· April, 2007

Stories about Lebanon from April, 2007

Arabeyes: On Selling a Palestinian Kidney and Changing the Israeli Flag

  30 April 2007

Do you want to know why a Palestinian wants to sell his kidney, or what had happened to the bicycle of a Lebanese blogger on September 10, 2001? What is more difficult: returning home after living abroad for five years or demanding that Israel changes its flag just as the Kurds want to change the Iraqi flag? And last but not least: why does Ala'a Abdulfattah - the Godfather of Egyptian bloggers - say he isn't and was never a blogger? To know more, read on.

Lebanon: Art, Water and Tensions

  30 April 2007

This week was marred by the kidnapping and killing of two Lebanese youth, bringing back memories from the dark years of the Lebanese civil war. This was the topic updated and analysed by most Lebanese bloggers. In addition to this sad event, there are blog posts featuring paintings, poetry and political analysis about the expected water crisis in the Middle East as well as the huge billboard with photos of the captured Israeli soldiers that was place on the southern Lebanese borders.

Lebanon: Two Kidnapped Found Dead

  27 April 2007

The Lebanese police found the bodies of the missing youths yesterday evening. Security measures were stepped up in Beirut. The victims were buried today. Political leaders called for restraint and letting the investigations to take its course. Riemer Brouwer and Jounoune have updates on this hideous crime.

“What Kind of Lebanon Do We Want?”

  27 April 2007

As Lebanon's political leaders offer up their usual litany of what he says is useless rhetoric, French-Lebanese blogger Frencheagle asks his readers to remember one question: “What kind of Lebanon do we want?” (Fr). The problem of coexistence, he says, is one that an international tribunal on the civil war...

The French Presidential Election: A View From Outside the Metropole

  26 April 2007

This weekend, more than 60 million French cast their ballots in the first round of the French presidential election, narrowing the list of candidates to two: conservative UMP candidate Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal. Both face a run-off vote on May 6th. In the five years since...

Lebanon: Youth Kidnapped

  26 April 2007

Lebanese blogger Abu Kais updates us on the situation with two kidnapped Lebanese youth here. “The chances of finding Ziad Qabalan (25) and Ziad Ghandour (12) alive seem to be slim. Rumours claim their bodies were already found, and that the authorities are delaying the announcement. Officials spent Wednesday denying...

Israel: 59th Anniversary

  24 April 2007

Lebanese blogger Assad Abu Khalil quotes Israeli paper Haartez as saying: “An atmosphere of disappointment, despondency and anxiety prevails in Israel in its 59th year. There is no point in trying to dull the power of these feeling when we mark Memorial Day and Independence Day,” as Israel marks its...

Lebanon: Anti-Semitism, Fist-Fights, etc

  24 April 2007

Check out the following topics freshly picked from the Lebanese blogosphere this week: an intense argument between American University of Beirut professors, sectarian polarisation in Lebanon and the Virginia Tech shooting which claimed the lives of 33 people, including two of Lebanese origin.

Arabisto: Egyptian Virginia Tech Victim Ignored by Media

  21 April 2007

“Friends of Virginia Tech shooting victim Waleed Shaalan, from Egypt, are calling him a hero. Friends have told this news station in Virginia that Waleed distracted shooter Seung Hui-Cho, so that three of his friends could to escape the shooting. Why the mainstream media hasn’t caught wind of this, I...

Arabeyes: Thoughts on the Virginia Tech Massacre

  19 April 2007

For Algerian student Nouri, who studies in the US, the shooting at Virginia Tech is too close to home for comfort. He links to the above photograph, from the Washington Post, which features one of his acquaintances, who goes to school there. “The brown fellow to the right, just above...

Lebanon: Two Lebanese Students Killed in Virginia Tech Massacre

  17 April 2007

Two Lebanese students were among the 32 killed in the Virginia Tech massacre, according to bloggers Nadia Gerges and Rima Abdelkader. “Two of our own died today. Reema Samaha and Ross Alameddine, of Lebanese decent, were brutally murdered by Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui on Monday, April 17th. The Lebanese...

Lebanon: Remembering the Civil War

  15 April 2007

April 13, 1975 is officially the date when the Lebanese civil war began. It lasted for 15 years and it officially ended in 1990 after the Taif agreement. More than 150,000 died and hundreds of thousands were injured or displaced. Almost every Lebanese was affected in one way or another....

Lebanon: Random Posts During the Holidays

  8 April 2007

Lebanon has been on a holiday the past week. Three holidays coincided together. This year happens to be one of those rare years when the liturgical calendars of the Orthodox Christians and Catholic Christians coincide. For that reason, all Lebanese Christian communities celebrated Easter together. Last week also witnessed the...

Lebanon: Bombings in Saida

  7 April 2007

Bahraini blogger bint battuta shares with us the news about a friend and her family being bombed by an Israeli warship off the coast of Saida.

Arabeyes: Pictorial Tour of the Middle East

  5 April 2007

American couple BSS and BRN, who live in Al Ain, in the UAE, have been busy clicking photographs of their new surroundings, bringing us up close and personal with the beauty of the architectural marvels they see around them. A special interest is posting pictures of mosques on their blog,...

Lebanon: Hariri Murder a Mystery

  3 April 2007

American blogger Joshua Landis writes that the perpetrators of the February 14, 2005, Hariri assassination may never be tracked down. “His (Seymour Hersh – an American Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist and author) sources at the UN tell him there is no evidence against Syria yet. That the Hariri killing...

Lebanon: British Sailors

  3 April 2007

Lebanese blogger Moussa Bachir links to an article on the British sailors captured by Iran. “No hoods. No electric shocks. No beatings. These Iranians clearly are a very uncivilized bunch. This is an article written by Terry Jones for the Guardian that I like to share with you. His article...