week one in Al-Bass

I was hoping to use this blog to write insighful political comments about the current situation in Lebanon and life in a Palestinian refugee camp. I have since realised that everything is just so complicated and my desire to 'change the world' (ie: promote justice for refugees and the globally disenfranchised, eradicate poverty and bring peace through knowledge of the ultimate peace-bringer) is both naieve and perhaps slightly dangerous. But then i thought about it further and came to the conclusion that demonstrating peace and justice is always going to be dangerous, and the world will always classify it as naieve; the question is whether this negates our responsibility or means we should go ahead regardless.

Whilst talking with a family late one evening last week a lady suggested that our lack of communication was due to the fact we were scared. Another person replied jokingly ,' of course they are scared, we are palestinians, we are terrorists'. This has been going round my head constantly for the past few days. Do i see people as individuals or do i stereotype and label? What impact does this have?

I have been challenged about how i place people in boxes, whether this be my love of Muslim nations that causes me to disregard French people, or my desire to discover exactly where people stand on certain issues. Life is not black and white. Whilst the constant barrage of martyr propaganda in the refugee camps is both sad and terrifying, likewise persistant exile and helplessness is distressing to the extreme. One cannot possibly quantify the impact of 1948 upon the Palestinians, or even upon individuals such as a lady i drunk coffee with two evenings ago. She left her house aged 4 and has since lived in al bass all her life. Her children now live in 3 different countries and her remaining relatives face few prospects. The importance of seeing the individual rather than dwelling on generalisations has been underlined consistantly since my arrival here.

The media coverage of today's prisoner exchange illuminates both the complicated nature of the conflict in terms of biased reporting, and also the deep underlying hatred on both sides. Southern Lebanon has suffered greatly under Israeli occupation and attack, even as recently as 2006, whilst there have also been Israeli casualties as a result of Hizbollah action. Today has been celebrated as a national holiday with political flags on every car, despite anger due to fact that Israel have actually postponed the exchange until tomorrow. Is it necessary to take sides? I am unsure. However, even being here for a week has made me even more certain of the need to speak up for the voiceless and defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Life should not be about abstract distinctions, or putting people in boxes based on political issues. It is about going to the places where people are dismissed, living alongside them and serving them. Where are the lepers of our modern day society? Will we stand among the lost and forgotten? Do the Christians in Lebanon feel supported by the Church in the West or completely unnoticed and left to face decline and increasing violence alone? Where are the peacemakers?