me ill to see the Western media again lacking objectivity and equating killing over 150 civilians in Lebanon to 12 in Israel and few soldiers and showing Israelis as victims. Let alone not showing the heart breaking pictures of the slaughtered Lebanese children. I think the world only needs to see the real picture. I am not asking anyone to take any sides since war affects us all. I am only asking for fairness and transparency.

[Adinah Rosin]

I thought to "drop" you a line of what it looks like from the inside, here in northern Israel in the town of Tsfat (usually spelled Safed in the news.) In our quiet little town there were bombs falling! Our town has been hit countless of times.
When I went on line to read the news, and saw how once again, many countries are painting the picture of "Israeli aggressor", I got quite agitated.

Now I have told myself over the years to not care about what everyone thinks. Let it go. That was Thursday night. But tonight when I went on line again after an incredible nonstop bombing over Shabbat, and saw expressions like the "Israeli offensive", I thought I would at least let a few friends, have an insider's picture.

Israel's strong reaction is to tell Lebonon "enough already". You must take action as a country to stop letting terrorists use your border to try to wipe us out. Iran is in the picture and now Hizballah says they have rockets to reach Tel Aviv.
It is 2:30 am. And there are still bombs. We are getting used to hearing according to the boom as to how far away they are. I cannot believe that the towns in southern Israel have had to live through this the last year since Israel took the communities out of the Gaza strip, moving the border closer. Within a week of leaving, the bombing started. So much for "Land for Peace."

And in case anyone isn't truly aware of it, or doesn’t want to believe it, Hamas and Hizballah have stated the goal: "we must remove the thorn of the Middle East, the Zionist enemy, in our march towards Islamic victory."
Thanks for taking the time to read another angle of the situation here.
Please just keep in mind that no Israeli wants to have their children in the army and the only reason we have it is that our neighbors are truly bent our our non-existence. And from a higher perspective, this is one intense way for Israel to finally wake up and believe in her higher existence.
Blessings of health and safety to all,
Adinah