Perpetually Itinerant

Mathilde's Decadent Chocolate Cake

2011-02-18T13:12:00.008+03:00

As part of my series on Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto (see post of 12 December 2009 and next 4 posts) and following my Clafoutis aux Pommes recipe (see post here), here is another recipe I love. I have named the cake after someone special to me, Mathilde.

Beware chocolate lovers!

It is an easy cake to make in a conflict or developing country. Just need an oven and a cake pan. I would recommend a springform pan, due to the fact that the cake is quite delicate, however you can also use a normal cake pan with some baking paper at the bottom.

Mathilde's Decadent (flourless) Chocolate Cake

Ingredients: 230g of unsalted butter (cut into pieces), 30g of unsweetened cocoa powder, 60ml of heavy cream (creme fraiche epaisse), 230g of dark chocolate (chopped into pieces), 5 large eggs, 200g of granulated sugar (I use brown sugar), some icing sugar for dusting.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C, place baking paper in a cake pan (or a springform pan).

In a medium saucepan heat the butter with the heavy cream over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar and cocoa powder; whisk in the chocolate mixture.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until puffed and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 1 hour. Run a knife along the edge of the cake before unmolding.

Decorate the cake with the icing sugar.

Bon Appetit!

People power in the Arab World: An oxymoron?

2011-02-17T15:25:00.000+03:00

Who would have thought just 6 months ago, that such transformations were to take place in the Arab World?

Just a few months ago, protests in Tunisia, brought down Ben Ali, who held office since 1987. Last week, popular uprisings in Egypt forced Mubarak to resign, president since 1981. Today protests are ongoing in Yemen, Iran, Algeria and Bahrain. Where next?

Huntington was wrong, it is not a clash of civilisations, but a clash between people and their leaders. The lines between the civilisations as Huntington saw it, is actually quite blurred for today's "Facebook generation". Indeed, Arab youth in the Middle East have the same aspirations as most European youth. They have realised today that those aspirations cannot be achieved under the current socio-political and economic climate in their countries. In other words, their leaders and their entourage, need to go.

Mass mobilisation for public manifestations is easy these days. Just create a page on Facebook, send out a couple tweets, say when and where, and you get 100,000 youths protesting the next day.

It is an interesting time to be in the Middle East. You can feel the energy and the desire for change.

Not sure how much sleep some Arab leaders are getting these days...

Lebanon Indictments set to raise tensions: article by the IISS

2010-11-17T00:46:00.002+03:00

The IISS has published a very interesting article today that summarises well the current situation in Lebanon regarding the indictments of the UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), set up to investigate the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005: Click here to read

Iranian President, Ahmedinejad to visit Lebanon tomorrow

2010-10-12T13:15:00.008+03:00

A controversial visit to Lebanon by Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, planned at least two months ago, is to take place in the following two days, on 13 and 14 October 2010. There has been much protest by the US as well as Lebanon's ruling majority against, what they call a "provocative visit". I just received an email from the British Vice Consul in Beirut, with information on the Iranian President's agenda, here it is:

--------------------------------------------------------------

Dear All

Please be informed that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be holding an official visit to Lebanon on 13-14 October 2010. He will land at Beirut Airport on 13 October 2010 and depart on 14 October 2010 ( Exact time is not revealed yet).
It has been reported that the first day, on 13 October 2010, he will have separate official meetings in Beirut with the President, the Parliament Speaker and the Prime Minister, and visit South Beirut Suburbs. On the second day, 14 October 2010, President Ahmedinejad will travel to South of Lebanon to visit the villages of Qana and Bint Jbeil which suffered deadly Israeli raids in 1996 and 2006. He is also due to inaugurate a tourist park named Iran Garden in the nearby village of Marun al-Ras which was funded by Iran. A visit to the war museum built by Hezbollah in the town of Mlila is also likely reported on President's program.
The President and his delegation will be accommodated at the Metropolitan Hotel. The official movements from Beirut to South are reportedly announced by road. Iranian President will be accompanied by Lebanese President on his visit to South Lebanon.
All security measures during the Presidential visit will be taken by LAF and the Presidential Guards battalion.
Public demonstrations, and traffic disruption and strong security measures are expected in a number of areas on both days.
Large supportive demonstrations and gathering even peaceful can turn violent in case of security incidents which cannot be excluded.

Kind regards

British Vice Consul

Beirut

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Hizbullah deputy Leader, Naim Qassem, said recently that Ahmedinejad's arrival in Beirut "voices Lebanon's sovereignty. It is an expression of friendship and support to Lebanon as a resistance, army, people and institutions".

The Iranian President has recently stressed his financial support to arm Lebanon's army (after the US delayed its own funding), something most probably to be discussed during his visit.

The US Embassy in Beirut warned its citizens not to attend rallies featuring the controversial leader. The US State Department recently conducted a routine update of its travel advice for citizens in or thinking of travelling to Lebanon: "The Department of State continues to urge US citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to current safety and security concerns. US citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in remaining and should carefully consider those risks", said the travel warning, issued Friday.

It will be interesting to see what will be the outcome of this much anticipated Presidential visit... In addition to Beirut roads congestion, frustrated commuters and deafening helicopters hovering over the city's skyline for two days...

Lebanese Government at Risk of Collapse if Tribunal indicts Hezbollah

2010-08-16T15:17:00.004+03:00

The English language Lebanese newspaper, the Daily Star has published an interesting article summarising the current political situation in Lebanon. Read here.

As a result of the successful talks in Qatar in 2008, following 18 months of political crisis in Lebanon, Saad Hariri, Rafik Hariri's son, formed a coallition government with Hezbollah and its allies. It seems as though today, due to the UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon's indictments of Hezbollah members next month, a political and security crisis could ensue.

The Daily Star article linked above states that: "The Hizbullah warnings put Hariri in a thorny position. He either continues supporting the Tribunal, even if it accuses the group, putting him on a collision course with Hizbullah. Or he denounces the UN investigation into his father’s death, and risks losing international support and credibility."

It concludes that: “It does not seem there is a specific way out. The crisis is political. It [might] develop to a dangerous security crisis.”

Nasrallah's evidence of Israel's involvement in Hariri's murder in 2005

2010-08-10T11:35:00.007+03:00

Last night, Al Manar television (Hezbollah's own TV channel) broadcasted live Nasrallah's much anticipated speech.

For obvious security reasons he always addresses the media by video link from an undisclosed location. Editors-in-Chief of major Lebanese papers and media outlets were invited including some political leaders.

A few weeks ago, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon declared that it will be indicting individuals in its September report, for the murder of Rafik Hariri in 2005. Some of these individuals are members of Hezbollah, hence Nasrallah's anger at this announcement. He is now adamant to prove that Israel is the culprit behind Hariri's murder. His speech yesterday was an opportunity for him to show footage intercepted from Israeli surveillance drones which hover over Lebanese territory on a regular basis. The footage dates back to 1993 and shows regular surveillance of Hariri, his family and political allies.

Nasrallah claimed that it was in Israel's interest to assassinate Hariri, which ultimately led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, therefore providing a more favorable environment for Israel in its continued struggle against Lebanon and its resistance. He also stated that Israel hoped for Lebanese civil unrest and instability as a result of the 2005 murder.

The Tribunal has now requested that Nasrallah hand over this evidence for further investigation.

There is speculation on the streets in Lebanon that a crisis is in the making and that another war between Lebanon and Israel could take place in the not so distant future... Time to stock up on emergency food supplies and an evacuation bag?

Deadly Israeli-Lebanon border clash today

2010-08-03T15:39:00.006+03:00

The situation seems to be worsening in the Middle East, with deteriorating diplomatic relations in the region and a non-existent peace process in Palestine. The situation in Gaza is intolerable and tension is rising.

The UN tribunal which was set up to investigate the assassination of Hariri in 2005 is ready to indict individuals, which include members of the Hizbullah group.

Nasrallah, it's charismatic leader, has officially denounced the tribunal and its indictments, brushing them off as an Israeli/American plot against his party. Analysts claim that violence could ensue in September. Ramadan will start in a few days, the heat and humidity in the region is at its maximum, not a good combination in a situation of increased political tension!

Today is an example of the potential for small incidences to spark regional conflict (read article):

This is the worst incident since the 2006 Lebanon-Israel war, which lasted 30 days and devastated the South of Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, Hezbollah's strongholds.

A new International Crisis Group report published yesterday claimed that:

"Should hostilities break out, Israel will want to hit hard and fast to avoid duplicating the 2006 scenario. It will be less likely than in the past to distinguish between Hizbollah and a Lebanese government of which the Shiite movement is an integral part and more likely to take aim at Syria – both because it is the more vulnerable target and because it is Hizbollah’s principal supplier of military and logistical support. Meanwhile, as tensions have risen, the so-called “axis of resistance” – Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hizbollah – has been busy intensifying security ties. Involvement by one in the event of attack against another no longer can be dismissed as idle speculation. But that is only the better half of the story. Beneath the surface, tensions are mounting with no obvious safety valve. The deterrence regime has helped keep the peace, but the process it perpetuates – mutually reinforcing military preparations; Hizbollah’s growing and more sophisticated arsenal; escalating Israeli threats – pulls in the opposite direction and could trigger the very outcome it has averted so far. If Israel would not like a war, it does not like what it is seeing either."

How fruit trees in Indian village save girls' lives

2010-06-15T11:55:00.002+03:00

Read the interesting BBC article here

State of the World's Mothers 2010 - Report from Save the Children

2010-05-05T10:36:00.005+03:00

The international NGO, Save the Children, publish a little known annual report comparing countries' status of maternal health care and general maternal well-being. The 2010 report has just been published (to coincide with Mother's Day) revealing very interesting results.

Among the top 10 places to be a mother, not surprisingly, Norway ranks first, followed by Australia, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Among the bottom 10 places, Afghanistan ranks last (shocking considering the fact that the international community has been working there since 2001, pouring billions of aid and implementing numerous development programmes), preceded by Niger, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Yemen, DR Congo, Mali, Sudan, Eritrea and Equatorial Guinea.

The report's main conclusion is that there is an urgent need for increased numbers of skilled female health workers in countries whose ranking is low, who have access to rural areas and where social and cultural stigmas must be overcome (such as countries where access to women is limited).

The report states that "developing countries have too few health care workers to take on the life and death challenges facing mothers, their babies and young children. Worldwide, there are 57 countries with critical health workforce shortages, meaning that they have fewer than 23 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10,000 people. Thirty-six of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to insufficient numbers, health workers are often poorly distributed, with the impoverished, hard-to-reach and marginalised families being most poorly served".

The sad irony is that the few skilled health workers who do originate from these countries in need, emmigrate to Europe, USA and Australia, contributing to extensive brain drain in developing countries, seeking better employment conditions and higher pay. One just has to go to a general hospital in any city in the UK and one will hardly find a British nurse.

The USA places 28, down from 27 in 2009 (next to Poland and Croatia), primarily because its rate for maternal mortality which is 1 in 4,800, is one the highest in the developed world. The US also ranks behind many other wealthy nations in terms of the generosity of maternity leave policies, which generally range from 4 to 6 weeks (if any...). The United Nations' maternity leave policy is minimum 4 months, while Nordic countries such as Norway and Sweden grant up to 12 months paid maternity leave.

Another interesting revelation is Lebanon's ranking, which falls at 48. Strange result considering the fact that 98% of Lebanese births are attended by skilled health workers and woman attend formal education for an average of 14 years (compared to 4 years in countries like Chad and Pakistan). So why such a poor ranking? I suspect it is probably due to the fact that in the workplace, Lebanese women today still do not benefit from equal pay and earn 25 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts; therefore not providing a conducive environment for mothers to pursue careers and be economically active.

A highly recommended read...

From Daunt Books in London: Two Recommended Reads

2010-04-08T09:34:00.009+03:00

I was in London a few months ago and as usual, I try to take the opportunity to visit Daunt Books shop in Marylebone. The Africa section downstairs is incredibly well stocked. I bought two interesting reads which I devoured quickly and which I wish to recommend here:

1) "Chief of Station, Congo" by L. Devlin

Published in 2007, Larry Devlin's autobiographical novel on his years as CIA station chief in DR Congo during the crucial years following the country's independence and subsequent coup by Mobutu at the beginning of the 1960s, is an interesting account of Cold War US-Soviet power struggle in Central Africa. For those who have lived in the Congo recently and Kinshasa in particular, this is an enjoyable read as Devlin's depiction of that period is eye-opening.

One realises sadly that nothing much has changed in the past 50 years and worryingly, as the UN's mission in the Congo (MONUC) announces the possible withdrawal of a portion of its 20,0000 peacekeeping troups as early as June 2010, the fate of that country seems somewhat unpredictable.

2) "Emergency Sex and other Desperate Measures: True Stories from a War Zone" by K. Cain, H. Postlewait and A. Thomson

This book was recommended to me by a DFID colleague. Highly controversial and refreshingly blunt, the books' authors recount their actual experiences as three UN aid workers during the 1990s, in some of the most tragic conflict contexts of that era, namely Cambodia, Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda and Bosnia. Interesting perspectives on life and work in those war zones, quite familiar to those of us who have experienced similar situations.

Clafoutis aux Pommes (Apple)

2010-03-23T14:47:00.006+03:00

As part of my series on Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto, I want to share a French dessert recipe I often make which does not require any sophisticated ingredients, being suitable for those of us living in conflict or developing countries. In addition to the ingredients, all one needs is an oven (gas or electricity, whatever is available) and a cake pan.

Clafoutis aux Pommes

Ingredients: 4 large apples, 4 eggs, 0,75 dl of milk, 170g of flour, 80g of sugar, 40g of raisins (optional), 2 tbsp of lemon zest (orange or grapefruit)

Peel the apples and slice them (not thin), place them in layers in a buttered cake pan.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar. Add gradually, the flour, milk, lemon zest, pinch of salt. Mix well. The mixture should remain quite liquid.

Pour the mixture over the apples. Place the cake pan in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C for 45 minutes.

Enjoy

From a culture of war to a culture of peace

2010-03-16T11:48:00.005+03:00

Bruce Kent, an active peace campaigner, currently vice president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Pax Christi UK and the Movement for the Abolition of War, wrote an article recently on OpenDemocracy.net entitled "From a culture of war to a culture of peace". The article is brilliant, the ideas fresh and original and the issue covered being of the utmost importance in today's overly militarised world. His article is a must read for all.

He touches upon the importance of developing a "consciousness of global citizenship" where high school pupils should be given a copy of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He challenges governments in their role in peace and states that Bank Holidays should be replaced by more significant dates such as the signing of peace treaties. He encourages the celebration of peacemakers rather than war heroes and brilliantly concludes that "it is a task for all of us, if we are serious about building a culture of peace. Culture has to change. We are all part of the process of making that change happen".

Looting following natural disasters: Why?

2010-03-02T11:18:00.005+03:00

The year 2010 seems to be the year of natural disasters. These past few months, an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 hit Northern Philippines, just a few days after an even stronger quake in Chile. Recently, another one in Taiwan. While Haiti is still recovering from its own major earthquake which took place near its capital Port-au-Prince in January, the Portuguese Madeira islands are struggling in the aftermath of major floods and landslides which occurred last month. A few weeks ago, heavy rains caused major mudslides killing nearly one hundred Ugandans, wiping out three villages in the East of the country. Chile experienced a second earthquake during Pinera's inauguration as the new President, following Michelle Bachelet's end of term in office recently.

Away from the obvious global warming debate and avoiding further comments on Borg Lomborg's "The Skeptical Environmentalist", which most of us have hopefully read by now, I am somewhat curious about the social analysis of what takes place within societies, affected by such disasters.

While the death and destruction resulting from these devastating natural phenomena are distressful, the instability, the looting and chaos in its aftermath, are of equally great concern. Haiti and Chile in particular, experienced serious occurrences of looting recently which begs the question: why does this happen and why in only some countries? Can we learn something about societies in their reaction to natural disasters? Are communities tested this way and what does this mean for policy-making?

Being an expert on conflict and post-conflict development, rather than having much knowledge of post-disaster recovery or disaster preparedness, I found striking similarities between post-disaster and post-conflict contexts: Power vacuums at both local and central government levels, lack of basic services, insecurity, sudden breakdown in social community structures, increase in informal and illicit economic activities, internal displacement and refugee crises, etc.

We often expect chaos and crime to result from conflict, however we seem perplexed when this happens during natural calamities, which are not caused by any man's malicious will, and which affects peaceful neighbouring communities. One would expect a sense of solidarity and national mourning, something that brings people together in their common struggle to survive the disaster, rather than the social unrest and looting we have witnessed.

With some further analysis and investigation, one begins to comprehend however, why this happens in some countries and not in others. Indeed, Chile and Haiti (as well as Southern USA during the Katrina disaster) are essentially quite unequal societies, with a distorted wealth distribution where a minority are privileged and the majority destitute or significantly more disadvantaged. According to the UN's Human Development Report in 2009, Haiti's Gini coefficient (which measures inequality and wealth distribution) was 59.5 (whereas 0 is perfectly equal and 100 unequal). In comparison, Norway's Gini was 25.8 and Belgium, 33. The United States was 40.8 (the highest for a developped country) and Chile, 52.7, also high relative to its GDP (as is the case for most Latin American countries).

The floods in the Madeira islands and the earthquake in Taiwan did not generate looting or widespread crime, both countries having significantly lower Gini coefficients and therefore more equal societies. Both Haiti and Chile in 2010 as well as the USA in 2005, relied on armed military personnel to ensure stability in certain urban areas, using force when necessary to prevent wide scale unrest and protect private and public assets from looting and theft.

While some studies suggest that levels of education also determine how a country's population reacts to a natural disaster, I am somewhat sceptical about such conclusions. I would rather lean towards the argument of inequality in the distribution of national wealth, lack of opportunities as well as social and economic discrimination, as a credible explanation for why social unrest and looting take place in some countries following natural disasters.

I would be curious to know whether disaster preparedness includes provisions for prevention and management of social unrest and crime in its aftermath, due to the fact that such preventive measures are indeed long term social and economic policies and reforms which need to take into account sustainable and equitable distribution of national wealth.

Just some thoughts...

Tennis players, wigs and Dubai assassinations: Welcome to the Middle East

2010-02-25T11:15:00.008+03:00

In the past few weeks, while people in Europe and the USA have been distracted by Colin Firth's BAFTA award, Charlie Sheen's rehab admission or yet another school shoot-out in America, the Middle East has been passionately embroiled in the unfolding and still mysterious drama of the assassination of Hamas' military commander, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, suffocated in his hotel room at the luxurious Al-Bustan Rotana Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh (source: Getty)

Almost perfectly planned and what seemed to be a successful assassination, now turns out to be a complete failure by Mossad (Israel's intelligence agency), whose plot has not only been completely uncovered, but its 20 or so agents involved, all identified. And to add even more drama to the story, the identities used by the agents were stolen from existing dual European-Israeli citizens, who for the most, have never set foot in the UAE. While Mossad still denies any involvement in the plot, most analysts in the Arab world, recognise Israel's signature. The European countries, in addition to Australia, whose citizens' identities were fraudulently used, have protested in anger to what is clearly a violation of international law.

The most ironic part of this story has to be CCTV footage of two of the agents, leaving the elevator next to Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, minutes before they kill him, dressed in full tennis garb, complete with sweat wrist bans, towels around their neck, a la Roger Federer, tennis balls and new shiny rackets. The British Telegraph newspaper published a few days ago a detailed account of how the Dubai assassination was orchestrated, an interesting read.

While the investigation continues, conspiracy theories abound on Arab TV networks, as is usually the case in a region fraught with suspicion and undercover operations...

To be continued...

Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto: Sense of Taste

2010-02-21T13:02:00.004+03:00

The fifth and last sense to be tackled in my series on Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto is

The Sense of Taste

which is probably the most relevant of all senses in our discussion of culinary habits in conflict contexts. Indeed, taste, in my opinion is Mother Nature's most precious gift to us, whereas for the privileged, eating has become an art, rather than simply a means of survival. Food scarcity in some places I have had the chance to work in, has not been an obstacle to people's culinary creativity and their interest in enhancing the taste and aroma of their daily meals. Millions of women living in conflict affected countries toil each day in their kitchens, which for most are either make-shift huts full of smoke or holes in the ground with coal or wood and a metal grill in front of a refugee tent in the many refugee camps scattered around the world.

A few years ago, while distributing food aid in Eastern Congo for an international NGO and in the occupied Palestinian territories (Gaza and West Bank) for the UN World Food Programme, I came to realise how important taste was for both of these populations, despite their many hardships and the obvious struggle for survival. Ensuring that their meals tasted the way they always did, was an important way for them to keep a sense a normalcy and familiarity with their customs and norms, while war ravaged everything around them.

Dried sage leaves (known as maramiyeh in Arabic) which are grown in pots on windowsills in Palestinian houses in Gaza, are added to black tea, as a popular social drink for some Gazan fishermen, who hardly survive on the tiny income they make from the fish trade. They too will receive food aid at some point in their lives, the usual package of which includes chickpeas, oil, sugar and flour. The women soak the chickpeas overnight and then mix the soft chickpeas with tahini, a sesame oil based paste (smuggled through the underground tunnels dug between Gaza and Egypt as the only means to circumvent the Israeli blockade for essential goods), to make hummus.

In 2007, in the Congo, the UN agency assisting refugees, the UNHCR, distributed food parcels mainly to Congolese refugees returning from Zambia and other neighbouring countries, having fled their villages in South Kivu during the fighting between the militia groups and a number of African armies, ten years ago. One Congolese women I saw had walked for 2 days to the distribution site, bare foot. She placed the large white bag of 5 kilos of rice on her head, tightened the cloth that was holding her baby on her back, and turned back, to walk for another 2 days. She wore a t-shift with President Laurent Kabila's face, a t-shirt she most probably received for free during Kabila's campaigning in 2006 for the Presidential elections which took place there. That bag of rice, the cloth around her baby and the free t-shirt, was all she had. While she will simply boil the rice and add some salt (if she is lucky to have received some), other more affluent Congolese enjoy rice with Moambe which is a chicken and palm oil stew, more popular in urban areas, rather than in the poorer villages. The recipe for the Congolese Moambe can be found here.

Palestinian boy at a UN WFP distribution site in Gaza, Palestine in 2005 (a few months before the disengagement of Israeli settlements)

Children of refugees returned to South Kivu in Eastern DR Congo, 2007. Thanks to digital technology, the photo I took of these kids appears instantly on the small screen of my camera, allowing the children to see themselves and their friends, they usually scream of excitement... Wonderful experience.

Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto: Sense of Hearing

2010-02-19T10:55:00.006+03:00

In my experience of conflict and post-conflict contexts, sounds and noises are probably what cause most of the fear and anguish. While most of us aid workers and UN officials remain protected from the line of fire of the actual conflict, we spend days and nights close enough to the fighting to hear the gun fire, the RPGs and the ambulances rushing back and forth with the dead or wounded. Our sense of hearing therefore dominating all other senses. In a culinary context, hearing can also influence the other senses and is also subject to cultural differences...

The Sense of Hearing

While Indians wait to hear poppy seeds crackle in the hot oil before adding the rest of the ingredients to curry sauces, the Lebanese listen to the bubbling sound of the water at the bottom of a shisha pipe, as they eat hummus and other mezze. Palestinians enjoy the sound of Turkish coffee being poured into tiny handleless cups while Ugandan children listen to their mothers sing as they pound dried maize into flour, for hours, always at the same rhythm, and always smiling. And while the Congolese dip their fufu into crushed chilli sauce (made from very hot African chillies), you can almost hear their hearts beat from the fire of the spice...

A shisha pipe repairman in Shatila refugee camp, south of Beirut, Lebanon in 2008

Coffee merchant grinding cardamon pods and Costa Rican coffee beans in Nablus, West Bank, Palestine in 2007. The coffee is boiled in metal pots over the fire, constantly turning it to the right consistency, augmented by lots of sugar and poured into small cups, also known as Turkish coffee.

A Ugandan mother digs her field with her children, in Mbale, Eastern Uganda in 2003.

The red roundish ones are the chillies found in the DR Congo... Some of the hottest chillies in the World. The Congolese crush it with garlic and salt and use it as a condiment for fufu or chicken.

Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto: Sense of Smell

2010-02-09T11:02:00.005+03:00

The third chapter of this culinary series of eating and cooking in conflict, is dedicated to the

The Sense of Smell

It is quite intriguing how the scent of something can bring back vivid memories of a place or of someone. Smell can enchant or disgust and it can attract or repulse. Smell is also subject to cultural differences. In the DR Congo, locals of its capital, Kinshasa, are delighted by the smell of a caterpillar stew simmering on the fire in their mother's kitchen. The Ugandans thoroughly enjoy the smell of a fresh cob of corn grilling on hot coal infront of houses in the villages. In Palestine, in the Muslim quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem, Palestinians are enchanted by the aroma of freshly baked knafeh, a sweet made with cheese, shredden Fillo dough, butter and sugar, originally from the city of Nablus in the West Bank. In 2009 the Palestinians set the Guinness record for the world's largest Knafeh (Read article in the Haaretz).

During Ramadan, the Palestinians also enjoy other pastries and sweets such as Qatayef, a small pancake, the smell of which reminds most of the Holy Month approaching. In 2007, a few days before Ramadan, while walking along the walls of the Old City in East Jerusalem, I came across an old man who was preparing Qatayef. He was very keen that I taste these delights and once we had chatted a bit about where I was from and what I was doing there, he handed me one for free, still warm and soft, it was sweet and melted in my mouth.

Nablus, a town which, in addition to being famous for Knafeh, is also home to the most delicious zaatar in the Middle East (dry thyme leaves which are ground with sesame seeds and salt) as well as olive oil produced from hand picked olives in groves which are centuries old. Unfortunately, with the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, its imposed curfews, closures and trade blocks, Palestinians struggle to make a living from this production and are unable to export any surplus produce. Furthermore, many olive groves are destroyed by the Israeli army in order to expand the land around illegal settlements, citing security reasons. A few years ago, I often travelled to Nablus from East Jerusalem for the UN, and therefore had the chance to enjoy Nablus' culinary delicacies, the olive oil in particular, which while on the subject of smell, has such an intriguing perfume, that just with a whiff, one can taste it.

Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto: Sense of Sight

2010-01-14T12:07:00.007+03:00

The second chapter of Part I of my series on Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto, I will focus on the

Sense of Sight

Sight is associated to each culture's interpretations of esthetics. Only recently did the European Union repeal a 20 year old law which regulated fruits and vegetable sales within the Union, banning 26 types of odd and strangely shaped or discoloured ones! (Read very interesting BBC article on the subject: Click Here). The law basically stipulated that if your carrot was small and had a growth on the side, it was illegal to sell it. In addition to this esthetic absurdity, most fruits and vegetables in European supermarkets, have been coated with wax, giving them a shine, which makes them look like those fake plastic ones which are used for decorating kitchens with Made in China stamps on the bottom. Odd, absurd and frightening...

By contrast, in many developping countries, the more discoloured, deformed and dirty the commodity looks, the better it will sell. My experience in Eastern DR Congo gave me much insight on the cultural differences between "us" and "them" on issues of culinary esthetics.

While working with a humanitarian organisation in the Eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo a few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel throughout the Kivu, mainly South Kivu. A vast terrain bordering Burundi and Tanzania in the East, with Bukavu as its provincial capital, sitting on Lake Kivu. The province has suffered decades of conflict, with hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs. On a sunny day, I was in the town of Uvira, a sprawling city, which grew ten fold in only 2 years due to the return of refugees, during the years of relative stability then. I had the chance to visit the local market there, which, as you can imagine, was busy, smelly and full of flies. While making my way through the many stalls, I came across, what my Congolese colleague wispered to me as, a regional delicacy...

While my European stomach began to quiver, the goat's head's seller, was convincing me to buy it because once cooked, this meat (including the insides of the head and eyes), were deliciously tender and nutritious. Obviously, I kindly declined and went on my way, trying to steer straight through the crowd, until the smell of the meat was well behind me... Back at base however, my curiosity to taste this beast won over my stomach's desperate appeals and I took a bite from the grill, amusing most of the Congolese around me. I had just one thing to say after that: "Absolutely delicious". Teaching me a valuable lesson that "les apparences sont parfois trompeuses".

Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto: Sense of Touch

2009-12-12T14:33:00.031+03:00

Away from politics and the struggle against injustice... I thought I would write about another passion of mine: The Art of Cooking.

Living and working in conflict countries, or isolated villages in African jungles... definitely doesn't make that activity one of the easiest which, come to think of it, is what is most challenging and therefore interesting!

From India and Nepal to DR Congo and Uganda, through Palestine and Lebanon, I have had the opportunity to experience how different cultures enjoy food, how they prepare it and how it brings people together in a way which, in my opinion is still highly misunderstood and underestimated by conflict resolution experts.

It is the process of creating something that has the power to arouse all our 5 senses, which is what probably has me hooked. To begin the series of Guns, Checkpoints and Pesto, PART I will be dedicated to these senses: Touch, Smell, Taste, Hearing and Sight.

The Sense of Touch

Most Western cultures have completely lost the concept of touching food. Indeed, we hold on to metal instruments to lift the food from our plates to our mouthes, and the process ends there. At a young age, our parents make sure to teach us that touching food is bad and we get punished when, rebellious, we attempt to grab the stuff to lick it off our fingers.

On a moonlit evening in mid-June 2001, (15 days after the massacre of the Nepali Royal Family by the Crown Prince, in a Romeo and Juliette style drama of impossible love and feuding families), I sat on the floor of a mud and brick built kitchen with a family of 3 generations in a small village just outside Kathmandu. The dinner was being served by the grandmother and her daughter, assisted by her two granddaughters. The grandfather had slaughtered a small chicken in honour of my visit. The meal consisted of basmati rice (baht), lentils (dal) and the most tender chicken I have ever eaten in my life, cooked in a curry sauce, with crushed chillies and garlic. The plate now infront of me, legs crossed, sleeves up, all eyes on me to dig in first, I akwardly and with perfect clumsiness, scooped some dal baht in my right hand (the left hand being considered less clean, used for purposes which are outside the realm of the subject of this posting), and brought it all up to my mouth, praying for some divine intervention so it does not fall down onto my lap. The giggles of the children was proof enough of how ridicule their honoured guest must have appeared to them. Once I had chewed and swallowed my first mouthfull of the little food I did manage to salvage, the family took their eyes off me and started eating. With much relief, this gave me an opportunity to practice the art of hand eating, and after multiple attempts, I began to master it. From discomfort and clumsiness, it became pure joy and fun. The synergy that is created between you and the food, when you are using your hands, cannot be explained in words. It can only be experienced.

Green and red lentils, the staple food for most South Asians. Delicious and wonderfully nutritious

Indian Basmati Rice has the most enchanting almost nutty flavour

The Never Before Campaign for Palestine

2009-11-26T16:40:00.010+03:00

A Lebanese colleague of mine, who is passionate about the cause for Palestine, runs a campaign called "The Never Before Campaign for Palestine" which has produced some brilliant short video montages, all posted on You Tube (Click here).

According to the campaign mission statement:

"The Never-Before-Campaign for Palestine is a Beirut-based campaign launched by individuals of different professional backgrounds, including sociologists, political scientists and communications experts.

The Never-Before-Campaign calls for a new approach to support Palestine, and its people, their cause and their resistance movements. This new approach veers away from the traditional competitions for victim-hood which usually seek to elicit the worlds pity. Pity only yields sympathy.

For decades, Palestinians have been treated, at best, as poor unfortunate beings who might deserve charity and maybe some humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, Israel decides, at its own leisure, which bits of the usurped rights to give back.

The Campaign aims at commanding respect. The world does not respect the meek, rather the powerful and the confident. The Palestinian people are victims here, but they are also resilient and determined. The Campaign seeks to communicate this image to the world.

In addition, the image of resistance, that has been suppressed for fear of being confused with terror, is also and integral part of the campaign. No cosmetics, no facades. A masked gunman is the current image of the Palestinian resistance, whether we like it or not. It is this masked freedom fighter facing the might of the Israeli army that makes us proud. The campaign does not succumb to Western sensitivities of the post 9-11 era.

The West and the whole world are at fault here, not the Palestinian people or the resistance movements. The Campaign addresses that issue: Palestine will not wait for Western remorse that always comes too late, such as for the Holocaust, Rwanda and South Africa.

The Campaign recognizes growing awareness about the Palestinian cause all over the world and builds on it. It targets different sets of audiences at the same time.

The Never Before Campaign has no political or religious affiliation, it only has one enemy. All those fighting for the same cause are allies to the Campaign. Our purpose is to make those allies as numerous as possible and to share the credit with them once our cause is victorious."

Lebanon as a new non-permanent member of the UN Security Council

2009-10-17T10:06:00.002+03:00

Yesterday, the UN General Assembly elected 5 new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for a period of two years, beginning in January 2010. Lebanon received 180 votes out of 192.

The last time it had a seat on the UNSC was in 1954 and while some may see recent developments as a blessing, others see it as a curse. Indeed, President Suleiman believes that Lebanon will now be in a position to uphold the rights of Palestinians and fellow Arab countries in this World body. On a less positive note, some experts disagree and argue that while Lebanon remains a divided country, whatever side it takes on strategic decisions in the Security Council, will always be politically risky due to the polarised nature of Lebanon's internal politics....A country which, 5 months after general elections, still has no established government, due to ongoing disagreements on a cabinet formation (see posting 10 September 2009).

Lebanon's Daily Star has recently published an interesting editorial on the negative aspects of Lebanon's new seat on the UNSC, read it here.

Only in Lebanon...

2009-09-17T13:47:00.013+03:00

Well well well....(I sigh)... So to cut a long story short since my latest posting on Lebanon's political intricacies, the PM designate, Saad Hariri, effectively resigned after failing to form a government...only to be reappointed by a majority of MPs as PM designate...a few days later...for the second time. Nothing has changed since the last political deadlock, so I wonder what he can do this time to actually succeed. Let's wait and see...

In the mean time, a colleague of mine sent me these amusing photos taken in Lebanon:

This is something you can see every day here in Beirut. Lebanese society is so diverse that you can walk past a semi-naked woman and then bump into a fully covered praciticing muslim. And they all live in (semi...) harmony next to eachother.

This is a tow truck, typical in Lebanon. You see them often as they pick up wrecked cars from the many accidents on Beirut's crazy streets. This one's owner, Abu Zhir, has written on his truck something that translates vaguely as: "Drive as fast as you want, Abu Zhir is here to tow your car when you need".

New Book: UN Ideas that Changed the World

2009-09-11T09:08:00.007+03:00

The United Nations today is launching a new book titled: "UN Ideas that Changed the World" by Richard Jolly, Louis Emmerij and Thomas G. Weiss (click here)

The book provides a synthesis of findings and lessons learned from more than ten years of research by Jolly, Emmerij, Weiss.
The project’s central message is that over its entire history, the UN has played an important and often overlooked role in nurturing and pioneering a set of key action-oriented ideas. Many of these ideas have driven international agendas and catalyzed initiatives aimed at improving the quality of human life. Some examples include: providing an international economic framework for national development policies; setting global goals like the eradication of smallpox, around which action could be mobilized; and promoting a human development approach that emphasized going beyond basic needs to integrating economic and social development, human rights and elements of human security.

Lebanon without a Government: 3 months and 3 days

2009-09-10T13:19:00.010+03:00

Following Lebanon's general elections on June 7th 2009 (see posting below dated 8 June 2009), the March 14 alliance, Hariri's led group which includes Geagea's Lebanese Forces and Gemayel's Phalangist Kataeb party, won a majority in Parliament with 60 seats. The opposition group, known as March 8, led by Hezbollah and Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement won 57 seats.

Saad Hariri, PM designate

What most people outside Lebanon don't realise is how small this country is and subsequently how small the electorate is: 1.6 million people. That is the population of Brussels.

The twist in the story comes as follows. After the elections, the leader of the majority, Saad Hariri, son of slain Rafik Hariri, became PM designate. He was thus tasked to form his government and present an agreed upon cabinet line-up to the President of the Republic, Michel Suleiman.

This is the Middle East after all! Things are not that simple. Indeed, the opposition group, March 8, keen on being included in the future cabinet, demanded a fair amount of ministerial posts, including the strategic Ministry of the Interior as well as Telecommunications.

Telecommunications?! Would be the first question of a well educated, well politically versed Westerner... Of couse! Would be the response of a Lebanese, so used to the political ramblings of his/her country. I shall explain.

Michel Aoun has three daughters. No sons. In a country of family dynasties associated to political clientalism and power, that is a problem indeed. One of Aoun's daughters married a man called Bassil. Bassil, a somewhat short and clumsly looking fellow was pushed onto the political scene thanks to his father in law. He became Minister for Telecommunications in the previous government. Bassil was not re-elected by his constituents in the June 7th elections and therefore did not win a seat in Parliament. Aoun, being part of the opposition, demanded that Hariri include in his cabinet, Bassil once again as the Minister for Telecommunications, despite his lack of a constituency. Hariri categorically refused.

So why is Telecommunications such a strategic post? Well, do you remember Lebanon's 3 week crisis which led to the Doha agreement in May 2008? (see posting below, and followoing posts on the same subject, titled "Unrest in Lebanon: Day 3" on Friday 9th May 2008). The uprising of Hezbollah at the time was caused by a row over issues pertaining to the group's monopoly on a telecommunications network and its exclusive use, for security and intelligence purposes. Aoun is an ally of Hezbollah and his son in law, Bassil was Minister, apparently often sharing with Hezbollah, individual files through the ministry's capacity to intercept information from emails, phone calls and other forms of communication.

So voila, that is why that ministry is so important, and that is why, Lebanon has not had a government for the past 3 months. While Somalia is visibly a country without a government, Lebanon continues to function well. The Lebanese both don't really notice the lack of a government and don't really miss it.

This will sound strange to Western ears (we who are used to rules, structure, fines and punishment for bad deeds), but it is the lawnessness here that creates this sense of false stability. It is the lack of rules and regulations that oils the wheels of this country, while life goes on uninterrupted.

A few days ago, Hariri went ahead and presented a cabinet line-up (which had not been agreed on by the opposition) to President Suleiman, responsible for reviewing it and then accepting it. Of course, the opposition vehemently rejected the proposal and Suleiman, of couse, could not and would not sign it.

As a result, during the Iftar (the break of the fast at sunset during the holy month of Ramadan) organised yesterday evening at the Prime Minister's Office in the Grand Serail, Hariri hinted at stepping down and offering his letter of resignation to the President...

The United Nations' General Assembly will inaugurate its 64th Session in 5 days, on 15 September 2009. All heads of states members of the United Nations, address the General Assembly each year. How can Michel Suleiman address the United Nations without an effective government in place?.... Let's see if that is an incentive enough for majority and opposition to come to a consensus and quickly agree on a cabinet... an agreement which some say will be pushed by Syria and Saudia Arabia, on both fronts of the Lebanese divide....

The Official White House Flickr Photostream

2009-09-03T15:16:00.005+03:00

Since the beginning of Obama's election campaign last year, he has pioneered the use of modern technology to reach as many people as possible. In our day and age, that is pure genius. From daily email updates, to a personal website, to social networking sites and video and message sharing websites, Obama revolutionised the concept of political campaigning. When he was elected president, he took his revolution to the next level and continues to use the internet as a powerful tool to bring people within his realm of decision-making.

One of those projects is The Official White House Photostream on Flickr, which is strategically brilliant. The White House shares with the people of the World (not just the USA), the life and work of the President and his closest advisors. The tool is so powerful that even I find myself smiling when I browse though most photos of Obama...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse

President Barack Obama leads his daughter Sasha through the Kremlin after the family arrived in Moscow, Russia, July 6, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The Least Free Places on Earth - Photo Essay by Foreign Policy Magazine

2009-07-17T09:31:00.009+03:00

Foreign Policy Magazine has published an amazing photo essay on the "least free places on Earth". Most of the photos are taken from Reuters, AFP and Getty Images. The text is taken from Freedom House's "Worst of the Worst" in its World Report.

Click here for the link to the photo essay

Below are some of the most poignant photos:

Chad

Cuba

Zimbabwe

Sudan (Darfur)

Uzbekistan

Lebanese Parliamentary Elections - 2009

2009-06-08T08:57:00.014+03:00

It has been a strange build up to Lebanon's parliamentary elections these past few months. Strange because most experts predicted wrongly and most polls were way off what actually happened. Massive security measures were put in place yesterday preempting major security mishaps, which in fact never took place. Indeed, the Lebanese people peacefully exercised their civic duty and flocked to the polls, got their thumbs inked and quietly returned home.

Today, Monday, was declared a national public holiday, again in anticipation of possible security concerns, in the event that the defeated parties contest the results, which also still has not happened.

This morning I woke up and read that early results show a lead of 71 seats out of 128 for the ruling coalition, March 14th, Saad Hariri's group. As final results emerge today, let's see how a possible national unity government could be created while avoiding any future political crisis, which brought the country to a political standstill 2 years ago... We are also expecting reactions from the various international allies of both groups, namely the West including the USA for March 14th and Syria and Iran for March 8th.

On election day yesterday Sunday, I walked around Ashrafieh (the Christian area of East Beirut) to capture a few photos of this historical event:

Two young supporters of the Tayyar Party (orange party) of Christian leader Michel Aoun in Ashrafieh, pose for me with their inked thumb, sign they just voted. Michel Aoun has split with other Christian parties (who are part of the majority March 14th group) and formed the March 8th opposition coalition with Hezbollah...

Security measures were put in place. I took this photo, one street down from our flat in Ashrafieh.

Soldiers were also placed at strategic areas such as infront of polling stations.

Posters of parliamentary candidates were hanging from buildings and some walls were painted in the colour of the party, seen here for Michel Aoun's Tayyar Party. In the background, there is the beautiful maronite church.

Below is a poster of the late Gebrane Tueni, son of Ghassan Tueni who is still the Editor of An-Nahar newspaper and former minister as well as former Lebanese Ambassador to the UN in the crucial years in the beginning of the 1980s when Israel invaded Lebanon. I am reading Ghassan's book "Une guerre pour les autres" which he wrote in 1984 and which is dedicated to his son Gebrane, slain during the war. The woman next to Gebrane is Nayla Tueni, running for a Christian seat in Beirut 1 district, where we live. She is the daughter of Ghassan Tueni. She is one of few women running for parliamentary seats, most of whom are daughters, sisters or wives of Lebanon's political dynasties. As the title of a recent documentary on Al Jazeera English says: "Lebanese Elections: A Family Affair"...

In Lebanon, confession and religion plays a central role in public life. Indeed, even civil marriages are not recognised. When a Lebanese citizen registers a new born, he declares the baby's confession. When adult, that person will vote as a Christian Maronite for example, or as a Sunni Muslim, not only has a Lebanese. The Consitution was written in 1932 and was based on granting equal participation to the 18 official sects and no population census has taken place since then. Seats in parliament are divided equally between Muslims and Christians. As a result, relgion and state are intertwined, religious leaders have tremendous political power and lines between confessional beliefs and public policy are blurred.

Today, as the hours advance, official results are confirming that March 14 has a clear majority. The Israeli foreign minister has already made a statement stressing the importance for the new Lebanese government to prevent attacks from its territory towards Israel.

Until now, Hezbollah has been reacting positively to the election results, admitting defeat. Hezbollah MP Fadlallah made some quite mature and peacefull statements today calling for national unity and respect for diversity. Let's hope Lebanon's political leaders can all overcome past grievances and move on with building democratic institutions with full accountability to Lebanon's people.

Beirut commemorates: 4 years since Hariri's assassination

2009-02-16T23:15:00.015+03:00

Saturday 14th February marked the fourth year since former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination in 2005. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese filled the streets of Beirut and congregated in the Place des Martyrs in the downtown area. Lebanese politicians took the opportunity to address the crowds. I was among them. Here are the photos I took. The most incredible scenes were the convergence of thousands of people from each part of this divided city. A flow of people from East Beirut on one side and thousands more from West Beirut, all walking towards Martyr's Square. It was breathtaking.

UN Secretary-General in Gaza

2009-01-23T16:42:00.003+03:00

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivers remarks during a press conference on 20 January in front of a damaged warehouse belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Headquarters in Gaza (Credits: UN Photo, Eskinder Debebe)

Gaza Conflict Day 22: Unilateral cease-fire and Crimes against Humanity

2009-01-18T09:52:00.005+03:00

On Friday evening, the staff unions of various UN agencies working in Lebanon organised a vigil in front of the UN building in downtown Beirut following the tragic and devastating loss of innocent lives in Gaza.

Last night, at 2am local time, after a long cabinet meeting, the Israeli government finally decided on a unilateral cease-fire. The question is, a cease-fire with who? As Israel does not recognise Hamas, it cannot negotiate any kind of deal with the group. Another question is how a cease-fire can be unilateral? If only one party agrees to halt fighting, how does this ensure that the conflict actually does stop? And in the case of Palestine, what about freedom, the right of return for the refugees, the right to land and to control of their own borders? What about the right to be free of occupation? And finally, what about the right to an independent state?

Well this morning's events proves these questions to be relevent. Indeed, as reported on Israel's English daily The Haaretz online, IDF and Hamas gunmen traded fire after Hamas launched more rockets into Israel, despite the cease-fire. Furthermore, according to Ehud Olmert, Israeli troops will remain in the Strip (occupying once again that land) as long as Hamas continues to fire rockets.

When I read international media, I find it surprising how this conflict is portrayed and even more surprising how Hamas and its actions are described. Why does everyone think that Hamas is firing rockets just because it feels like it and just because its members are blood thirsty terrorists? Even European media does not get to the bottom of the story. That is actually the problem with journalism, short stories portraying some facts (not all) and never reminding us of the root causes and the history. In the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, history is very important.

Since Israel's onslaught on Gaza, international law professionals and intellectuals, including Richard Falk, the Princeton professor who was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, have brought up the issue of potential legal action against Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This of course all depends on how the US will veto these attempts.

According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Crimes against humanity, "are particularly odious offences in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings. They are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part either of a government policy (although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this policy) or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority. However, murder, extermination, torture, rape, political, racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts reach the threshold of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice. Isolated inhumane acts of this nature may constitute grave infringements of human rights, or depending on the circumstances, war crimes, but may fall short of falling into the category of crimes under discussion."

War Crimes are grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions which includes among other acts, harming civilians, destroying property, directing attacks at UN and humanitarian facilities and staff, settling on occupied territory and using poisonous weapons. Does this not sound all too familiar lately?

The Gaza Conflict - Day 16

2009-01-11T17:58:00.005+03:00

I woke up this morning and turned on the TV to CNN and BBC, to watch yet another day of genocide in the Gaza Strip. How privileged am I to wake up in a comfortable apartment in Beirut, after a long night's peaceful rest with the prospect of a nutritious breakfast. I also swiched on my computer to read more of the many emails I receive from Palestinian friends and colleagues, following the events closely.

Last week, when the UN Security Council finally came to an agreement on a resolution, the US abstained and both warring parties "brushed it off". A stir of emotions flooded me, perhaps due to my naive belief in International Law and binding UN resolutions. I started to think that perhaps, in this region, the UN has no effective role to play. I then began existentially questioning my own function in the UN here. Is the UN relevent anymore?

I read today that last week, the Democratic-led U.S. Senate enacted - via a cowardly voice vote - a completely one-sided, non-binding resolution that expresses unequivocal support for the Israeli war, and heaps all the blame for the conflict on Hamas. Senator Harry Reid proudly proclaimed: "When we pass this resolution, the United States Senate will strengthen our historic bond with the state of Israel." On its website, AIPAC (the pro-Israel lobby in Washington) is already patting the U.S. Senate on its back "for conveying America's unequivocal and steadfast support for Israel's right to self-defense." Here is the resolution referred to as "revolting" by most pro-Palestinian intellectuals: Click here.

Hezbollah also warned Israel once again that it is well prepared to defend Lebanon against any attack on that front.

There is enough reporting and analysis on Gaza for me not to write more on it here. So I thought of suggesting two books which are very relevent today and which I read a few months ago:

1) Zaki Chehab's "Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of Militants, Martyrs and Spies" publised by I.B. Tauris in 2007. Brilliant account of the birth and life of Hamas. Chehab was born in Tyre in South Lebanon as a Palestinian refugee, his family having fled Northern Israel in 1948, living in Rashidieh Refugee Camp. His is now a brilliant international journalist. He gave a passionate interview a few days ago on the BBC when interviewed on the Gaza crisis. This book should be read by all trying to follow and understand current events in Gaza.

2) Augustus Norton's "Hezbollah: A short history", published in 2007 by Princeton University Press. Professor Norton's blog is linked on the right of this blog as recommended reading on this region. Norton was a military observer for the UN's mission in South Lebanon in the 1980's. His knowledge and description of Hezbollah and its history is very impressive. I found this book very well written and full of interesting information and anecdotes. This book also helps one to understand Hezbollah in relation to Israel and therefore very relevent in today's hightened tensions.

The Gaza Conflict - Day 13

2009-01-08T11:33:00.007+03:00

On the 13th Day of the crisis in Gaza, Israel continues its assault. Since yesterday, 3 hours have been granted to allow a humanitarian corridor and a temporary cessation of hostilities. Analysts say that this short reprieve is only a way for Israel to buy more time to complete its operations in Gaza as well a public relations stunt to reduce internation pressure on Israel.

There are concerns here in Beirut, that the crisis could spread to Northern Israel on the border with Lebanon.

As reported in the above BBC article, today, Palestinian groups in South Lebanon fired 5 Katyusha rockets into Israel. Israel fired back in response. Hezbollah said it did not plan to start a new war with Israel, but it seems like today's event shows that Palestinian groups are the ones who could start a conflict. There is a heavy UN presence in South Lebanon after the cease-fire in 2006 between Hezbollah and Israel, but it seems as if they would not be able to stop an escalation if there is one. This also means that if it is the Palestinians who are causing trouble, they could be targeted in an Israeli retaliation. There are many Palestinian camps around Beirut and around the country. They are already suffering terrible living conditions as well as social and economic discrimination. Further deterioration of their living conditions will only plunger more into destitution.

Rashid Khalidi, a respected Palestinian scholar in the United States has published a brilliant Op-Ed in the New York Times: Click here. The NYT, with its overly Israeli supportive readership, has published this article in a rare moment of truth about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.

Jimmy Carter also spoke out in an article in the Washington Post today: Click here. He recently visited the region under the auspices of his Carter Center, in attempt to spread peace in the Middle East. He gave a lecture at the American University of Beirut which M and I attended.

Robert Fisk wrote an opinion piece in The Independent yesterday which I also recommend reading: Click here. In reference to the bombing of the UN school earlier this week he writes: "What happened was not just shameful. It was a disgrace. Would war crime be too strong a description? For that is what we would call this atrocity if it had been committed by Hamas."

The Regional Implications of the Gaza Conflict

2009-01-07T15:43:00.006+03:00

Overview of the Crisis

On 19 December 2008, an Egyptian brokered cease-fire between Hamas and Israel came to an end after 6 months of relative calm. Continued unmet demands from both sides, saw an escalation to open conflict, now in its 12th day. With over 550 Palestinian deaths and 1 Israeli soldier killed, the ensuing humanitarian crisis and potential regional implications are significant. The already dwindling public infrastructure has been further damaged and in some cases destroyed by Israeli bombardments and artillery shell, including UNRWA facilities and government buildings. International diplomatic efforts have been underway to bring about an immediate cease-fire. After a number of unsuccessful attempts by the Security Council to reach an agreement, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French President Nicolas Sarkozy jointly proposed a plan on Tuesday 6 January which would bring together all the main parties and take all measures to end the conflict in Gaza. The plan envisages the resumption of the delivery of aid to Gaza and talks with Israel on border security.

The regional implications of this crisis are mainly political. Indeed, the humanitarian and economic crisis in Gaza, while it affects Gaza and its inhabitants tremendously, does not have much spill-over effects on its neighbours. Furthermore, due to the movement restrictions imposed on the Palestinians in Gaza, they are unable to flee the war and therefore this crisis has not created a large scale refugee problem that neighbouring states would have to cope with. The following describes other regional implications.

Regional Impact

Peace Process

Recent efforts to revive the peace process were made in 2007, when the Arab League renewed its commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, presented in Beirut in 2002 by the Crown Prince King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The initiative which includes a return to the 1967 borders and a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital was widely accepted by Arab countries, including the Palestinian Authority as well as support from Israel. The PA recently published the details of this peace plan in Israeli print media, in an effort of rapprochement to inform the Israeli population. Parellel initiatives were pushed by the United States last year, namely the Annapolis process which lead to a Conference in November 2007, aiming to produce a substantive document on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict along the lines of President George W. Bush's Roadmap For Peace, with the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.

The current crisis in Gaza will have dire consequences on the ongoing peace process, as previous confidence building efforts between the Palestinian Authority and Israel on one side, and third party brokered cease-fires between Hamas and Israel on the other side, would have been in vein. This crisis will also create a potential for further radicalization of certain groups within Palestinian society, leading to increased risk of continued violence and conflict. The marginalization of some key Arab countries such as Egypt and Syria, as a result of their response for some and silence for others during this crisis, will also further burden any future efforts for renewed peace talks. On the other hand, the recent joint efforts made by Arab States at the Security Council on pushing for a cease-fire, shows a potential for unified efforts and support for peace.

The crisis will also have negative consequences on internal reconciliation efforts between various factions within Palestinian society. The failure to convene the Palestinian Reconciliation Dialogue in Cairo last November, already demonstrated its fragile grounds. Since Hamas’ election in 2005, the group has been in a power struggle with the Fateh party, led by Mahmoud Abbass. In July 2007, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, ousting Fateh, which currently controls the West Bank. Following the take over of power in the Strip, continuing internal fighting between various Palestinian factions had intensified. The current crisis however has resulted in increasing Palestinian support for Hamas.

Neighbouring states

Egypt

In 2005, after the Israeli disengagement of Gaza, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority were responsible for controlling the Rafah Crossing in the presence of EU monitors, following an agreement on Movement and Access with Israel. As a result of the abduction of IDF soldier, Gilat Shalit in 2006 and continued military aggression from both Israel and Hamas, Rafah, as all other crossings into Gaza were restricted and under the control of the Israeli authorities.
Egypt’s position first as an ally of Israel and second as a country with a border with the Gaza Strip, has faced difficult times, especially more recently with the conflict that has erupted in Gaza. Egypt’s initial decision to deny access to its country to fleeing Palestinians has been criticized by most of the Arab world. Egypt’s current responsibility for the movement of Palestinians, its obligation to deal directly with Hamas to solve the border crisis while it continues to maintain ties with the West and with Israel, has created an environment of uncertainty and instability. On the other hand, its direct links to Hamas, does provide a third party mediator between the warring parties.

Lebanon

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces which took place in the summer of 2006 is a reminder that continued tensions exist between two well-armed foes. Hezbollah’s leader has recently spoken out against Israel’s actions in Gaza, as has most Lebanese political leaders. More recently, Israel’s Prime Minister has confirmed that its forces are ready in the North for any possible retaliation from Hezbollah. Speculation as to ties which exist between Hezbollah and Hamas, especially in terms of arms supply and training, has increased further these tensions. Lebanon, which is recovering from a tense previous 2 years, is not in the position to suffer from further instability, if an escalation were to take place between Israel and Hezbollah.

Humanitarian and Economic

Gaza has been subject to a blockage for already 18 months prior to the beginning of the current crisis, crippling its economy to a state of almost entire dependency on humanitarian and external aid. The effect of the ongoing bombardments and land operations on its infrastructure, water supply systems and basic utilities, will be unprecedented once a damage evaluation is undertaken when a cease-fire is put in place. This region is already burdened by crises of even higher proportions such as the ongoing displacement situation as a result of the Iraq war, the continuous inflow of refugees into Egypt mainly from Sudan, but increasingly from Iraq as well, the Palestinian issue in Lebanon which resulted in the destruction of a refugee camp last year in the North, the recent conflict in Yemen and ongoing tensions between Syria, Iran and Israel. In addition to these crises, the global economic crisis has also affected the countries in this region with high inflation rates and drastic decreases in oil revenues. Therefore, in these difficult times, enhanced regional cooperation cannot be overemphasized. It is the regional nature of this conflict that should be taken into consideration when Arab states decide to take action. Furthermore, the financial crisis will also result in western donor governments’ aid fatigue and therefore will require increased support from Arab states to assist in the recovery of Gaza in the short term and the economic development of the Strip in the longer term. This crisis is an opportunity for the Arab world to demonstrate its capacity to unify and work together on this important issue.

******

Gaza, Gaza, Gaza...

2008-12-30T10:22:00.017+03:00

Living in Beirut, we are actually quite directly affected by current events in Gaza. UN security advised staff to work from home last week, due to ongoing protests in Beirut against Israel's bombardment of Gaza. Yesterday evening (3rd January), Israel began its ground operation and moved into Northern Gaza, reaching Gaza city today. While people were celebrating New Year's eve all over the world, Gazan children were huddled in their parents arms, fearing the next Israeli bomb.

I was in Gaza in 2005. Here are some photos I took at the time. I took these pictures just before the Israeli disengagement of July 2005, where 10,000 Israeli settlers were removed from their settlements inside the Gaza Strip.

Gazans depend heavily on fishing. The seas are controlled by Israel as all ground borders and the airspace. Gazan fisherman are limited in how far they can go out at sea to fish. They are also limited in how much fish they can export and are restricted from leaving the Stip to sell their fish in neighbouring Israeli markets, let alone in the West Bank markets where they have no access at all.

The Israeli public was quite divided over the removal of the settlers in 2005 and a colour campaign was launched around the country, with Orange representing those against the disengagement and Blue for those in support of it.

Here is Gaza in 2005 with its shot out buildings showing years of ongoing conflict with the Israeli occupation and siege of that tiny territory of 41 km long and 6 to 12 km wide, with a population of 1.5 million Palestinians, 80% of who are refugees from 1948. Gaza is the 6th most dense place in the world with over 4,100 habitants per km2. Half of the refugees registered with UNRWA live in camps such as Jabalia and Rafah refugee camps which host around 100,000 refugees, for the past 60 years.

After the disengagement, Israel continued its blockade on Gaza, Hamas took over the Strip and continued to launch rockets into Israeli territory, missing its target on most occasions. Cities such as Sderot, Beersheva and Askhelon built bomb shelters and have 50 seconds warning to take cover once a Hamas rocket has been launched. There have been casualties. For the past 6 months a cease-fire was in place, ending in December 2008. The end of this cease-fire saw the beginning of the Israeli offensive in Gaza which we are now following with much attention and sincere thoughts for the Gazan people and their children. This photo was taken by the EPA published in the British Telegraph on 31 December, of a building used by Hamas police which has been destroyed by Israeli bombs.

Now back to Lebanon. Of course, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, took little time to react to the Israeli incursion and blamed Arab states like Egypt for Gaza's current fate. He also praised the resistance (Hamas) and requested that Egypt allow Hamas weapons to enter at the Rafah crossing so its members can fight the Israeli soldiers. Interestingly enough, Israel said it was prepared in the North of the country, near its border with Lebanon, for any possible Hezbollah attack on its territory. We could actually see another war as it took place in 2006.

While watching the international media coverage of the various protests in capitals around the world, the London protest was the most interesting as we could see a large number of Hezbollah flags in the crowd. This definitely shows how Hezbollah's ongoing raison d'etre, i.e. resistance against Israel since its invasion of Lebanon in 1982, is recognised globally. Here is a photo taken of the protests in London with the visible Hezbollah yellow flag (source Flikr, Pete Biggs).

People seem so passionate about the Gaza situation, why can't the world express the same passion and horror at the ongoing massacres for example, taking place in Eastern DR Congo supported by neighbouring countries like Rwanda. Strange how people choose to care for some things, and not for other things.

I just recieved an update from the Office of the Special Coordinator for Palestine. Robert Serry currently heads that office. The report noted: "It's very clear that an immediate cessation of hostilities is absolutely vital, we must create now new conditions on the ground to ensure that the conflict won't happen again," Serry said. "The return to the status quo ante, or the previous situation, will not be enough."He said the ceasefire would be the first step. He said "further arrangements" should be studied to solidify the ceasefire and other elements, like the continuous reopening of the crossings, a commitment by Hamas to end the arms smuggling and rocket attacks, and respect of the ceasefire, should be discussed. Bringing Gaza back under the control of PA and reunifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank is another element in the overall discussion, Serry said."The international community should step in to enable these (elements) to happen," Serry said.

Evaluating a project in Palestinian camps in Lebanon

2008-12-14T10:41:00.008+03:00

I spent the month of November undertaking a final evaluation of a project that just ended the month before. The project was a pyschosocial support programme that was funded by ECHO and implemented by a French international NGO in 5 Palestinian refugee camps and one Palestinian gathering in Lebanon.

There are 12 official camps in Lebanon (one of the 12 is Nahr el-Bared which was completely destroyed in the summer of 2007 during the conflict between the militant group Fateh al-Islam and the Lebanese armed forces, see posting 29 June 2008). In addition to the 12 official camps which are served by UNRWA, there are about 52 gatherings of Palestinian refugees scattered around Lebanon. They live on Lebanese land and therefore hardly benefit from free services that are provided by the UN agency mandated of their wellbeing, UNRWA.

Many Palestinian children suffer from psychological distress due to the ongoing internal fighting inside the camps and more recently to the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, which resulted in the bombing of the camps in the South of the country. In the North, the Nahr el-Bared crisis also caused much trauma for the children. In response to this, international organisations, funded by the usual donors, developped psychosocial support programmes to help both the children and the parents. The programmes also provided capacity building to social workers and councillors to be able to refer severe cases of psychological disorder to professional psychologists in specific centers around the country. Interestingly enough, these centers are managed by Lebanese NGOs with Lebanese psychologists and support professionals, only to benefit the Palestinian population who are banned from access to such services in public Lebanese institions.

I have some photos of my interviews with some of these children in Qasmieh gathering in South Lebanon. A Sunni Palestinian area surrounded by a large Shia (Hezbollah) population.

Part of my evaluation was also to interview the parents of the children, here are some mothers after our focus group discussion.

These are two sisters who also take part in the psychosocial support activities in the community center in the camp. Girls who begin menstruation, usually start to wear the veil (Hijab), but some families put the Hijab on pre-pubic girls aswell; a common feature in more conservative Palestinian camps.

Above the center, the refugees have built a sports room where the kids get circus training. This kind of physical activity is highly beneficial to them as they do not have much opportunity for other forms of sports, due to lack of space in the camps and no playing grounds. I took the opportunity to talk with some of the children to evaluate some of the activities and support which was provided during the phase of the project.

The last photo I took was at the office of the international organisation that is implementing the project. They also have a large demining project in the South. As a result of the war in 2006, an enormous amount of cluster bombs and other mines were dropped or planted by Israel in the South. De-mining efforts are still underway to this day. These are some of the UXOs that have been found.

Obama president-elect and news from Palestine

2008-11-21T14:22:00.014+03:00

Time flies by so fast.... It has been nearly a month since the last posting yet it seems like yesterday.

Quite historically significant events are taking place in Palestine, shadowed somewhat by the global economic crisis and the recent US elections (which are also two historical events!).

Of course I followed the US elections closely on the 4th of November (5th in Lebanon) and was very relieved of the outcome (I took the above photo directly of the TV at my flat in Beirut, it was 6am on 5th of November). A few days after the election of Barack Obama as the next US president, I thought back at that day and wondered "What else happened in the World on the 4th of November?" There was so much media coverage on the US elections, that most of us current affairs followers are unaware of what other events took place. My curiosity drew me to the archives online of some news agencies and papers and this is what I discovered.

On the 4th of November 2008:

- The President of Georgia, Mr. Sakashvili dismissed his army chief for "shortcomings" during the recent conflict with Russia;

- A report showed that part of a UK government aid programme for Pakistan is being used to steer students away from radical religious schools into maintream education;

- A supermarket chain in the UK used tonnes of food waiste to power its stores;

- Algeria's government moved to change the consitution, allowing President Bouteflika to run for a third term;

- Gaza once again fell under Israeli siege, blocking fuel supplies and humanitarian aid;

- DR Congo flaired up into what became these past weeks a full fledged war in the East of the country, causing displacement and provoking a humanitarian disaster.

Can one thus conclude from the above analysis that despite important events taking place in the World, no event is quite as significant as that of the election of the US president? Do we not sometimes overestimate the influence and power associated to this position and the man therein?

Anyway, back to Palestine. Last week, the Palestinian Authority posted a large one page advert in 3 major Israeli daily newspapers, something never done before. The advert was a detailed description in Hebrew of the Saudi initiative known as the Arab Peace Plan.

The Plan offers Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for an end to Israel's occupation of land captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It also proposes what it calls a just solution for Palestinian refugees. The initiative was adopted by the Arab League in Beirut in 2002 and then revived in 2007. The idea behind this one pager was that the PA believed that most Israelis were ill informed of the Plan and were influenced by biased media. It seems as if this could actually work. The Arab League appointed Jordan and Egypt as representatives of the Plan to Israel (both countries are the only Arab/Muslim countries to have diplomatic ties with Irsael). Here is the text of the Plan . Let us hope for a positive outcome...

Tripoli, North Lebanon and two recommended books

2008-10-31T15:09:00.012+03:00

In the market of the Old City of Tripoli in the North of Lebanon, one can find the most delicious dates. These are fresh ones, but they also have dried ones, very healthy and eaten alot during Ramadan. Dates are dried using a natural process unlike European dates which are dried using chemicals. I have met many Arabs in the world who refer to dried dates from the Levant (including Iraqi dates), as being the most delicious and natural ones.

Tripoli's old town

Now, on a different subject and as the title of this posting suggests, I want to recommend each month one or two books that I discovered or am currently reading. So for November, my recommendations are as follows:

1) Quil Lawrence's "Invisible Nation". This book recounts the history of the Kurds and their efforts in nation building. I have just started the book and find it fascinating. Quil is actually an acquaintance who I met last year on a MEA flight from Beirut to Amman when I was working at UNRWA in Palestine. We stayed in touch and I had remembered that he mentioned he had just finalised a book about the Kurds. The other day, while at the International Bookstore in Beirut, I saw his book. Of course I bought and started reading it immediately. Quil has been a BBC radio reporter for the past few years and reported from Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places.

2) Youssef Chaitani's "Post Colonial Syria and Lebanon". This book was actually just recommended to me today by Youssef himself. I am met him in Beirut at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). He is a political affairs officer in the Unit on Emerging and Conflict Related Issues (ECRI). We both went to SOAS and he just defended his PhD there. I have not bought it yet, but it is on my Amazon Wish List...

Deadly US incursion in Syria, what next?

2008-10-28T11:31:00.006+03:00

Last night in our flat in Beirut we watched the news and discovered that 24 hours earlier, the US military had raided a village in Syria and killed dozens of civilians. Like something out of a war movie, we saw pictures of wounded survivors recounting the tragic events, saying that US helicopters landed and 8 soldiers jumped out and started shooting every one around.

Today in the Daily Star of Lebanon I read: "Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem accused the United States on Monday of "terrorist aggression" over a deadly raid on a village in Syria near the border with Iraq. He vowed Syria would defend itself against any further attacks of the sort, and voiced hopes the next US president would learn from the "mistakes" of George W. Bush.
"We consider this criminal and terrorist aggression," Moallem said in his first comments on Sunday's attack in the village of Al-Sukkariya near the Iraqi border.

Al-Sukkariya is on the Euphrates River across the border from the Iraqi town of Al-Qaim, which, according to the US, is a stronghold of Al-Qaeda and other insurgents. US military officers have regularly said that the area in question is a transit point for foreign fighters. They claim that 20 fighters a day enter Iraq from there (a figure which was 4 times higher a year ago).

I wonder where they get such accurate figures? If the US knows that 20 fighters enter, it means they are counting them, which means they know which man is entering as a fighter and which man is entering simply as a trader or innocent citizen going about his daily affairs. I am always sceptical therefore of such figures. Interestingly enough, some military officers serving in Iraq have stated that the vast majority of insurgents seem to come from US-allied countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan, rather than Syria. So what does this tell us? Perhaps the conspiracy theories which are going around the Middle East called the "October Surprise", 8 days before the US elections, are true. Bush has not been to one McCain rally since the day he endorsed him as Republican presidential nominee. Analysts in the region say that the Syria raid is an attemp to bring the ball back into the court of the Republicans and is just what McCain needs to boost support form undecided voters. However in my opinion, most of us who are not Americans and who follow these elections from outside the country, do not understand what US citizens actually vote for. Most of them are not concerned with international affairs or foreign policy and therefore take decisions based on internal US issues. From the outside, we seem to tend to forget that.

Al Jazeera reports today that the Syrians will retaliate if another such raid takes place. So what are the implications for the region and for Lebanon?

Well, this comes at a time when Syria, US and Israel were in a period of rapprochement. Moallem was in London at the time of the raid, another sign of further outreach and opening up to the West. The Iranian Foreign Ministery was also quick to publicly condemn the attack.

Worryingly, both the US government and President Assad have been silent until now. Al Jazeera just got a quote from an unnamed US official saying the target was a foreign fighter smuggling ring (to fuel Sunni insurgency against Iraqi government), whose leader (al Qaeda) had been killed and therefore the mission had been successful. This of course contradicts previous US statements about Syria having improved its border security.

Marc Sirois from the Daily Star in Lebanon has correctly mentioned that: "Unlike Iran's, Syria's options for responding to military action are few. It cannot risk a full-scale confrontation, since even a wounded and distracted America could probably knock off its leadership within weeks - if not days. Its economy is too fragile to sustain even a low-intensity conflict that drags on for any length of time, and while Damascus has also helped Hizbullah and Hamas, its leverage as a facilitator is nothing like Tehran's as a procurer".

For Lebanon, an unstable Syria is only trouble. Just recently, Syria had amassed its troops along its border with Northern Lebanon in an attempt to prevent terrorist infiltration and smuggling.

Following the US attack in Al-Sukkariya on Sunday, Syria could be pushed to beef up its military presence on all its borders including those with Lebanon in order to prevent further transborder terrorist movement. Lebanon is definitely not strong enough or mature enough to take such regional instability, especially with the upcoming elections which could witness pockets of violence between anti-Syrian March 14 (Hariri, Gemayel, Jumblatt) and pro-Syrian March 8 (Nasrallah, Aoun) supporters.

So some unstable times ahead.....

Update from Beirut

2008-10-21T09:38:00.016+03:00

This is the Grand Serail, the Ottoman palace which houses the Government of Lebanon.

The summer in Beirut was hot, weekends were spent at the beach reading, having breakfast at Paul's Bakery downtown and playing Squash at the local sports club in Ashrafieh.

On weekday evenings we cooked our usual delicious meals. During the Summer we had some visits from friends and family.

On the next topic covered by this posting, the US elections. We have been following from Beirut quite closely the campaigning in the US. Living in the Middle East we have a particular interest in the topic as the election of a US president has much implications for the future of this region. M sent me a great website which I recommend all to visit:

http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/

The results are not surprising however, the majority of people outside the US support without hesitation, Barak Obama. A World with McCain as president, will be a World worse than the one we currently live in. I am not sure how worse it can actually get. Three major conflicts are ongoing, all with major US involvement: Palestine/Israel, Afghanistan, Iraq. Yes, Palestine/Israel because without US support (financial, militiary and political), Israel would not be able to maintain its occupation of Palestine and its daily humiliation of the Palestinian people. Afghanistan is actually deteriorating and Iraq is just stagnating in sectarian violence. McCain rejects dialogue with nations like Iran and North Korea.

Last Sunday night, Fareed Zakaria (whose GPS show on CNN we watch every week), explained why he will vote for Barak Obama. His brilliant description of both candidates and his balanced, intelligent and composed opinion on why Obama should be the next president of the US, I found highly inspirational and very convincing. His website has all the previous shows: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/fareed.zakaria.gps and his endorsement of Obama can been seen from this link: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/10/20/gps.zakaria.endorsement.cnn?iref=videosearch

Enjoy.

Nahr el-Bared Palestine refugee camp in North Lebanon

2008-06-29T10:49:00.016+03:00

As a consultant currently working in Lebanon at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), I cover a number of issues relating to the recovery of the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp near Tripoli in northern Lebanon.

Last week I accompanied the Austrian Ambassador and the head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, Ambassador Makkawi to a visit of the destroyed camp. As I mentioned a few postings below, the camp was destroyed in the summer of 2007 by flighting between the Lebanese Army and a radical group, Fatah al-Islam.

We had to get permission from the Lebanese Army and UN security clearance to enter the camp.

This conflict saw the rise of Fatah al-Islam as a notable fighting force. The group was formed in July 2006 after the infighting among groups in Iraq to carry a specific agenda – the liberation of Palestine under the Al-Qaeda umbrella. Just two months before Al-Zarqawi was killed in Iraq in June 2006, Zarqawi released a major statement on Palestine and indicated that Al-Qaida was coming. It is known today that there is a blood link between Zarqawi and the man who became Emir of Fatah al-islam, Shaler al-Absi. Zarqawi was an uncle to Shaker al-Absi. Fatah al-Islam was formed with four distinctive cells in Lebanon, including one that operated inside Nahr al-Bared. They were training inside the camps and funnelling fighters in Palestine via way of Berlin and it is estimated that they managed to get over 500 fighters inside Gaza before an attack was instigated that resulted the siege of Nahr el-Bared. The siege of Nahr Al-Bared was a deliberate effort to stop this migration into Palestine.

Once we arrived in Tripoli, the two Ambassadors recieved a security briefing by UNRWA's security officer for North Lebanon.

Ambassador Makkawi was constantly surrounded by tight security.

The area adjacent to the camp is an area which was also affected by the conflict. Over the years, the camp residents spilled over into this area which legally falls under the jurisdiction of the Lebanese government as it is not included within the bounderies of the refugee camp. Palestine refugees bought and built houses there. At the moment, 2000 of approximately 5,500 families have now returned there, some living in rented accommodation, others in prefabricated houses.

At the time of the incident there were approximately 645 fighters inside Nahr Al-Bared. By its end several weeks later, an estimated 228 were dead and the rest managed to escape. Osbet Al-Ansar and Jundi El-Sham also provided support to Fatah al-Islam during the siege that lasted until September 2, 2007.Contrary to western news report, this was not the end of Fatah al-Islam. It is estimated that there are close to 7800 members that exist now in a loosely formed association underground in Lebanon.

Post-crisis life in Beirut

2008-06-21T20:36:00.015+03:00

Since my last posting, many wonderful events have taken place in Lebanon.

It all started with a deal that was finally struck between government and opposition in Doha one month ago. The same day, Hezbollah supporters began immediately to lift their 16 month siege on the downtown area of Beirut where the Parliament and Prime Minister's office are located. I had the chance to be among them while they dismantled their tents.

Five days later, Presidential elections took place in Beirut and General Michel Suleiman was elected as president. Let us hope he can bring peace and stability to Lebanon, even though a cabinet has still not been appointed completely. Michel Suleiman is somewhat of a hero due to his successful battle against Fatah al-Islam radical group inside the Nahr el-Bared camp last summer.

In the mean time, things have been hectic at work, especially with the upcoming Donor Conference in Vienna. This conference was organised by the Government of Lebanon in order to raise 455 million USD for UNRWA to rebuild Nahr el-Bared camp and for the GoL to assist the neighbouring communities and the so called Adjacent Area of the camp. This is the conference document for which I spent endless meetings with the World Bank and Prime Minister's office including long nights drafting UNRWA's contribution:
http://www.lpdc.gov.lb/Uploads/2008-06/NBC-Donor-Conference-Final.pdf

Calm in Beirut

2008-05-17T08:36:00.008+03:00

This city must be unique in the World in that, one week of near civil war can be followed by a week of total calm with people living their lives as if nothing happened.

After an Arab League delegation toured the various mansions of faction leaders here in Beirut, a deal was brokered to return to the negotiating table, but this time in Doha, Qatar. Two airplanes took off yesterday from Hariri International Airport, one full of the Majority and the other with the Opposition (of course Nasrallah stayed "at home" (Iranian Embassy in Beirut) due to security concerns and sent 3 Hezbollah representatives instead).

In October last year, after postponing the election of a president for a few times (the number is now at 19!), I recieved this photo of a clothes store in Beirut. I wonder if they kept that sales deal on since then!

In Beirut all is back to normal, roads have been unblocked and the airport is open again. There is still however many soldiers and tanks on street corners, which is something one has to get used to here.

I have been going to work every day this week as operations have resumed at UNRWA. Therefore lot's of work and late nights.

Unrest in Lebanon: Day 5

2008-05-11T18:32:00.006+03:00

Today, Sunday, is day 5 of civil unrest in Lebanon. It has been calm in Beirut however heavy fighting took place in Tripoli in the North and in the mountains in the East of Beirut (a Druze stronghold). At the moment Walid Jumblat's (Druze) supporters are battling on with Hezbollah fighters in the mountains and are ignoring a call for a cease-fire. Even the army is struggling to contain them. The UN is currently deciding if staff can return to work tomorrow.

At least 30 people have died in the past 5 days. Only in Lebanon, can legitimate political parties (i.e. Hezbollah, Al Mustaqbal, Amal, PSP, etc) kill 30 of their own brothers and sisters, and return to Parliament victorious with increased political weight and credibility. Is this really serious?

I am trying to get some work done for UNRWA but it is difficult to concentrate in such circumstances. I was planning to work from our office in Tripoli next week, to finish work on the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp recovery plan. But I am quite sure security clearance will not be granted to move up there in the next coming days.

Unrest in Lebanon: Day 4 in the Evening

2008-05-10T19:04:00.008+03:00

This afternoon, ten enormous army tanks rolled up my street probably moving towards an area which is a mixed Sunni/Shia neighbourhood. I only got a photo of the last two vehicules.

This afternoon Siniora addressed the people of Lebanon and called on a dialogue with opposition. I watched him on local TV.

The Lebanese government and the opposition have agreed on a deal to end hostilities. They decided to allow the Army to move in and take back the control of Beirut. The Army then overturned the two previous government decisions by reinstating the pro-Hezbollah general head of airport security and by keeping Hezbollah's telecommunication network active.

Local TV is reporting that gunmen are pulling out of the streets. However, some clashes are still going on in Tripoli in the North of Lebanon.

I am therefore hopefull that things are actually going to calm down completely now and that the airport will reopen soon.

Unrest in Lebanon: Day 4 in the Afternoon

2008-05-10T12:22:00.008+03:00

A number of my international colleagues from UNRWA are now in the mountain area just outside Beirut as most of them were living in Hamra (West Beirut), an area which subject to most of the fighting. One of them had bullets fly through his window. So I am following events closely to keep them updated by SMS as things unfold in Beirut.

After the relative calm last night and this morning, things have started to fire up again. More roads have been blocked. Gunmen have entered the building of Hariri's Future TV station and destroyed broadcast equipment. The Armenian Radio station was also burnt down just an hour ago.

Lebanese army soldiers were deployed in some West Beirut neighbourhoods probably to demonstrate that the government still has some control over those areas. Two people just died and 12 were injured for a shooting at a Sunni funeral in Beirut.

In the North of Lebanon, in Akkar, gunmen have besieged Arabya TV journalists and taken heads of municipalities there. Tripoli and other areas in North Lebanon have been subject to violence during the day.

As a result, Lebanese journalists have started a march in favour of freedom of press and have arrived at Hariri's Future TV station.

Roads to the aiport and to the Syrian border remain closed with armed checkpoints.

As expected regional and world powers have started making statements about the situation, as reported in the Washington Post: Read Article and by CNN: Read Article. The US accuses Iran and Syria. Iran accuses the US and Israel and the Europeans are keeping quiet drawing up plans for the evacuation of their nationals as mentioned by Lebanon Now: Read Article

Now I am watching the Prime Minister, Fouad Siniora address the people of Lebanon on local TV.

Unrest in Lebanon: Day 4

2008-05-10T09:37:00.003+03:00

We woke up this morning and quickly switched on the news as our radios were quiet. The BBC was reporting that Hezbollah fighters were moving off the streets of Beirut having taken control yesterday of West Beirut. We don't hear anymore shooting or RPGs. However according to our UN colleagues, the port road and the road to the airport remain blocked. Apparently Hezbollah will continue to block them until there is a political solution.

The aim here was for Hezbollah to demonstrate is capabilities and has now also eliminated all pro-government militia, closed down pro-government media and controls the access to and from the airport.

The government is calling it a "bloody coup". This is what happens when militias remain armed after 15 years of civil war. Most other militias were integrated into the army. For that reason, these past few days have seen much lack of action on the part of the Lebanese forces, as it feared that its internal divisions (Sunni vs Shia) could resurface and soldiers take sides.

As usual today in Beirut, the sun is shining and people here in the Christian area are going about their daily business. Now we are waiting to see what political deal can come out of this power game. To be continued....

Unrest in Lebanon: Day 3 in the afternoon

2008-05-09T17:50:00.010+03:00

This afternoon continued unrest in the city, fighting around the UN building near the Prime Minister's office.

A colleague had to go urgently back to the office to try and restore some electricity lines and the network server so that people could have access to their work emails from home. He took these photos on his way.

These are the Hezbollah tents placed near the Prime Minister's Office

This photo was taken from on top of the building near a UN office in Hamra in West Beirut (now completely controlled by Hezbollah)

Here we can see local journalists with flak jackets on the main Hamra street in West Beirut.

Unrest in Lebanon: Day 3

2008-05-09T10:28:00.012+03:00

Beirut has not seen such intense fighting since the civil war which ended in 1989 with the Taif Agreement.

Just three weeks into my job at UNRWA, a general strike was called by the largest Trade Union in Lebanon to protest against minimum wages and against the current government's inability to improve the economic and political situation in Lebanon. That was three days ago. Opposition supporters used the strike as a general protest against two major government decisions which had been announced regarding the scrapping of Hezbollah's telecommunications network including its surveillance cameras set up at the Beirut International Airport.

On the first day of instability, the Designated Official of the UN (responsible for the security of all UN staff) recommended that people stay at home. UNRWA however, which runs hospitals and schools in camps, cannot shut down completely their operations, so I was asked to go to work. UNRWA's office is located on the road to the airport in a Shia area in the South of Beirut. Leaving the house at 7am, I tried to get past the numerous checkpoints which had been set up by opposition supporters, with burning tyres and heeps of rubble, but just could not get through and therefore had to return home. From there we watched the local Lebanese news.

The second day, I arranged to follow a convoy that UNRWA had organised to pick up some staff in Beirut, to get to the office. The driver knew some internal roads avoiding check-points which I am not familiar with yet. After a few hours at the office, UNRWA announced that we had to go home because Nasrallah was planned to give a press conference in the afternoon. That usually sparks unrest, so best be inside.

We came home to watch him speak. A Lebanese colleague of mine was with me and translated his speech.

After Nasrallah's speech, where he claimed that government's decisions (which I have mentioned above) was a form of waging war on him and his followers, the streets of Beirut burst into violent clashes between Sunni militia's (Saad Hariri's Mustaqbal faction) and Shia Hezbollah and Amal supporters. Hariri spoke publically followed by General Aoun, trying to calm things down, without much success. In the evening and well through the night, we heard heavy shooting and a number of rocket propelled grenades which resonate very loudly, nearly like thunder. We live in a Christian area which is not directly affected by the fighting, however we are surrounded by mixted Sunni/Shia neighbourhoods.

Day 3 of civil unrest, we woke up to more gun fire and RPGs. Our UN security radios tuned on with messages informing all UN staff that the situation remains very tense, with heavy clashes in the streets of West Beirut, staff are advised to remain at home and away from windows.

The airport remains closed today with Hezbollah putting up tents there and blocking the highway to and from it. The road to the eastern border to Syria, remains inaccessible due to fighting between Sunni and Shia in the mid-Bekaa Valley area.

Just a few hours ago, reports confirmed that Hezbollah has taken over West Beirut and politicians such as Walid Jumblatt (leader of the Druze) have been evacuated from their residences by the Lebanese army. Hariri's residence is apparently surrounded by opposition militias, however it is not clear if he is inside.

CNN is also reporting on the situation here, a recent article summarises it well: Read Article

I will update this blog as often as I can with developments here....

P.S. Yesterday I stocked up food supplies and took some cash out of the bank just in case they close down!

Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon

2008-04-18T10:00:00.014+03:00

Nahr el-Bared refugee camp, situation in Northern Lebanon was completely destroyed by internal fighting between a Palestinian group called Fatah Al-Islam and Lebanese armed forces in the summer of 2007. The World Bank is planning to host a donor conference to fund the recovery and reconstruction of Nahr el-Bared.

This is an AP photo of the fighting which took place in the camp last summer.

This is a photo of the destruction which was subsequently caused. 30,000 Palestine refugees fled the camp, most of them towards areas around Nahr el-Bared (now called the Adjacent Area) or to a neighbouring camp: Beddawi. Living in terrible conditions, having to sleep on the floor in classrooms and other UNRWA facilities, an emergency operation was put in place to assist the displaced until physical reconstruction of the camp could take place. While re-entering Nahr el-Bared, UNRWA discovered many mines and booby-traps left behind by the Lebanese armed forces and resulting from the intense fighting with Fatah al-Islam. The de-mining phase has just been completed and now reconstruction can actually begin.

War, tension and houmous....

2008-03-04T18:13:00.009+03:00

The Middle East is not one of the calmest and peaceful places at the moment... For the past few weeks things have actually escalated. First in Lebanon with the fiery speech of Nasrallah, indirectly declaring open war with Israel.... As an example of this war actually being a strong probability of occurring, a friend's tennis coach in Beirut told him he was setting up a tennis club in the mountains where most Beirutis tend to flee in case of war. Another example is that I am actually currently writing the proposal for the next phase of UNRWA's emergency job creation programme and I have included in the section on "risks and assumptions" the fact that a war between Hezbollah and Israel would have a heavy toll on the implementation of the programme in the Palestinian Territories especially in the North West Bank.

Then in Gaza, where the incursions and bombings from Israel in response to rocket fire from inside Gaza to neighbouring Israeli towns has devastated Gaza and has caused the death of over 100 Palestinians including children. As a response, Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem have protested and youths have thrown stones as the only weapons at their disposal to let out their anger towards this dreadful occupation. The head of the Palestinian representation to the UN in New York called for an emergency meeting at the Security Council last week denouncing the apathy of the international community in its lack of action in light of Israel's disproportionate use of force.

The situation in the West Bank is even currently affecting the work of aid agencies such as UNRWA. Last week, my monitors who are responsible for monitoring and evaluation of the emergency job creation programme were blocked on numerous occasions as many areas were closed for incursions and checkpoints were put up banning all men under 35 years old to enter. Some of the IDF soldiers interrogated and held one of our monitors for 3 hours, despite him having his UN identity card. This is of course in clear violation of the agreement which UNRWA (and the UN in general) has with local authorities and therefore I sent a report of this incident to the Operations Support Office at UNRWA responsible for such negotiations with IDF and Israeli police.

Nothing really seems to be improving here and scepticism is often the prevailing sentiment especially in light of the broken peace talks between Olmert and Abu Mazen. Today, the visit of Condoleeza Rice has been described by the media as a rescue mission.

So during all this tension, the Palestinians who have been through this their entire lives and their entire parents' lives find ways to enjoy life anyway... One of which is ordering houmous from a guy named Abu Hassan from Salahaddin Street in East Jerusalem and getting it delivered to the office at lunch time!

The houmous from Abu Hassan is like no other! It is incredible and I can say with confidence that Palestinian houmous is better than its Lebanese equivilant. Breaking a piece of soft warm Palestinian white bread, dipping it generously in the houmous making sure to take a few chickpeas and olive oil and then devouring it, is probably one of the best moments one can have in life!...Highly recommended therefore...

Saturday evening in Jaffa near Tel Aviv

2008-02-24T12:40:00.017+03:00

Having spent Saturday morning buying books at the best book store in East Jerusalem on Salahaddin Street called the Educational Bookstore... (These are the ones I got)

My evening was spent with two colleagues from UNRWA in the Old City of Jaffa near Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. We had planned to eat fish at one of the famous fish restaurants there.

On our way to Jaffa...

Jaffa (or Yafo) is one of the most ancient port cities in the world. Some claim that Jaffa was named after Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah, who built it forty years after the Great Flood. Jaffa's natural harbor has been in use since the Bronze Age. It is mentioned in an Ancient Egyptian letter from 1470 BCE, glorifying its conquest by Pharaoh Thutmose III, who hid armed warriors in large baskets and gave the baskets as a present to the Canaanite city's governor.

This is a picture of an aerial view of Jaffa which was displayed at the port on a board

May 13, 1948—the day before Israel's creation—the all-Arab seaside city of Jaffa surrendered to Jewish forces. It was the largest Arab city in Palestine and, under the U.N. Partition Plan, was to have been part of a Palestinian state. But Menachem Begin's terrorist Irgun group began bombarding civilian sectors of the city on April 25, terrifying the inhabitants into panicky flight.

When future Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion learned that Jaffa had fallen, he wrote in his diary: "Jaffa will be a Jewish city. War is war." To accomplish this, Israel set up a housing committee that was to allocate Palestinian homes and apartments to newly arrived Jewish families on certain dates. But Israelis ignored the dates and occupied the abandoned residences on a first-come, first possess basis.

After walking along the coast and Jaffa port, we drove to the fish restaurant a bit further inside Jaffa town.

We ordered grilled fish, calamari and shrimps served with a variety of delicious mezze's

Old City by night

We then passed by a shop which sells Dead Sea products and I bought a body cream. The Dead Sea which is located in the West of West Bank near the Jordan Valley, is a salt lake situated at 420 meters below sea level. The Dead Sea area has become a major center for health research and treatment for several reasons. The mineral content of the waters, the very low content of pollens and other allergens in the atmosphere, the reduced ultraviolet component of solar radiation, and the higher atmospheric pressure at this great depth each have specific health effects.

Back in Jerusalem: The Palestinian Keffiya

2008-02-14T17:57:00.009+03:00

Today I recieved the most wonderful gift from my colleagues who work at the UNRWA office in Ramallah. As they dont have permits from Israel to enter Jerusalem, they could not deliver it to me themselves, so it came with the messenger in the regular UNRWA shuttle bus that runs between Jerusalem and Ramallah offices.

The gift is a traditional Palestinian black and white Keffiya (in Arabic Kuffiya). This particular one is made by the company Al Bassam in Saudi Arabia with cotton and wool from England, considered the best brand for such items.

Keffiyas are worn all over the Middle East, red and black ones in Jordan and some parts of Iraq and white ones in the Gulf. This particular one became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism in the 1960s and then later a trademark symbol of Yasser Arafat.

This is the official mark of Al Bassam from Saudi Arabia

Weekend in Beirut

2008-02-11T20:32:00.002+03:00

This weekend I spent Friday to Sunday in Beirut. It was a nice break from Jerusalem. I get somewhat exhausted if I stay to long periods at a time in Jerusalem. When you live in Jerusalem, you inevitably feel the tension there. Religious, racial, territorial and most importantly, the tension of the ongoing occupation. Segregation there is quite apparent, it reminds me so much of South Africa. Even though I was young then, I felt the divide.
This is Beirut coastline. A photo I took on Sunday while we walked along the Corniche.

In Beirut, suprisingly to most people, that tension is not present. There is of course another kind of tension, which is felt more by local Lebanese rather than us internationals. For me, Beirut is very special and every time I step out of the plane on the tarmac of Hariri International Airport, I get a rush of well-being. Despite the years of civil war and the ongoing political stalemate, Beirut beats like a heart.

The weather was so warm on Sunday, we decided to walk around the city. After a breakfast downtown, we continued along the Marina to reach the Corniche.

Downtown Beirut. Hariri's Solidere reconstruction project

Another mosque also downtown Beirut

We walked further to what is known as "Bank Street". Actually, Riad el Solh Street where most of the big banks are located. During the Lebanese civil war all factions agreed on never fighting in this street.

The street is now completely cealed off because it is just parallel to the Prime Minister's office which has been under siege by Hezbollah protestors now living in tents for nearly a year. Some of the tents are visible at the end of the street.

Here one can get a glimpse of the Prime Minister's Office, known as Grand Serail, blocked by barbed wire... UNDP has now moved in this street in one of the buildings. They were working from two small apartments in another location of town after having to evacuate UN House due to the security threat from the Hezbollah protestors there.

Another usual scene in Beirut: road blocks

Still in Bank Street, some directions in Downtown Beirut just next to an old Mosque, showing the multi-relgious nature of Lebanon.

This is the entrance of the mosque

We then walked past the Marina to reach the Corniche....

....and saw a cargo boat which had just left Beirut port.

Beirutis enjoying the sun on Sunday...That was a short winter

On our way back home, we came across an old house abandoned and bombed out from the years of civil war. Even the vegetation has taken over. This is something one sees quite often in Beirut. This house must have been particularly lovely in its early days...

At home, we have a fire place which we currently managed to unblock. Actually, Mr. Fouad, our versatile handy-man fixed the problem. We bought wood from a dealer on one of the mountains around Beirut, so we were keen on experiencing it. During this period, Beirut can be cold once the sun sets and therefore a fireplace is definitely appropriate and useful. It is also still the season of chestnuts in Lebanon so we planned to cook some on the fire.

This would not have been possible without a special pan with holes used to cook chestnuts. We resolved the problem by drilling one of our old pans....We made use of our cheap Chinese-made drill....

Snow in Jerusalem

2008-01-31T11:14:00.001+03:00

In this country when it snows, even just a few centimeters, everything just gets paralysed. All shops, schools, government and offices close. People stay at home and the streets are empty. So none of my colleagues came to work yesterday and again today as the snow has still not melted completely.

Yesterday opening my door in the morning, I could see the previous night's snow fall.

Arriving at my office at UNRWA, the offices were all empty, the staff obviously stayed at home.

I then drove up to the Mount of Olives to get a view of the Al Aqsa mosque in the snow. Here is a photo I took, you can see it in the distance.

Palestine and Lebanon: Prison breaks and car bombs.....

2008-01-26T10:21:00.001+03:00

Both Lebanon and Palestine have made the news this week, first in Gaza with the destruction of the Gaza-Egypt border by Hamas militants and now the third day of what is termed the biggest prison break in history; second in Lebanon yesterday with yet another politically motivated assissination.

I am not sure people really imagine how life can be in Gaza... Since last July, no good can enter or leave Gaza, except humanitarian goods and essential items such as fuel. A week ago, the entire strip went into total darkness when the only powerplant which relies on israeli fuel, was stopped.
The chief of UNRWA operations in Gaza, John Ging, made a press conference denouncing Israeli collective punishment in Gaza. This is a photo made by UNRWA during the blackout.

On another occasion, the Commissioner General of UNRWA, Karen Koning Abu Zayd, mentioned in a brilliant speech at the Conference on Forced Migration in Cairo earlier this month:

"What we are witnessing is an entire populace effectively incarcerated at the whim of the occupying power. Human rights instruments provide that everyone has the right to leave any country, including his or her own, and to return to that country. In the normal course of things, one expects an affected community to have a choice - either to weather the adverse situation or to seek temporary refuge in a safer, more conducive location. Many Palestine refugees, particularly those under the yoke of occupation in Gaza and the West Bank, are denied that simple human choice." (Read full speech)

This is a photo I took in 2005 in Gaza just before the disengagement of all the settlements there. The coastal line which borders Gaza to the Mediterranean Sea , has enormous potential for fish industry and is even said to contain large reserves of natural gas....Also a rumoured reason for Israel's interest in the Strip...

Meanwhile in Beirut yesterday, a car bomb targeted an official of police intelligence who had been investigating similar previous bombings.... The bomb went off in East Beirut (Christian area), not that far from where we live. This is the report from the Al Jazeera English website:

Despite all the disturbances in Lebanon and the occasional car bomb, the city is calm and actually a wonderful place to live in. The perception of Beirut from outside Lebanon is really distorted by the news reports of bombs and war.

Anyway, back in Israel while West Bankers and Gazans are suffering from the ongoing occupation and lack of everything.... Israel has officially entered into circulation the new coin of 2 Israeli Shekels.... Apparently the Israeli coins are not minted in Israel, they are minted in South Korea and then shipped to Israel for circulation.... I wonder if Israel should not be focusing on more urgent and important matters?? I took a photo of the first 2 Shekel coin that I found in my wallet... The Shekel is also used in the occupied Palestinian Territory as there is no official Palestinian currency. Notice the Arabic writing on the coin....

Bush in Palestine

2008-01-12T10:21:00.000+03:00

Last Wednesday I woke up to a usual working day in Jerusalem, which actually was not that usual. It was the day that Bush was arriving in Israel and Palestine for the first time in his life!

Here is another great cover from the Economist issued in November during the Annapolis Conference.

Leaving my house at 7am in the morning, there was a rare fog in the air, so thick that I could not see my hand in front of me.... Strange start to such a historic day. I decided to walk to my UNRWA office to get a feel of the athmosphere in Jerusalem. While walking, the fog dissipated and I could see Israeli and American flags aligning Road No.1 (The Green Line). I did not see such flags in the Palestinian part of town. Not surprising though, as East Jerusalem is a Hamas stronghold.

On this photo you can see the construction of the controversial tram line (on the right of the photo) that goes through East Jerusalem which will eventually connect settlements there with West Jerusalem and any hope of Jerusalem being the capital of Palestine will be completely vanished.

Bush was due to arrive on noon that day, so while at work I was monitoring closely news websites who were reporting on his movements. That morning there were many helicopters and the streets were relatively deserted due to all the closures in and around the city.

The Haaretz online was reporting most diligently. I came across an interesting article (read article) which described the logistical and security arrangements of Bush's visit and the cost per hour: 25,000 USD!

The next day, some of my Palestinian colleagues were blocked in Bethlehem during his visit to the West Bank and mentioned that every street corner had either a US marine or a Palestinian policeman. The sewage entrances were sealed and checked for bombs below ground.

Apparently Bush was driven to Ramallah, rather than flown there by helicopter. There are two checkpoints to enter Ramallah from Jerusalem, one is Kalandia and the other is the DCO checkpoint. The latter was set up on the other side of Ramallah to allow diplomats and UN officials to pass through to avoid the congestion at Kalandia, especially due to the increase of diplomatic representations to the Palestinian Authority who moved from Gaza to Ramallah 10 years ago. The fact that he used the DCO checkpoint, means that he must not have experienced the daily frustrations of the Palestinians having to wait for hours at Kalandia checkpoint, ambulances with women giving birth because they cannot pass through and wounded or ill people dying there because they did not reach the hospital in time.

Blair being the Quartet's Middle East Envoy, met with Bush during his stay here and mentioned that he was positive to have a two-state solution by 2009. The question I ask myself is, who is he really trying to convince of such a ridiculous statement?
What about the issue of land, water, refugees, settlements, borders, trade etc? Such questions will not be resolved by then and Israel will continue to build houses and settlements in East Jerusalem and without Jerusalem, Palestine cannot be a viable state, among other many concerns.

This blog quoted in the Los Angeles Times!

2008-01-06T23:18:00.000+03:00

While reading a very interesting article on pro-Israel lobby in Washington published in this Sunday's Los Angeles Times (read article) which was sent to me by my previous boss at the Palestine Unit at UNCTAD in Geneva, I stumbled upon another article published last November on the 1000 days of Hariri's assassination which actually quoted this blog and posted a link to it!

(read article)

Further down it reads:

The LA Times correspondent was quoting our posting of November 10th 2007, see a few postings below.

Skiing in Lebanon and Beirut New Year's Eve + my culinary skills

2008-01-02T21:26:00.002+03:00

Flying back from Geneva to Beirut on the MEA flight, a view of the Alpes

Another snow view but this time in Lebanon!!!!

Mzaar ski resort is 1 hour drive from Beirut and is absolutely wonderful. The sun was shining, the slopes were great and the skiing just perfect. One would not imagine such a great skiing domain in a war torn country, with a view on the Mediterranean Sea while sliding down a slope at 2000 metres altitude!

View of the Mediterranean Sea while skiing

Modern Islam: A Lebanese woman skiing with her veil

On the road back down to Beirut, we saw a great sunset on the town. It was New Year's Eve.

Once arrived back at home, I prepared the New Year's Eve meal.

For Starters: Parma ham, figues from Lebanon and home-made rosmary and olive oil bread. I made the bread by rolling dough with fresh pieces of rosmary, salt and olive oil. All served on a piece of Ardoise, bought in Geneva before leaving last Summer.

With that, boiled artichokes, from which one picks off the leaves and eats the soft parts with vinaigrette.

For the main course: stuffed potato gnocchi with a tomato and herb sauce. The gnocchi were prepared then cut in thin circles in which one puts a small tea spoon of stuffing then folded over and closed with a fork. For the stuffing: mixed ricotta, herbs and ham.

Red wine from Alba, North Italy. It is a Barbera d'Alba, absolutely amazing!

And finally, the dessert: a slice of Pandoro cake and a bowl of strawberries with vanilla ice-cream served in traditional Palestinian plates.

News from Beirut: Another political assassination!

2007-12-12T21:55:00.001+03:00

This morning I woke at the usual 6:00am in Jerusalem, had breakfast and arrived at UNRWA at 7:15. An hour later, I received news that there had been, yet another, political assassination in the outskirts of Beirut.

Once again, a car laden with explosives caused a number of casualties today in Beirut. This time, the target was the Deputy of the Lebanese Army, General Hajj, who was expected to succeed as leader of the Army once General Suleiman (see previous postings) would be elected as President..... The election has been delayed for the 8th time since September 2007. The political impasse which seemed to be somewhat resolved with the agreement on General Suleiman's candidacy, has now just gone back to square one...

Jerusalem: The Wall, Salahaddin Street and the Old City

2007-12-08T11:31:00.001+03:00

On Saturday I attended a presentation given by the UN OCHA, an expert on the Wall and on East Jerusalem spoke of its expansion and gradual isolation of East Jerusalem. Even Ben Wiederman from the CNN was there! We also went to the wall itself with the group after the presentation.

When you see people walking next to the Wall, you can have an idea of how large it is, over 8 meters actually.

Ray, an Irish national, is the Wall specialist, now a consultant for OCHA explaining the expansion of the Wall from a view on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. Ben Wiederman from CNN just infront of him!! Due to the highly politicised and controversial nature of this wall and its expansion, journalists like him need to be kept informed and therefore attend such presentatons. OCHA's role in Palestine is that of advocacy and information collection and mapping of closures, wall and road expansions in the Territories.

The Wall near the locality of Abu Dis in East Jerusalem, electrified.

A basket ball....caught in the wires of the Wall...

The Wall in Abu Dis has cut off the Mosque from the village, putting an obstacle to those living on this side to go and worship freely.

Some graffiti from visitors to the Wall. Some in French...

Some in English....

The Wall up close....

On our way back to the Old City, we walked down Salahadin Street, the main commercial street of East Jerusalem. On Saturdays, the Israeli police are celebrating the Sabath and therefore are not around to check on the Palestinian village women who come and sell their fruits and vegetables illegally.

We climbed onto the ramparts and walked all around the City, from the Muslim quarters through the Jewish and Christian Quarters.

I always try to buy my fruits and vegetables from these women, it is always fresh and comes directly handpicked from their gardens and fields in the West Bank.

Cauliflower is in season now in Palestine. I cut it up in small pieces and fry it in Olive Oil from Nablus (see a few postings below). Once the cauliflower is soft and a little brown, I cut open a brown warm pita bread, layer the inside with houmous and then fill it with the fried cauliflower. Delicious!

View of the Damascus Gate from the walls of the Old City. This is one of the gates which gives access to the Muslim Quarters. Bustling Saturday's market and sellers

A seller making large brown beans known as "foul" and chickpeas, eaten as a snack...

View of the Al Aqsa Mosque from outside the Old City

Dates and oranges in East Jerusalem....

Clothes hanging from one of the houses in the Old City. This photo was taking while we walked on the ramparts.

Red, Yellow and Green peppers. These are also great fried in Olive Oil and then in a pita bread with houmous.

Another view of Damascus Gate from the ramparts....

Monitoring Camps in Jenin and Tulkarem, Northern West Bank

2007-12-02T19:40:00.000+03:00

75% of the UNRWA Emergency Job Creation Programme is implemented in the North West Bank and therefore I have 5 monitors in that area. I went up there a few times these past 2 weeks to work with them on the new system I have put in place and to train them while they are actually on the job monitoring the beneficiaries.

This is the Health Centre of Fara Camp in Nablus. A month ago, a new agreement was made between the Palestinian Police and the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), which is to allow the Palestinian Police to work during the day in the Nablus municipality and surrounding camps and during the night, the IDF would take over. This means for the refugees of Fara camp, incursions nearly every night.

This health centre was built with a donation from the Italian Government in 1993. At that post-Oslo period, many governments were making generous donations to rebuild Palestine....We wonder now how much these contributions actually made a difference.

In between, two monitoring destinations, we went to the local coffee shop to get some coffee for a few colleagues in Jerusalem who had asked us, knowing we were going to Nablus. They import coffee from Costa Rica and grind it with cardommon pods, to make the typical Arab coffee.

For lunch, we went to this great meat place which has been there for 40 years. This guy grills the meat directly above the coal. It was absolutely delicious... Vegetarians do not know what they are missing!

On the way out of Nablus, we passed by a Tahina factory (Tahina is a beige sauce made of sesame seed eaten on salads or shwarma all over the Middle East). If Tahina is mixed with sugar, you get Halawa, eaten on bread as a dessert.

The sesame seeds are imported from Eritrea.

The machine that processes the sesame seeds

Following the monitor in his car.....View of the settlements in the West Bank

This is a typical settlement on a hill around Nablus. The caravans in front of the settlement are an example of illegal settlement expansion. Indeed, the Israeli government has made it illegal to build more settlements, so many expand with the use of caravans, which bit by bit, become permanent houses, and without a word, the settlement has doubled its size and population.

Driving to Jenin Camp, we drove through the agricultural area surrounding Jenin in the Northern most part of the West Bank

This is the main check point to enter Jenin Refugee Camp. The soldier does not come down from the tower, he signals to show your ID and then checks it with his goggles. If he is satisfied, he presses a button which opens the large electrified yellow metal fence. It is in Jenin that security is the tightest as many suicide bombers and militants are said to come from Jenin.

Inside Jenin Camp, we went around the UNRWA installations such as schools and health centre to monitor our beneficiaries who work in these installations in exchange of cash, i.e. unskilled cash for work.

Posters with photos of martyrs from the camp. This particular one (left), bombed our offices in Jenin Camp because he was not able to work under the programme and benefit from the cash.... He was martyred a few month later (unrelated to his actions against UNRWA).

Paintaings of Arafat and paradise-like landscapes... A way to forget the terrible every-day life of the refugee camp and IDF incursions.

On the way back to Nablus, we passed by an UNRWA resource centre for children. This is some their art. Below you see the map of what they call "Historic Palestine" which include current Israel and West Bank and Gaza as one full territory as it was before 1948. In the crying eye, positioned where Jerusalem is located, you can see the Al Aqsa mosque.

Here is another drawing from the resource centre, which shows current Palestine, West Bank and Gaza.

This last photo was taken while I was on another visit to the North. This time in Tulkarem
near Jenin. I worked with our monitor who is responsible for that area. We visited one of the two camps there, NurShams Camp, which means the Camp of the sun's light. It has a population of 9000. Inside the office of the Camp Service Officer, there was a board above him and something strook me. This board is a sort of information gathering board which I am sure was put up in 1948 when the camp was created. At the time the camps were made of tents and huts as those you see now in Darfur or other parts of the World. This board still has written, tents and huts on the top part. What this episode told me, whas that even today, 50 years later, the refugees continue to believe at the temporary nature of their current habitations and that one day, they will have the "right to return".... None of this of course was discussed at Annapolis..... What will be of the 4 million Palestinian refugees dispersed in the region once we have (if we one day indeed do have) a 2-state solution? Their houses which they once occupied in now Israeli territory are long destroyed and rebuilt....

Photos from Beirut: Failed Elections

2007-11-25T18:48:00.001+03:00

The deadline was approaching for the current Lebanese President, Emile Lahoud, to leave office, as is written in the Constitution. By midnight on 23rd November, it is constitutionally required for a new President, designated by the Maronite party to be elected and to enter office. However, disagreements have been ongoing on the selection of this new president. The Constitution says that if no candidate has been chosen, then the current Prime Minister, anti-Syrian, Fouad Siniora and his cabinet should take office. However, Lahoud, upon leaving office on the 23rd, refused to recognise Siniora's government and ordered the army to take over, led by General Souleiman. It is still unclear if this meant a call for a State of Emergency. Elections are to take place on the 30th November.

On the 23rd, a friend walked around the streets of Beirut and took some photos. Here they are:

The main mosque, near the Parliament and Prime Minister's office all cealed off

Apparently, hundreds of Lebanese army soldiers were posted in the streets of Beirut, even near my house, on each street corner.

Soldiers and their vehicules infront of the main mosque near Saifi Village, one of Hariri's Solidere reconstruction projects.

Barbed wire near the Parliament. They did not even allow diplomats through! Many foreign journalists were also present to catch the latest news on the unfolding political crisis

A soldier taking a photos of his colleagues! The tension cannot really be felt here!

Just at the corner of the street in Ashrafieh, Central-East Beirut.

Beirut, Damascus and Amman

2007-11-23T18:14:00.001+03:00

I arrived in Beirut on Thursday which was the exact same day that Ban Ki-Moon, the new UN Secretary General was on a visit to Lebanon. One of many trying to resolve the political deadlock gripping the country since September.

Beirut was quite congested due to road closures during the movements of Ban Ki Moon in the town. On Friday, I took a taxi and drove to Damascus (2h30 from Beirut). I booked a room at Beit Al Mamlouka, a restored Syrian 17th Century residence with 8 beautifully decorated rooms, situated in the Christian quarters of the Old City of Damascus.

This is the main courtyard. Each brown door is an entrance to a room.

On the second level of the house, there were 3 rooms restored, apprently used during the winter months, due to the fact that it caught the sun and warmed up the rooms considerably. These are the typically Syrian lamps above the room entrances.

This is the terrace at the top of the house.

The view of the Old City, Mosque and Church beside eachother.

View of Damascus, Old and New City

Each room has been restored and decorated differently from the next. Here are some photos of the inside of mine.

The light on the wall

These cushions are made with pure cotton made in Syria. I am planning to get some for the same purpose for one of the rooms in my flat in Beirut. It has been restored in a Syrian style, where these cushions would look great.

The mirror

The cupboard built inside the wall for hanging clothes, made with nacre (also known as Mother of Pearl).

This is a photo of the ceiling with the nice reflections of the light against the walls

Bathroom door

Walking through the Old City, I took some photos. Here is a typical street.

The striking thing when you enter Syria, especially in Damascus, is the sheer number of posters and photographs of President Bashir Al Assad.
His father, Hafiz al-Assad died in 2000, after 30 years in power. Immediately following al-Assad's death, the Parliament amended the constitution, reducing the mandatory minimum age of the President from 40 to 34, which allowed his son, Bashir, to become legally eligible for nomination by the ruling Baath party. On July 10, 2000, Bashir was elected President by referendum in which he ran unopposed, gathering 97% of the vote.

Syrian and Palestinian flags layed out above some metal workers in the Old City

Next to the workers, a sign to the Umayyad Mosque, signals we are near.

The Umayyad Mosque is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Located in one of the holiest sites in the old city, it is of great architectural importance.

The tomb of Salahadin stands in a small garden adjoining the north wall of the mosque.

The mosque holds a shrine which is said to contain the head of John the Baptist, honoured as a prophet by Muslims and Christians alike. The head was supposedly found during the excavations for the building of the mosque. This is the shrine.

This is the esplanade of the mosque before entering the praying area.

One of the walls of the mosque. In 2001 Pope John Paul II visited the mosque, primarily to visit the relics of John the Baptist. It was the first time a pope paid a visit to a mosque.

A Muslim woman taking a photo inside the praying area.

On the ceiling looking up from the praying area

Marble walls and a golden shrine

One of the gates to the Mosque on our way out.

While walking back to Al Mamlouka, I stopped at a herbs and spices seller, we bought fresh camomille to make tea.

Jericho, West Bank

2007-11-22T21:33:00.001+03:00

The drive to Jericho is no longer than 30 minutes through the Jordan Valley. This is what you see when you enter Jericho before the main check point. The area has a wonderful warm climate all year round and is known for its fertile agricultural land. If it was not for the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank, it could be a tourist's paradise. Jericho is just next to Dead Sea and is therefore at 500 m below sea level!

In the evening of the second day of the Workshop, we went up on the record breaking telepherique. One can wonder how a telepherique can break a record, well this one is the longest telepherique under sea level! (Actually probably the only telepherique under sea level!) The Palestinians are however proud of it, here is the Guinness certificate at the entrance.

The third and final day, we round up the discussions and left Jericho (see photo below of the wonderful blue sky of the Jordan Valley). I did not however return to Jerusalem, I crossed the border to Jordan to catch a flight to Beirut for the weekend.

From Beirut: 1000 days since Rafik Hariri's assassination

2007-11-10T18:14:00.001+03:00

On February 14th 2005, Rafik Hariri, former Lebanese Prime Minister and business man was assassinated, one of many victims of political assassinations in Lebanon. Since his death, a counter was put up in Hamra area of West Beirut. Today is the 1000th day. Hariri died when explosives equivalent to around 1000 kg of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove past the St. George Hotel in the Lebanese capital. The damage made by the bomb can be seen in the photos I posted in a previous posting in July, see below.

This photo is taken at the road intersection where the counter has been placed. The situation is quite tense nowadays in Beirut and there are fears of more political assassinations which will only escalate the already unstable situation. The parliament is continuously postponing elections....

The investigation into Rafik Hariri's assassination is still ongoing and it is conducted under the supervision of the United Nations and led by the independent investigator (Belgian) Serge Brammertz.

The 1000th day by night

Jerusalem's Old City

2007-11-06T18:53:00.002+03:00

I tried to enter the Al Aqsa mosque compound but with no success, Israeli guards prevented me from entering. I took this photo from the entrance...

Walking behind a resident in the Jewish Quarters of the Old City

At the entrance of a house in the Jewish Quarters. The name of the owner

A street in the Jewish Quarters

Here the street name in the Jewish Quarters written in Arabic has been erased with graffiti... A reflection of the tensions between both communities... The Hebrew and English versions remain untouched...

This is in the Muslim Quarters of the Old City, where you can see a number of Israeli flags which are placed there as a sign that they have been acquired by Israelis. Over the years, many Old City properties are being sold to rich Israelis (often American Jews) and bit by bit, settlement by settlement they take over.

This is a view inside the Christian Quarters of the Old City

This is also in the Christian Quarters but inside the compound of the Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church where the priests reside and live in very simple conditions as part of the devotion to their relgion.

Back at my appartment in East Jerusalem, I took a photo of the two books I am currently reading. The first is the biography of Lawrence of Arabia by Lawrence James (a brilliant British historian). The book is an account of Lawrence's life from birth to death and through that account retraces British history in this part of the World (Middle East), very relevant to read while I am here and wonderfully written. I highly recommend it.

The second book I am reading is a Palestinian book which has just been published. Raja Shehadeh's "Palestinian Walks". According to the introduction: "The six walks described by Shehadeh in this through-provoking book span a period of twenty-six years, in the hilld around Ramallah, in the Jerusalem wilderness and through the ravines by the Dead Sea. Each walk takes place at a different stage of Palestinian history. The first is the steeply terraced hills marked only by olive and fruit trees and the last among the dominating Jewish settlements and the Wall".

Meeting in Ramallah, West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territory

2007-11-01T19:39:00.001+03:00

As part of my job at UNRWA, I am putting in place a new system of monitoring and evaluation of the emergency job creation programme currently being implemented in the West Bank. I organised a meeting with the field monitors in Ramallah to discuss issues of monitoring and also train them on understanding what role they had in evaluating the impact of the programme on a regular basis.

It was interesting to also realise that all our monitors are male as they have a role of negotiating with refugee camp committees on the number of labourers we can afford to allocate to that specific camp: tough job! All males are ok in the case of pure monitoring however for the component on evaluation, some questions to women benenficiaries (currently 30% of our cash for work labourers) can be quite sensitive to be asked by a man... So I am going to suggest to recruit a woman monitor who would cover the West Bank, targeting only our women beneficiaries.

On the way back to Jerusalem after the meeting, I was able to take a photo from our UN car of the Wall surrounding Ramallah.

The Wall is really impressive and the photo does not do justice in realising its sheer size and dominating presence

Back in Jerusalem, I went to the Old City to buy some groceries. This is a photo of a seller of Zaatar, a powder made of salt and dried thyme. It is really delicious when mixed with olive oil and spread on some soft white Palestinian bread.

Here is another photo of one of alley ways within the Muslim Quarters of the Old City

Byblos, Lebanon

2007-10-25T21:57:00.001+03:00

Byblos is a beautiful historical city North of Beirut on the Lebanese coast

Byblos, is the Greek name for the Phoenician city of Gebal, currently under the Arabic name Jbeil. It is believed to have been founded around 5000 BC and is the first city ever built and is considered the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the World.

This is a photo of the Lebanese flag in Byblos city, representing the Cedar tree which makes up Lebanon's landscape. Unfortunately, deforestation has destroyed 70% of Lebanon's Cedar trees. However one Cedar tree reserve still exists in the center of the Country... Still to be discovered....

First 2 weeks in Jerusalem and West Bank

2007-10-10T23:56:00.002+03:00

These are olive plantations along the road from Damascus to Amman

Typical Jerusalem house, in Sho'afat in the Eastern part of the town.

Near the Old City, where I buy my fruits and vegetables. A man was making Palestinian type pancakes specifically for the Ramadan month.

A Palestinian mini-van taxi. It costs 3,5 Shekels, about 75 US cents.

The road to Beit Hanina (Arab East Jerusalem) as you see on the sign below. All the other three areas are illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem.

View of the UNRWA bus. The bus leaves and arrives every day to take and drop off staff home to the West Bank. This particular photo was taken on a Friday morning, where the bus also takes staff to the Al Aqsa mosque in the Old City to pray.

A Jewish market in West Jerusalem. All the sellers here are Arab Jews from Iraq, Marocco etc. This place is really great with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and the greatest olives in town! On the photo you can see boxes of Jaffa oranges. Jaffa, is a mixed Arab/Israeli town near Tel Aviv and is famous for its delicious oranges.

Here are some fresh fish from the same market.

On the first week of work, I made some field visits to the West Bank to visit our area offices in Ramallah, Nablus in the North and Hebron in the South.

From this photo you can see the wall in the distance which is built to separate the West Bank territory and Israel. It is 8 meters high.

This is a Palestinian village outside Ramallah. The Israeli illegal settlement is very visible surrounding and dominating this little village as the photos shows.

Boy's school.

This is a bus in the same village bringing children back home from school. The painting behind is in the next photo.

The translation of the text is: "Jerusalem is the pride of the Arabs". The drawing behind is the the Al Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem town.

The next field visit was to Nablus in the North of the West Bank, a place famous for olive oil! Here is a photo of a bread maker in Nablus town.

These are the two bottles of olive oil I got from Nablus. Absolutely amazing! Think of the best olive oil you have ever tasted and times that by 10!

Palestinian refugee camp in Nablus, blown up by Israeli Defence Force

A food distribution truck which goes inside the camps to distribute emergency supplies of basic foodstuffs such as oil, pulses or flour

This is a remaining piece of a box which contained refined sunflower oil, donation from the European Community to the Palestinian refugees

View from inside the refugee camp. All basic services such as health and education are provided by UNRWA.

The final visit was to Hebron in the South of the West Bank, unfortunately I did not have my camera with me, however did get some grapes from the garden of the Programme Manager whose family lives in Hebron. Here is the photo:

Thesis finished, binded and sent!

2007-09-26T11:29:00.001+03:00

I have also just finished the thesis, got it binded at a local printer store and then sent it to Geneva by ARAMEX! Here is a picture I took of the title page. I will have to defend it orally at the end of October, however being in Jerusalem, it will be difficult to fly back to Geneva just for an hour presentation. I have suggested that we do the presentation through video conference...I still don't have a response from them. I argued that we should take advantage of modern technology and that by doing so, on one hand we would be contributing to the conservation of the environment (by avoiding to take a Kerosen ridden flight!) and on the other it would demonstrate that the institute is truely a modern and international institution... We will see if that worked to convince them!

Another anti-Syria MP killed in Beirut

2007-09-20T08:23:00.001+03:00

Yesterday at around 5.30 pm, I came out of my flat in the Christian area of Beirut (Eastern part) and started driving towards the West. Not realising that at that exact same time, a bit further East from my house, another anti-Syria, Christian Maronite MP, Antoine Ghanam, just died in a car explosion.

Antoine Ghanam is the 8th MP killed in the past 2 years. Even after 15 years of civil war ending in 1992, another 30 day war in July 2006, violence and instability still continues.

This morning, I drove to work and the streets were completely deserted, as people fear of possible repercussions. A day of mourning has been organised and today most shops, schools and offices will remain closed. The funeral will take place on Friday.

Presidential elections are due in November, so let us see and hope for the best....

Cairo, Egypt

2007-09-07T08:35:00.001+03:00

View of Cairo town center and the Nile River

Another photo of Cairo. 15 million people live here. It is incredibly congested and one wonders how worse that congestion can become in a few years, if no better urban planning is put in place!

Riding behind in a local Cairo taxi. Prices are very cheap with inner town trips costing 1 USD! Pollution is incredibly high. Just flying out in the evening, the entire town was engulfed in a layer of smog.

Giza, just outside Cairo, where the Pyramids are built....

View of the Pyramids

The pyramid up close

The entire pyramid. Difficult to imagine that this was made simply with the strength of men

The Sphynx

Lunch at the Mena House Oberoi in front of the pyramids

July in Beirut

2007-07-31T10:43:00.002+03:00

Here are some photos of Beirut

Old Beirut

Colourful buildings in Beirut. New construction sites by Hariri's Company: Solidere

Driving in Beirut

Main mosque in Beirut, heavily guarded

Damaged building from the Hariri car bombing

Downtown Beirut reconstruction, also from Hariri's Solidere Company. Heavy military presence all over the town

Support for Hezbollah in some streets of Beirut

United Nations Building completely evacuated due to the current security situation. UN offices are now housed in appartments or hotel rooms in order for UN officials to undertake their work.

A typical old Lebanese-French style building in Gemmayze area of Beirut. On the corner, Paul's Restaurant is a great place for breakfast.

A contrast of distruction and beauty with a view of the main mosque and bombed buildings from the civil war.

field mission to Kinshasa and Equateur Province in West DR Congo

2007-06-03T17:18:00.001+03:00

I went on a mission to Western DR Congo to write a project proposal on the reintegration of refugees funded by the UNHCR. These Congolese refugees fled Equateur province during the war and sought refuge in neighbouring Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo. Peace now signed, these refugees have been returning to their places of origin and are in need of assistance, especially socio-economic reintegration.

Just the travelling took 3 days. A commercial airline flight from Bukavu to Kinshasa (because we got kicked off the UN MONUC airplane due to the current movement of peacekeepers and reorganisation of their bases), then Aviation Sans Frontiere humanitarian flight from Kinshasa to Mbandaka (capital city of Equateur Province, without electricity, btw!), then from Mbandaka to Gemena, again on a commercial airline. Once arrived in Gemena, we have to drive 12 hours to Dongo, the area near the border with Republic of Congo where all the refugees have resettled.

The two pilots from Aviation Sans Frontiere (French humanitarian NGO operating flights in emergency areas). Small Antinov type planes, better not have a senstive digestive system, because this thing shakes!

View from the plan of Ndolo airport in Kinshasa, just before leaving.

This is a photo I took of the dense forests that cover Equateur Province, incredible.

Mbandaka, Capital of Equateur Province. The relics of the Belgian years are still quite visible. At the time, major agricultural zones were exploited, especially, coffee, palm trees (for palm oil), cacao and fruits like pineapple etc. Now, there is nothing, just forests growing over everything abandoned from years of war and lack of investment.

This is what I mean! Palm trees that are 30 years old and not maintained nor harvested and in the middle, coffee growing wild. And this is for kms and kms!

Life in Mbandaka

View of on of the rivers which flows into Bangui river from the house I stayed at in Mbandaka. MAG (Mine Action Group, a demining NGO), gave me a room for a night. One of the guys working for MAG there was an old South African, ex-army officer, incredibly racist and still living in the Apartheid years. We had heated discussions in the evening because I said that I agreed to a certain extent to positive discrimination when it comes to black empowerment. He was only there for the money of course and hated Congo so much he was wondering what I was doing there. I was happy to leave the next morning!

Restaurant in Gemena

Pharmacie in Gemena "Pharmacie de la Colombe", must have been there since the Belgians.

Drive from Gemena to Dongo, got stuck several times in mud and potholes. It took us 12 hours for a trip which should take around 7 or 8.

Still stuck

Populations of villages along the road to Dongo. The great thing with digital cameras these days, is that when you take a photo, you can show them the photo on the screen and their reaction is usually very nice to see. The kids often even screem with excitement at the vision of their own image.

Another village

This kid had the most amazing eyes

Arrived in Dongo. The entire area is inhabitated by returning refugees. All assisted by the UNHCR. The project proposal I wrote is for a project of reintegration in this zone, as well as another zone further north, Buburua, also a reciever of large numbers of returnees.

The more entrepreneurial returnees try to restart some business. This is a hairdresser which works quite well. Did not try it though, next time I will.

This guy has started a bicycle repair business

These are children born in the refugee camps on the other side of the border, its the first time they actually see their country of origin.

Uvira, South Kivu

2007-05-30T10:24:00.001+03:00

The UNHCR base in Uvira, South Kivu.

The threat assessment level determined by the UN system for the security situation South Kivu, level 3 is quite high.

Standard setting meeting for Water and Sanitation, Uvira, South Kivu

Session on standards for public latrines as well as school latrines. Very interesting discussion ranging from women's security to hygiene practices

The meeting was held in an old building built by the Belgians, the view on Lake Tanganyka was beautiful.

Group sessions

Work in DRC

2007-05-04T22:16:00.001+03:00

Terrible roads, always something in the way!

UN Peacekeepers in Bukavu

Johnny, my assistant and his new baby boy

2007-05-04T22:02:00.001+03:00

Ivan, 4 days old

Grand-mother, baby, wife and Johnny

Mother and baby