The relocation of refugees from the war between the Jewish State and Hezbollah and political-community tensions threaten the stability of the country. The Maronite Patriarch calls for the “liberation” of occupied public schools, but his words have sparked a new controversy. The Druze community calls for “hospitality.” Walid Jumblatt: “The war seems destined to drag on.”
Beirut () – The Israeli offensive launched on September 23 has plunged Lebanon into deep chaos. And if, for the moment, the priority is reserved for the relocation of the hundreds of thousands of displaced people, at the same time there is another series of problems that must be addressed with the same urgency: the drama of food security, health care and the course school of students from all schools and grades, public and private. In this sense, the expropriations and invasions of private property, the illegal constructions in some towns and the forced occupations of Beirut’s educational institutes severely test the resistance of the social bond between displaced Shiites and the Christian community that welcomes them. . At the same time, they pose a serious threat to internal stability in the medium term.
In relation to this very delicate issue, the vice president of the Shiite Higher Council, Sheikh Ali el-Jhatib, reacted vehemently in recent days to a verb used by the Maronite primate in his Sunday homily. The public schools used to house the thousands of people displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah must be “liberated” and returned to their educational vocation, affirmed the patriarch and card. Beshara Raï in his speech at the center of the attacks.
In circles close to the cardinal, attempts are made to downplay the meaning of the word used. This, they explain from Bkerké, must be placed in a context, and according to a purely civil meaning, while ensuring that it has been interpreted “incorrectly”, as if they wanted to forcibly expel displaced families from private Catholic schools.
An episcopal source from the Maronite Patriarchate explains to : “It is clear that alternative accommodation must be found for the families before reopening these schools to students. But it is equally evident that it is everyone’s responsibility to search and find these places. In fact, some schools in Beirut, such as the Saint-Vincent de Paul school of the Daughters of Charity, on Clémenceau Street, and the school of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition, both belonging to the Latin community, have been occupied without any qualms by displaced Shiites. An assault also related to the panic caused by the evacuation order issued by the Israeli army (IDF) to the inhabitants of the southern suburbs of Beirut. Two other schools, one belonging to the capital’s Greek Orthodox community and the other to a secular mission, are in the same situation, according to sources related to the institution.
“The office of the director of the Saint-Vincent de Paul school was violated,” declared the source. “Some nuns – continued the Maronite episcopal source – have been expelled from their rooms.” However, an independent voice assures that this has not stopped the nuns and staff of the establishment from being extremely helpful. However, it must be added that the 800 displaced people who occupy the center prevent many other families from sending their children to school and attending classes.
“If neglected, the issue of evacuees will become a source of social and economic problems for citizens,” Patriarch Raï warned. “Private property and coexistence must be protected,” he added. These few incidents, such as the blockade of illegal buildings in Lassa, a Shiite town in the Jbeil region, or the resistance to the order to evacuate a disused hotel on Hamra Street in Beirut, are symptomatic of the chaos in which the Israeli offensive has engulfed Lebanon.
In Dékouané, a northern suburb of Beirut, a Christian political stronghold, the presence of a truck loaded with sandbags near the state hotel school, converted into a reception center, raised the fears of a Lebanese Forces deputy, Razi Hage. The Christian politician declared that he “fears the reconstitution of a Hezbollah ‘security perimeter’.” According to the information provided, the bags, transported by the international NGO Action contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger), were to be used to install water tanks on high ground.
Druze mediation
So far, the friction has been contained. However, since the police cannot be everywhere, the Druze community has considered it appropriate to take the initiative and establish some rules for the reception of displaced people, which the municipalities are obliged to enforce. To this end, a general assembly of the Druze was held on 2 November in Baadaran (Chouf), where their “sages” live, in the presence of all the rival political leaders of the community, in particular Walid Joumblatt and Talal Arslan.
«We do not accept any security violation, whatever its origin. We collaborate with the army and security forces to ensure stability,” said Sheikh Akl of the community. The Druze leader also stressed the importance of the “principle of hospitality”, warning against the risk of massive land purchases by intermediaries, which would alter the demographic balance in the Druze mountains. For his part, the former leader of the Socialist Progressive Party (SPP), Walid Jumblatt, declared: “The war seems destined to continue.” For this reason, he concluded, “we must be prepared to offer the maximum number of services to both displaced people and residents.”
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