The war in Lebanon had a personal connection for a few Washington College students and faculty.
Ibtisam Ibrahim, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who joined the College faculty this fall as assistant professor of Arabic and Middle Eastern studies, spent much of her summer hunkered down with family in a village north of Haifa. The youngest of seven children, and the only one to leave her homeland, she had returned to Galilee for a nephew's wedding. week later, the bombing started.
"We were very much concerned because, following tradition, we had invited at least 1,000 families from all around the region, including friends, neighbors and relatives, to come to the wedding," she says. "While we were not in the target area, some of the rockets were missing their targets and landing in the Arab villages; 18 out of 35 people killed in the Galilee were citizens."
Ibrahim charges Israel with discriminatory and neglectful policy toward its citizens during the bombing. "There are no shelters in the villages and there were no government warnings that rockets were arriving. On the other hand, the government evacuated all of the Jewish settlements in the Galilee and gave them free hotel rooms in the southern part of Israel, but never offered such services to the Arab community."
She returned to the U.S. three days after the war ended, disappointed and angry at the prolonged conflict.
"Every four years we hope for a new government, and wish they [Israeli leaders] will do something to change this routine of violence."
Here in the U.S., Renee Farrah, a senior English major whose family has close ties to Lebanon, recounts that during her family reunion this summer the TV was always on as the bombing continued. "There was talk about Lebanon's history, U.S. support of Israel, whether Hezbollah is a terrorist group or militia—all of these were topics of discussion," says Farrah.
Farrah's cousin had returned to Lebanon to adopt a baby and the airport in Beirut was bombed just as they were about to return to the U.she relates. "Eventually they made it out and were interviewed on CNN's 'Larry King Live.' We all gathered around the again, this time to watch a happy story."
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