Lebanon: A Collective Shame

In the last weeks, especially after the invasion of Gaza, I've been carrying around a kind of sadness that isn't just some momentary emotion, but rather more like a disease that you contract if you stay here too long. Sometimes you can even see it in the eyes of people you talk to, although most Palestinians can artfully conceal it most of the time. I'm not so skilled.

I find myself increasingly short-tempered, depressed and have little patience for anything and everything that disagrees with me at any particular point in time. As this sadness has endured, I have begun to shield myself from what's going on around me. I just read the news headlines instead of the articles, I'm constantly thinking about other times and places than those in which I am immersed, and I have become apathetic to the violence, particularly in Lebanon.

Shame on me.

Shame on me for my weakness, my recourse to my privileges and for this burst of self-pity.

Shame on Israel for the despicable use of violence that its completely unethical war machine continues to meat out on a daily basis, and for all its hypocrisy as it keeps 10000 Palestinian and Lebanese nationals hostage ("in jail") while destroying Lebanon and Gaza over three soldiers.

Shame on Hezbollah for it's bellicose disregard for the Lebanese population, and it's manipulation of events in Gaza, when millions of Palestinians in Lebanon live in conditions just as bad, imposed by a Lebanese state that Hezbollah is part of. Shame on them for killing civilans and being no better than Israel.

Shame of the countries of the UN, EU, North America, Russia and many others for their spinelessness and cowardice in the face of an Israeli aggression they could easy stop if there was the political will. Blair and Annan's statement yesterday made me sick with disgust. Shame on them for evacuating their citizens while letting those from Lebanon perish.

Shame on all of the Arab states who profess some mythical unity while standing by and letting Israel massacre innocent Lebanese civilians, while in some cases even supporting it (Saudi).

Shame on those Palestinians who are positively enjoying the retributive force of Hezbollah's actions while showing scant regard for all those people in Lebanon that have been murdered and injured.

Shame on you for living in a world that could let something like this happen.

Shame on all of us.