Lebanon will always be.. Lebanon

My only visit - hopefully first of many - to Lebanon was last January, and I like to think that, through time spent there and my various interviews, I got a fairly good understanding of the situation on the ground... It's beautiful, and although it's a bit messy and confused, it's got a lot of faith in itself - that, despite everything that's going on right now, it feels that it's been through so much that it'll always be able to land on its feet.

Now, however, it feels like this faith is shaking. With the fights of Nahr-El-Bared, some report that there are risks of a renewed civil war. I think that's nonsense. I also think, since we're on that, that the hijos de puta madre hiding in the refugee camp and shooting Lebanese villages and ambulances (yes, they are!!) should be hung from their feet (and I'm being very, very nice).

The real risk on Lebanon today, I believe, and what seems exasperating to the Lebanese, is violence and instability.

People are simply sick and tired of the demonstrations, the tent city in Riad el Solh square, of the pro- and anti- Hezbollah media campaigns, of students dying in political/sectarian clashes at the Arab University, of blocked roads, and now, of clashes with Palestinian armed groups (whom have no right whatsoever to point their guns at the Lebanese's chests).

A Facebook group exemplifies this better than anything I could ever write.

Titled "Nobody's Ruinin' my fuckin' vacation in Lebanon this summer", the group advertises a 'NO POLITICS' policy and has been a way for people to vent their anger at the instability that has been ruining their summer plans - and to make fun of the whole situation.

I have friends who have had to cancel their trips home this year because no one knows when things are going to go south. It's true that, often, waiting for the hit is more painful than the hit itself..

But for now, thankfully, the Lebanese are keeping their head high and their sense of humour as sharp as always.

I'll leave you with a couple of new Lebanese jokes about the current situation, which I found on another facebook group .. with my translation. Enjoy :)

هيفا وهبي تعلن امتعاضها بسبب ظاهرة فتح الإسلام التي سرقت الأضواء منها التي كانت مسلطة عليها من ناحية تنكيت اللبنانيين
(Haifa Wahbe (a busty lebanese starlette) is upset because of the Fath-el-Islam phenomenom which has diverted the attention of the Lebanese from her, as she used to be the prime target for their jokes.)

فتح الاسلام تهدد باستعمال بقتل ديجاي تيستو في حال استمرار الجيش البناني بضرب مخيم نهر البارد
(Fath-el-Islam threatens to kill DJ Tiesto if the Lebanese army continues to bomb the Nahr-El-Bared camp).

فتح الاسلام تهدد بقطع فوط الأولوايز من الأسواق ليوصل الدم للركب
(Hmm... cannot be translated, I'm afraid :) Roughly, something like: Fath-el-Islam threatens to remove the Always sanitary towels from the markets, so that people will have blood up to their knees)

بيان صادر عن فتح الاسلام:
الدبابة حاملة لوحة رقم 32454 مسكرة على سيارة هوندا اكورد في الباركينغ,
الرجاء من صاحبها الحضور لنقلها من مكانها وشكراَ

(Declaration from Fath-el-Islam: 'The tank with plates number 32454 is blocking a Honda Accord in the parking, its owner is kindly requested to move it from there, thank you').