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War Diary: Lebanon 2006
What was it like to live in Beirut during the Israel-Lebanon war of 2006? Lebanese agronomy professor and social activist Rami Zurayk spent the whole war in Beirut with his family. War Diary: Lebanon 2006 is his record of the 33-day-long onslaught.
Describing it as "magnificent," British author and journalist Matt Carr praised the book in these terms:
"Alternately angry, poignant, blackly comic, despairing and humane, his diary provides a very personal perspective on the war, on Israel, and on Lebanese and Arab politics that was - and is - almost entirely absent in the Western media."
During the 2006 war, the Israeli military killed 1,200 Lebanese citizens-- most of them civilians-- and destroyed a large proportion of the country's infrastructure: power plants, factories, vital bridges, and the whole, densely populated area of southern Beirut known as the "Dahieh."(43 Israeli civilians and 121 Israeli military were also killed in the war.)
Throughout those 33 days in the summer of 2006, Israel's hi-tech, lethal (and U.S.-supported) military was trying to inflict such suffering on Lebanon's people that it would turn them against Hizbullah, which was both a resistance movement and a political party with members in the national parliament. At first, some Lebanese people seemed responsive to the argument Israeli spokesmen made, that the death and destruction their country was suffering was "all Hizbullah's fault." For his part, Zurayk was one of the many Lebanese leftists who countered that argument, seeing Israel's attack as yet another episode in the West's decades-long project to subjugate the Arab world.
As the war dragged on and Lebanon's intense suffering continued, Israel's arguments became less persuasive-- and Hizbullah gained the respect of increasing numbers of Lebanese. In the end, Israel failed in its core goal of turning Lebanon's people against Hizbullah. By the time the war ended, Hizbullah was more popular than ever before-- in Lebanon, and throughout the Arab world.
War Diary: Lebanon 2006 brings to its readers Zurayk's vivid pictures of the horror and the emotional and political complexities of those days.
Describing it as "magnificent," British author and journalist Matt Carr praised the book in these terms:
"Alternately angry, poignant, blackly comic, despairing and humane, his diary provides a very personal perspective on the war, on Israel, and on Lebanese and Arab politics that was - and is - almost entirely absent in the Western media."
During the 2006 war, the Israeli military killed 1,200 Lebanese citizens-- most of them civilians-- and destroyed a large proportion of the country's infrastructure: power plants, factories, vital bridges, and the whole, densely populated area of southern Beirut known as the "Dahieh."(43 Israeli civilians and 121 Israeli military were also killed in the war.)
Throughout those 33 days in the summer of 2006, Israel's hi-tech, lethal (and U.S.-supported) military was trying to inflict such suffering on Lebanon's people that it would turn them against Hizbullah, which was both a resistance movement and a political party with members in the national parliament. At first, some Lebanese people seemed responsive to the argument Israeli spokesmen made, that the death and destruction their country was suffering was "all Hizbullah's fault." For his part, Zurayk was one of the many Lebanese leftists who countered that argument, seeing Israel's attack as yet another episode in the West's decades-long project to subjugate the Arab world.
As the war dragged on and Lebanon's intense suffering continued, Israel's arguments became less persuasive-- and Hizbullah gained the respect of increasing numbers of Lebanese. In the end, Israel failed in its core goal of turning Lebanon's people against Hizbullah. By the time the war ended, Hizbullah was more popular than ever before-- in Lebanon, and throughout the Arab world.
War Diary: Lebanon 2006 brings to its readers Zurayk's vivid pictures of the horror and the emotional and political complexities of those days.
59 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 2, 2023
This is one man's diary account of the war in 2006 that lasted from July 12 to August 14 that took the lives of over 1,200 Lebanese and injured and displaced thousands more. I appreciated how Rami expressed his feelings about the war as a Shia Muslim and the prejudices he faced from all directions when everyone and their grandmothers had something to say about Israel's bombing of Lebanon and the Hezbollah-led resistance. Very dear friends of mine whose family had sought refuge in another Arab country because of the war told me about the fear they lived in with the military aircraft and bombs, and the death and destruction they witnessed and were traumatized by as only young preteens and teens.
Though this diary is short, it is filled with Rami's feelings and lived experiences during those 34 days of hell. I loved reading about how he and a friend developed an idea to bring fresh produce to refugees/internally displaced people from local farmers to ensure the health of the people and the agriculture remained strong during the chaos. Most people may not be familiar with what led up to this conflict and how Israel was encroaching on Lebanon and trying to expand their colonized settlements of land they have no claim to. Of course this war was backed by the western imperial countries that have endorsed Israel from its genocidal inception of colonizing Palestine. Rami doesn't write this diary like a day-to-day log of every mundane thing that happened to him and instead focuses primarily on the war itself and his feelings about the unfolding events.
It is so infuriating when Arabs are always demonized for resisting colonial occupation by any means. Yet, when we look at how the west views the resistance of the Ukrainians by the same methods (molotov cocktails, suicide bombers, etc.) it is honorable and justified. It is not the means of resistance that is being demonized, but the bodies of the people defending themselves against colonizers, invaders, and nuclear superpower countries. Rami discusses this at length in his diary (obviously without mentioning the current situation given this was written in 2006) about how the lives of the oppressed, refugees, armed resisters, etc will never be accepted and given any measure of worth due to imperialism and white supremacy only deeming white lives or those that hold great proximity to it as having worth.
There is one passage in particular near the end of his short diary that I think Rami really hit the nail on the head when discussing how his liberal/leftist white American and European friends responses, willful ignorances, closeted racism, and colonial and imperial apologist true colors began to show. The same conversations I've had with former friends thinking they gave a shit about ALL human lives, but realizing I was dead wrong when they expected me to explain the case of my own humanity to them as an Arab, as a Muslim, as a woman of color who descends from indigenous bedouins screwed over and exploited by colonizers.
It is something we've seen throughout American history and we still see it today with the dehumanization of refugees, building of walls, justification of invading and waging wars on 'backwards' countries, caging of migrants at the border, rampant xenophobia, mass incarceration, stealing children from bipoc families, etc. Meanwhile, when the invasion of Ukraine began and the anchors of western news stations began to air the refugee crisis from Ukraine that was developing we saw how they said that these refugees were 'civilized', were 'blonde and blue-eyed Christians', and were worthy of being welcomed because they were 'just like us' unlike the refugees that were created by those same western countries that claim ownership of civility. I say all of this to say that the people leaving bad reviews on this book and claiming it endorses terrorism don't know shit about shit and with the audacity of their double-standard bullshit would just as quickly defend any western country's right to defend itself from whatever but condemn any black or brown country for doing the exact same thing.
Though this diary is short, it is filled with Rami's feelings and lived experiences during those 34 days of hell. I loved reading about how he and a friend developed an idea to bring fresh produce to refugees/internally displaced people from local farmers to ensure the health of the people and the agriculture remained strong during the chaos. Most people may not be familiar with what led up to this conflict and how Israel was encroaching on Lebanon and trying to expand their colonized settlements of land they have no claim to. Of course this war was backed by the western imperial countries that have endorsed Israel from its genocidal inception of colonizing Palestine. Rami doesn't write this diary like a day-to-day log of every mundane thing that happened to him and instead focuses primarily on the war itself and his feelings about the unfolding events.
It is so infuriating when Arabs are always demonized for resisting colonial occupation by any means. Yet, when we look at how the west views the resistance of the Ukrainians by the same methods (molotov cocktails, suicide bombers, etc.) it is honorable and justified. It is not the means of resistance that is being demonized, but the bodies of the people defending themselves against colonizers, invaders, and nuclear superpower countries. Rami discusses this at length in his diary (obviously without mentioning the current situation given this was written in 2006) about how the lives of the oppressed, refugees, armed resisters, etc will never be accepted and given any measure of worth due to imperialism and white supremacy only deeming white lives or those that hold great proximity to it as having worth.
There is one passage in particular near the end of his short diary that I think Rami really hit the nail on the head when discussing how his liberal/leftist white American and European friends responses, willful ignorances, closeted racism, and colonial and imperial apologist true colors began to show. The same conversations I've had with former friends thinking they gave a shit about ALL human lives, but realizing I was dead wrong when they expected me to explain the case of my own humanity to them as an Arab, as a Muslim, as a woman of color who descends from indigenous bedouins screwed over and exploited by colonizers.
It is something we've seen throughout American history and we still see it today with the dehumanization of refugees, building of walls, justification of invading and waging wars on 'backwards' countries, caging of migrants at the border, rampant xenophobia, mass incarceration, stealing children from bipoc families, etc. Meanwhile, when the invasion of Ukraine began and the anchors of western news stations began to air the refugee crisis from Ukraine that was developing we saw how they said that these refugees were 'civilized', were 'blonde and blue-eyed Christians', and were worthy of being welcomed because they were 'just like us' unlike the refugees that were created by those same western countries that claim ownership of civility. I say all of this to say that the people leaving bad reviews on this book and claiming it endorses terrorism don't know shit about shit and with the audacity of their double-standard bullshit would just as quickly defend any western country's right to defend itself from whatever but condemn any black or brown country for doing the exact same thing.
January 2, 2015
One word:Twisted!
This is a book that is supposed to be an account of a man's experience during the 34 days was between Israel and Hezbollah,you would expect it to say the least!
The description is very misleading!Instead of doing what it claims,the book at it's best a bunch of ramblings about the war during the war amidst the war!
I thought the author had to offer something more,from a supposedly leftist point of view,I felt this leftist Arab and i fact a self admitted "Atheist' author might sound different than let's say,a self detonating suicide bombing Jihadist Hezbollah guy!But NO!He says,he does not agree with Hezbollah!(You might feel relief at this thought,but whoa,hold that thought plz)He doesn't agree with Hezbollah on..wait for it...Social and Economic ideas!Huh?Yeah you heard it right!He doesn't agree with them on socioeconomic ideas!He's as supportive of 'Resistance' as any conservative Jihadists you see on CNN every single day!He approves of a terrorist army such as Hezbollah,their terrorist suicide bombings and kidnappings for ransom,terror tunnels etc!Coz he thinks it gives him 'pride' without which life lacks meaning,huh?
This book is disheartening i a way,you'd think,at least like to think that some1 who claims to be an atheist in the ME would think differently than Muslim suicide bombing Hezbollah/Hamas Jihadist!But this book,author defy any logic!If these are the kind of people Israel is against since her birth,you can definitely understand her condition!!And unique challenges!!You can also understand the fact that more Muslims in Britain are fighting for IS today than there are in the UK army!I mean WTF is wrong with these people?
One might read this book to understand the other side,the haters of Israel but after you read this jihadist drivel which is terribly terribly short and is full with formatting errors in it's kindle version(incomplete sentences almost every page,editing errors)it has just 60 pages for the kindle price of 4 USD which is wayy to high for a mere 60 pages of rants,you would be even more pro Israel after reading it,I know I am!!
Don't waste 4 USD on this 'War diary',it's not worth 2 hours and 4 USD!
0 star.
#Fail
This is a book that is supposed to be an account of a man's experience during the 34 days was between Israel and Hezbollah,you would expect it to say the least!
The description is very misleading!Instead of doing what it claims,the book at it's best a bunch of ramblings about the war during the war amidst the war!
I thought the author had to offer something more,from a supposedly leftist point of view,I felt this leftist Arab and i fact a self admitted "Atheist' author might sound different than let's say,a self detonating suicide bombing Jihadist Hezbollah guy!But NO!He says,he does not agree with Hezbollah!(You might feel relief at this thought,but whoa,hold that thought plz)He doesn't agree with Hezbollah on..wait for it...Social and Economic ideas!Huh?Yeah you heard it right!He doesn't agree with them on socioeconomic ideas!He's as supportive of 'Resistance' as any conservative Jihadists you see on CNN every single day!He approves of a terrorist army such as Hezbollah,their terrorist suicide bombings and kidnappings for ransom,terror tunnels etc!Coz he thinks it gives him 'pride' without which life lacks meaning,huh?
This book is disheartening i a way,you'd think,at least like to think that some1 who claims to be an atheist in the ME would think differently than Muslim suicide bombing Hezbollah/Hamas Jihadist!But this book,author defy any logic!If these are the kind of people Israel is against since her birth,you can definitely understand her condition!!And unique challenges!!You can also understand the fact that more Muslims in Britain are fighting for IS today than there are in the UK army!I mean WTF is wrong with these people?
One might read this book to understand the other side,the haters of Israel but after you read this jihadist drivel which is terribly terribly short and is full with formatting errors in it's kindle version(incomplete sentences almost every page,editing errors)it has just 60 pages for the kindle price of 4 USD which is wayy to high for a mere 60 pages of rants,you would be even more pro Israel after reading it,I know I am!!
Don't waste 4 USD on this 'War diary',it's not worth 2 hours and 4 USD!
0 star.
#Fail
Read
June 5, 2013easy to read short book. you may or may not agree with the author's opinion of the 2006 war, but he writes intelligently and it is interesting to read his perspective
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews