a documentary of summer 2006

1. “Cry the Beloved Country”
Israeli’s attack on Lebanon
Summer 2006
By
May Haddad

2. “CrytheBelovedCountry”
Israeli’sattackonLebanon
Summer2006
Extractsfromane-mailjournal
Lebanon:July12-August14,2006
By May Haddad
Edited Nov. 2015

3. MyvisittothetownofKhiamandS.LebanonNov.3-62015,motivated
metorevisitandeditmye-mailjournalfromsummer2006.
Withgratitudetoallthefriendswhohelpedmecopeatthetime.
Coverphoto:AtKhiam,Sep.2006

4. MylifefrozeonJuly122006!
Ilookedatmycalendarforthatweek…
Justridiculous!Nothingworkedasintended!
Iamnotawarvictim,
Ihavenotbeen
Shotat,imprisoned,
Torturedorraped
Iamanordinaryperson,
Whohasbecome
Forever,awitness
Icompiledandreflectedonmysavede-mailmessagesJuly12-August142006,to
helpmeunderstand…

5. Solidaritye-mailmessages
Palestine:
Ironically,theveryfirstweresolidaritymessagesfromPalestine:
“Ourheartsandminds,andeyesandears,
arealltense,directedtowhatishappening
inLebanon”,Ghassan-Ramallah
“May,myheartgoestoyou,warmhug
andkiss,pleasetakegoodcareofyourself
HASTALAVICTORIASIEMPRE”,
Majeda-KhanYounis
“Iamthinkingofyouandthepeopleof
Lebanon,ourheartswithyou;weareliving
inaveryrepulsiveworld.Iamconfused,
depressedanddeeplydisappointed”,
Umaiyeh-Jerusalem
“Hopeyouaresafe”,Heba-Gaza
Globally:
Otherinboxsoothinge-mailmessagesfromaroundtheworld:
“I'vebeenthinkingaboutyoualot,May,
andsendingpeacefulthoughtsyourway,
love”,Jane-SanFrancisco
“Thinkingofyouamidstthisnewoutrage
andinsanity.Staysafe”,Chris-Oxford
“Pleasebeassuredthatourthoughtsand
bestwishesarewithyouinthesetimes”,
Andreas-Berlin
“SolidarityactsforthePalestinian&
LebanesepeoplefromSalaamtheolivetree
children”,Elena–Trieste

6. “Iamreallyworriedaboutyou.
Notveryfamiliarwiththelocationsofthe
bombingsbutLebanonissosmall,
everythinglookshellish,”Jamal–
Vancouver
“Thepicturesaresodistressingand
heartbreaking,andit'sunconscionablethat
BushandBlairrefusetobrokeraceasefire.
Areyouokay?Sendingmuchlove”,
Cynthia
“Thinkingaboutyouandhopingyouare
safeamidsttheIsraelimadnessand
destruction.Love”,Nancy-Birmingham
“Whatcouldonepossiblysayinthemidst
ofthisuttermadness?I'mcompletelyata
loss,andstillIwantedtoknowyouarein
mythoughts,May.Takecareofyour
wonder-full,dancing,spiritedself”,Sharry-
Cairo
Somefriendsseemedtobeshouting.HereiswhatHarrywrote:
“May,May,Idohopeyouarenotin
Lebanonrightnow.I'dbehappiestifyou
weresomewherewhereidiotsarenotfiring
gunsanddroppingbombs”,Harry-
Vancouver
Adaylater,hewrote:
“Getthehelloutofthere?I'mafraidthisit
goingtobealotworsethanprevious
catastrophes.Ofcourse,nothingwillbe
solved-onlymorepeoplearegoingtoget
killedandmaimed.Sodothinkofwaiting
itout,ifneedbeinCyprus…”

7. OthershaddifferentopinionsthanHarry:
“Talkingtoyouandhearing
Jude'svoicemadeitmorepainful...
emotionally...maybefeelingguiltythatI
amnottheretosharethepainwithyou...I
don'tknow...”Aida-WashingtonDC
HanadySalman(Al-Saffirnewspaper-
Beirut)livedwithusthroughher
passionatedailye-maildiaryandimages.
Hermessagesthatstartedjustafterthewar,
endedsoonafterthecease-fire.OnAugust
15,Hanadywrote:
“Thiswillprobablybemylastlettertoyou.
Iwillmissyouall.SomeofyouInevermet,
butIfeelthatyouareallsoclosetome.
Morethanthat,youprobablyalready
knowit—withoutyouIwouldnothave
madeitthroughoutthishell.Youwere
therebymysideandthatmademe
stronger.Everyday,yougavemore
meaningtoallthis—peoples’storieswere
heard,peoples‘sufferingwasshared.This
waswhatIcoulddoformypeople:tell
someoftheirstories.Knowingthatyou
wouldlisten,knowingthatyouwouldcare
madethewholedifference’.
NotethatHanady’se-maildiariesare
postedatherblog:
http://beirutjournal.blogspot.com
Throughsolidaritye-mailmessages,IconnectedtovirtualpeoplewhomIhaveneverknown
ormet.Theybecamefriends.
Chriswithshaw.caaddresswrotebacktomewhenIthankedhimforinitiatingapetitionon
line:“ThankyouMay,it'stheveryleastIcoulddo.Ifeelsohelpless!”

8. Petitionsandarticles
Petitionsonlinebecameanobsession:
“ThecitizensoftheLebanonneedyourhelp.
TheIsraeligovernmenthaswagedarelentlesswarinLebanon
andiscommittingcrimesagainsthumanityindefianceofinternationallaw.
ManycivilianshavebeenkilledandLebanonisbeing
destroyedsystematicallyundertheeyesofthewholeworld.
Toletthisgoonwouldbeahistoriccrime.
Pleasehelpstopthemassacres.”
IwassigningalltherelevantpetitionsthatIfoundonline,suchas:
o ThecitizensoftheLebanonneedyourhelp:PetitiontoUSGovernment
http://www.petitiononline.com/50600/petition-sign.html?
o SavetheLebaneseCiviliansPetition:http://julywar.epetitions.net
o JusticeforLebanonPetitiontoUN,UNSecurityCouncil,EUandInternational
NGOsworkingintheHumanRightsandPeacefield
http://www.petitiononline.com/Jul06Leb/petition.html
o AcademicsagainstIsraeliAggressiononLebanonandGaza
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/caracas/

9. Myeffortsatdisseminatingthepetitionsonlinetoallmycontacts,networks&groupswere
rewarding:
“May,hopeyouarefine-alotonmylist
havesignedthepetitions-thatisreassuring
-althoughwhatIseeonTVishorrific.Be
well”,Yasmeen-NewDelhi
“OfcourseIsigned,naturally.Butdear
MayhowareU.Itmustbehardnow
historyisrepeatingagain”,Ruud-
Amsterdam
SoonIexpandedtoinclude:
o Sites&blogssuchas:www.ElectronicLebanon.net,
http://sanayehreliefcenter.blogspot.com/http://lebanonupdates.blogspot.com/etc.,
o Imagessuchasbeirutjuly2006.assafir@gmail.com,www.fromisraeltolebanon.org,
o Appeals,pressrelease,Culturalstatements,suchasRogerAssaf’s: Nousallonsbien,et
vous?Articles&links,Callsforactionincludingvigils&protestsaroundtheworld.
IndeedIwasscreamingloudly:
StopWaronLebanonNOW!
Everyday,Iwascommunicatingbye-mailforlonghours.
IwasuncertainthatIcouldcontinuetodosoasIwasconcernedthatthephonelineswould
becutoffanymomentandwewouldlooseinternetconnections(aswashappeningwith
electricitycutoff).

10. E-mailswerealsoavenueforcirculatingarticles.Hereareselectedtitles:
o TheWestmustrecognizethatIsrael'sagendaisinconflictwithitsown
o Lebanon:theworldlookson
o WhyIsIsraelDestroyingLebanon?
o ClusterbombingofLebanon'immoral'UNofficialtellsIsraeletc.…
Humor
E-mailmessageswerealsohumorous;herearetwoexamplesfrommye-diaries:
OnJuly19,Ie-mailedmyfriendHossein,whomIwastopickupfromBeirutairport:“Iguess
thatitisobviousIwillnotpickuupfromtheairportat6pmtoday,becauseuwillnotbeinthe
flight,theflighthasbeencancelled&theairportisclosed….Whatasituation!”
Nabil,mybrothere-mailedImadonJuly17whowasthinkingofusduringhisvacationin
CostaRica:“Imad,ifthesuninCostaRicaisnothotenough,considerLebanon,ITISHOT
thissummer”.

11. Juliano
JulianowasonenewvirtualfriendImetthroughe-mail.
Iwrotethen:
“Juliano.Ihavenoideaifyouwereamanorwoman,olderagegroup
oryounger;yourmessagestouchmyheart.Ifindthemsensitive,genuine
andoftenyousaywhatIwanttosay...Iknowforcertain,youareA
FRIEND-insolidarity”
SoonIrealizedthatIwascommunicatingwithJulianoMer-Khamis
himself, thefreedomfighterinIsrael/Palestine.Julianowasapeaceactivist
andtheateractor/directorlivingmostlyintherefugeecampofJenin,where
heestablishedthe“FreedomTheater”http://www.thefreedomtheatre.org/
OnJuly26,Julianowrotetome:
“WhilewholefamiliesarebeingwipedoutinLebanonasmallgirl,five
yearsoldandaninemontholdbabywerekilledinGazatoday.Who
saysIsraelisnotfacingacruelenemy?”

12. Aida
Onthesameday,AidacommentedonJuliano’smessage:
“Actuallytheyarecruel...theirfaceswillhaunttheirkillerseverymoment,
hour,andeverysingledayfortherestoftheirlives...”
E-mailmessageswithAidahelpedmereflect…
OnJuly24,IrespondedtoAida’stitleof“CrytheBelovedCountry”thatshe
usedtodescribethesituation.MytitlewasThisCursedRegion:
“Thiscursedregion...isitreallybeloved?
Ialwayswantedthekhalehiyee(gulf)touristtobeaway,theyare....
Ihateduglyconcretebuildings;manyhavebeendemolished(one
with23tonsofexplosives,howmanytonsdoyouneedtodestroya
building?)...
Idislikedhighways,alwaysromanticizedaboutoldroads,nowboth
arenotfunctional.

13. Ihatedtrafficjam,wellnoneexiststhesedays...
Ialwayswantedequityandthatthepoorcanaccessplacesinthe
growingrichRasBeirutarea,nowRasBeirut'spopulationhas
changedagain...
BUT,Ineverwishedthislevelofdestruction,killings,suffering...
However,IalsofeelthepainofpeoplelivinginNorthPalestine/
Israel...
Itseemsasifweareinasituationwhereallfeelsterriblysqueezed.
Mostlikely,thisnightmareisending,onlytostartanewoneofa
differentnature”
Aidaresponded:
“Readthisseveraltimes...
Ameaningbeyondthemeaning...

14. Encompassingsomanyfeelings
Thatareconflicting,diverse,
Butsurprisinglyone...
Thatofpain...yourpain...
Anybody’spain...regardless
Beyondborders...
Beyondunderstanding...
Ichooseanotherbookastitlethen,
"OfHumanBondage"...
SomehowIcannotthinkformyself...
Titlescomeinhandy.

15. Sonia
SolidaritywithLebaneseandPalestinianpeople:
StoptheBrutality
ThiswasthesloganthatSoniadevelopedandprintedonT-shirtsandpins.
FriendsacrosstheworldimmediatelytranslatedtheslogansintoGerman,Dutch,
Italian,Mandarin,andFrenchetc.Herearetwoselectionsfromthetranslations:
SolidarietaetmitdenLibanesenundPaelestinensern:
StopdieGewalt
SolidarietàconilPopoloLibaneseePalestinese:
FermalaViolenza

17. “Of Human Bondage”
Responses of friends - By 18 11 15
This is important work, May. Our
attention span is so brief these days --
with 24-hour news cycles, FB and Twitter
-- what happened in 2006 (and 2014, and
1948 and, and) mustn't be forgotten. love-
Norbert- London
You are so attuned to circumstances,
I love to see your impressions, insights…
Thanks for sharing and just being you.
Alia- Washington DC
Your photo expresses signs of
helplessness, despair, loss, beyond
words, making sense, trying to accept,
finding peace, staying strong, waiting…
in the midst of madness... evil, love
survives, and love endures. And your
collection of the messages is hope-
filled… …
Nancy- Vancouver
Dear May, it is awful to realise that such a
beautiful country and all the people, in
your homeland, must suffer, for so many
decades. I think a lot about U and the
people in Lebanon. In my heart I dream
that you will live in peace once. And I
believe that dreams come true. With love.
Ruud- Amsterdam
While reading your thoughts Dr May, I
can hear the helicopters roaming the sky
of Jerusalem…Same oppressors
Amirah- Jerusalem
‫تشوام‬ ‫تشوام‬ ‫شكرااااااااااااا‬
،‫+م‬+++‫ل‬‫+عا‬+++‫ل‬‫وا‬ ‫+طني‬+++‫س‬‫فل‬ ‫+ن‬+++‫م‬ ‫+ك‬+++‫ل‬ ‫+بة‬+++‫ح‬‫اال‬ ‫+ل‬+++‫ئ‬‫+ا‬+++‫س‬‫ر‬ ‫+رأ‬+++‫ق‬‫أ‬ ‫+دأت‬+++‫ب‬
‫+رب‬++‫ح‬‫ال‬ ‫+لك‬++‫ت‬ ‫+ن‬++‫ع‬ ‫+ك‬++‫م‬‫+ال‬++‫ك‬ ‫+ن‬++‫م‬ ‫+د‬++‫ي‬‫+ز‬++‫مل‬‫ا‬ ‫+رأ‬++‫ق‬‫ال‬ ‫+ود‬++‫ع‬‫+ا‬++‫س‬ ‫+يد‬++‫ك‬‫وا‬
‫+نفس‬+++‫ب‬ ‫+كن‬+++‫ل‬ ،‫+ما‬+++‫ب‬‫ر‬ ‫+قيض‬+++‫ن‬ ‫+ي‬+++‫ف‬‫+ر‬+++‫ط‬ ‫+ن‬+++‫م‬ ‫+ا‬+++‫ه‬‫+شنا‬+++‫ع‬ ‫+تي‬+++‫ل‬‫ا‬
. ‫محبتي‬ ،‫الحروب‬ ‫هوالت‬ ‫من‬ ‫والخوف‬ ‫الرعب‬
‫+ن‬+‫ع‬ ‫+ك‬+‫م‬‫+ال‬+‫ك‬ ‫+ي‬+‫م‬ .‫+ميلة‬+‫ج‬‫ال‬ ‫+ك‬+‫ت‬‫+عاد‬+‫ك‬ ‫+ع‬+‫ئ‬‫را‬ ‫+ن‬+‫م‬ ‫+ثر‬+‫ك‬‫ا‬ ‫+مل‬+‫ع‬
‫+لك‬+++‫ت‬ ‫+ن‬+++‫م‬ ‫+ي‬+++‫ت‬‫+ا‬+++‫ي‬‫+ر‬+++‫ك‬‫ذ‬ ‫+ة‬+++‫ب‬‫+كتا‬+++‫ب‬ ‫+دأ‬+++‫ب‬‫إ‬ ‫+جعني‬+++‫ش‬ ‫+وع‬+++‫ض‬‫+و‬+++‫مل‬‫+ا‬+++‫ه‬
2006 ‫صيف‬ ‫حيفا‬ ‫من‬ ‫الصعبة‬ ‫الحرب‬
Denise- Haifa
Hello, May, Your feelings shine through
your memories - and all I can hope for is
an end to these mindless tragedies.
Yasmeen- New Delhi