1.2 million people have been forced from their homes and have become refugees. Each one is an individual human being, and they all had lives before this calamity. In many cases, their homes and all they possess have been destroyed. We met up with some of them, so they can tell you their stories.
This is the first of a series of short documentaries we intend to make about Israel’s attack on Lebanon
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The Biden/Macron duet has just officially announced a 60 days ceasefire in Lebanon. As a welcome gift for Trump/Musk from Bibi?
Diplomacy is complicated!
In any case, this should make reporting from Beirut far less difficult. We do need all the reporting we can get from there and also from Gaza.
“Bibi”..
Calling Netanyahu “Bibi” is like calling Hitler “Hittypants”.
Where word choice is concerned, I’ve been wondering whether one could stop using the word “Israel” altogether and always call it “the terrorist state” or “the occupation regime in Palestine”.
I would think that a little hint of sarcasm can be welcomed in an ocean of powerless indignation.
Mel Brooks thought so when in The Producers he named the show “Springtime for Hitler”. And Mel Brooks knew history probably as well as any of us.
“The Zionist entity” sounds about right.
Like “minor landscape painter” for Adolf ?
I prefer the Temporary entity when referring to the political actions of US Backed Zionist State Terrorist group.
I think it’s important to highlight the US Backing of the US Backed Zionist State Terrorist group.
Is Hesbollah actually a signatory to this agreement? Why no DMZ on the Israeli side of the border.
To the first question: yes. This is leaving aside that the agreement may well not take a documentary form, and I’m not sure what the ratification process is on the Hezbollah side. But basically yes.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/26/israel-reportedly-set-to-approve-ceasefire-with-lebanons-hezbollah
(Better to read Al Jazeera on something like this, because the mainstream media in the USA and in the USA’s bumsniffer countries will always report this kind of “news” as being about whether or not the Israelis are going to grant the fuzzywuzzy barbarians a deal.)
Brace for an Israeli assault on the West Bank.
I doubt Hezbollah has agreed to anything. I think Netanyahu is talking BS for domestic consumption, because he knows full well that the IDF has failed to make any real progress in invading Lebanon, as the reports from the Electronic Intifada indicate.
So I can understand why Israel wants to wind up its vain operation in the North and re-concentrate its efforts on destroying Hamas in Gaza – which they don’t seem to have been successful at so far either, judging by EI reports.
Thus all that Israel has actually succeeded at (with America’s help) is war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The tide may be just beginning to turn in the USA, with Bernie Sanders securing a dozen or so votes for arms sanctions against Israel. That may seem nothing in the face of the hot air from American right-wingers, emboldened even more than usual by the impending accession of Trump, but oak trees from acorns grow.
MJ
I detect that Israel is not faring well on the ground in Lebanon and that they appear to be running out of missiles to bomb Lebanon flat as they have Gaza.
60 days and the Yanks backing it makes me extremely suspicious. Is that to make sure that Israel is well supplied for future ventures and is 60 days enough to restock to have a crack at Iran?
I honestly don’t know – but Hezbollah have said that if the attacks on Gaza won’t stop – they won’t stop.
The US may be trying to drive a wedge between The not very useful Lebanese Army and the very useful Hezbollah. Maybe (being mischievous here) to get them to fight each other.
If the Yanks broker a deal, it is not a deal worth anything.
The whole thing smells.
Mark, agree that the ’60 days’ does sound fishy – perhaps a sop to the Biden administration?
It is reported to have been brokered by the USA and France, FWIW.
The idea of doing a deal with the occupation regime that is brokered solely by the USA is somewhat ludicrous.
Well Mark, if they. All this a ceasefire, both warring parties must have agreed a set of rules both adhere to. Hence, if Hezbollah is not allowed to break the ceasefire by rearming, then this must also apply to the occupying Zionist regime in Palestine.
Now is the time to monitor and record western military aircraft in and out of Cyprus, as well as from Mildenhall and Northolt.
For the sake of the Lebanese people who are streaming back to southern Lebanon, let’s cross our fingers and toes to a successful ceasefire.
Gaza and the West Bank will now face the full indignation of frustrated IDF killers.
I wish Al Jazeera would quote Hezbollah more in matters that directly concern Hezbollah rather than quoting Netanyahu and Reuters.
But anyway Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah MP in the Lebanese parliament, is quoted by Reuters as having implied that Hezbollah has agreed, or at least was about to agree:
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-remain-active-after-ceasefire-lawmaker-says-2024-11-26/
“Fadlallah said that Hezbollah’s health, social and developmental institutions were prepared “for the day after” and would coordinate with the Lebanese state to shelter the displaced, remove rubble from damaged areas, bury victims and help with reconstruction.”
“That was all contingent on a ceasefire, which was expected to be announced later on Tuesday evening.
Lebanon was facing “dangerous, sensitive hours” until that announcement comes, Fadlallah said.”
“We are in dangerous and sensitive hours because we have become accustomed to the Israeli entity – when there is a phase of an end to hostilities, it intensifies its attacks on Lebanese areas. That is what we are seeing in these hours,” he said.”
That was a bad deal through and through.
1 Basically the narrative is that Hezbollah is the problem. So while Hezbollah is “moving” out, french troops moving in + american military aid is now to be given to Lebanon.
2 UNSC 1701 resolution is to be respected, which imply the disarment of Hezbollah.
3 Israel reserve the right to breach the deal whenever they feel/claim Hezbollah breach the deal. Hezbollah, Lebanon have no such right according to the deal.
4 On top of it, Netanyahu threatened that he now will accelerate the war against Gaza and Iran. He also said he managed to get more arms from the US by signing the deal.
Absurd that the arab leaders were not involved in this deal but that says alot about their treachery, letting Israel and former colonial powers set the rules and even – in effect – now occupy southern Lebanon.
Could not even the inept lebanese PM demand that Israel pay for the colossal damage Israel caused? Could not the PM demand that there is a international investigation being set up mapping Israel war crimes?! Perhaps as many as 4000 lebanese people have been killed but this PM do nothing about it. What is wrong with these people, letting israel walk over them over and over again?!
1. I’d be interested to read an official statement by Hezbollah, although such statements seem hard to come by, at least for non-Arabic speakers. I wouldn’t expect Hezbollah to be treated like anything other than subhuman sh*t by the BBC etc., but Al Jazeera isn’t giving them much time either.
Another reason their statements are hard to find may be that Hezbollah are avoiding having much to do with the internet and with media based around the internet (which is practically all of it nowadays), in which case kudos to them!
Perhaps putting up videos on the internet will become “legacy”.
2. OK now for a massive speculative generalisation… It could be that
* in southern Lebanon the power of Israel within the proposed structure (on the ground) will actually be less than it was in the 1980s, when there was the South Lebanese Army, a Christian force that was pro-Israeli through and through,
* but in Beirut and what passes for the national government, the level of submission when the Israelis are around is greater than it was at that time.
The undignified Israel-slurping character of the Lebanese government has been shown by its lack of effective response to the terrorist attack using the pagers. They may even have had a hand in it, for all we know, or at least looked the other way – perhaps studiously checking their bank statements to make sure the drug profits were keeping up. Which leads to…
3. Lebanon is about drugs – hashish, heroin, captagon. Surprised nobody here has mentioned that. It’s a narco-state like the Netherlands, Syria, Colombia, etc. Some of the drugs even come out through Israel.
3. Wherever uncle Sam goes you’re sure to find drugs. They won’t be for home consumption, they’ll be part of the route from the ME/Far East into Europe and beyond. The USA has form with using the drug trade to finance illegal Ops. A side hustle from the MIC.
@Stevie – Yes – Europe is a much bigger market than the USA is for Lebanese heroin. All the mentioned drugs are mostly exported.
There’s probably a big drug angle to this war in Lebanon, and not just because of the USA involvement.
Unfortunately I doubt there’s an Alfred McCoy in the wings writing a great book on it all.
Further speculation:
1. A major plank of the “Abraham Accords” could have been drugs – with the dictatorship in Dubai controlling the airport through which large quantities of drugs are moved (Dubai International) and Israeli-linked figures controlling distribution points more locally (e.g. nightclubs in many countries, plus Schiphol airport).
2. The Sackler family may have fallen out with the Israeli leadership…although to what extent, who knows? They seem to have fallen out with Tel Aviv University anyway, where they are being (or have already been) denamed. So their conversion into “philanthropists” (as with the Bronfman family) isn’t complete yet. Perhaps it will never happen. But as far as I’m aware, none of the Sacklers have been shown the door the way Meyer Lansky was when he tried to “settle” in occupied Palestine. I’m not sure where the Sacklers’ biggest tentacles are, apart from in the USA.
As a general rule, drugs (legal and illegal), pharma, and medical stuff, taken together, are a much bigger sector than weapons everywhere, although if you can’t defend what you’ve got someone will come and take it, so agreed that weapons aren’t like other commodities. And as the world economy heads further down the toilet, the importance of “security” and having a “roof” (крыша) as they call it in Russia, grows and grows.
All capitalism is mafia. Meanwhile what is supposed to be the “left” concentrates on trans.
Vitually no heroin is currently being produced in Lebanon, Brian (or should I say Will*) – Lebanese production in the 80’s & 90’s was completely undercut by the Afghans – and very little is trafficked through there to Western Europe; the most common routes are still via Iran & Turkey. Quite a bit of Lebanese weed is still grown though, and plenty of Syrian Captagon (which these days is mostly just racemic amphet & caffeine) also goes through Lebanon, mostly under the auspices of Hezbollah.
The vast majority of the international illicit drug trade goes through seaports not airports. All capitalism is not mafia because companies generally obey laws and pay taxes. Plenty of people on the left don’t have strong views either way on the trans debate, or are even ‘gender critical’.
* I’d imagine that fewer than 1 in a 10,000 people in Britain would be familiar with the works of Alfred McCoy.
I don’t think they will sign…The Lebanese Government have signed the ceasefire…..
Stunning Craig, I will watch the documentary tommorow, but I could already see what a high-quality professional production this is. Documentaries, from the ground, are worth so much.
Put a modest coin in the tin and informed by MP about your moving report (and will keep him and other people I know up to date with others as they come),
You might not get a BAFTA, but I hope your reports help to end Israeli war crimes (and encourage Western arms sanctions to prevent them).
I also hope your work helps to bring about the end of Israeli apartheid in favour of full democracy (helped by BDS).
Thank you Craig, truly important work.
Hezbollah started operations against Israel in response to the genocide in Gaza. As the genocide continues, how can Hezbollah sign this ceasefire? This ceasefire should also be extended to Gaza otherwise actions of Hezbollah were pointless. In Arabic the word Haram is used for something that is forbidden, such as killing innocent civilians, therefore it is thought that the use of nuclear weapons is un-Islamic. The Israelis have the exact opposite view, thus mass murder in Gaza 200,000 dead (the Lancet) and approx 4.000 dead in Lebanon indicate to me that Netanyahu cheered on by the west] may have proven to be correct (in the short term), also very few Israeli civilians have been killed.
In my opinion many of the Lebanese population (especially the politicians) have been cowed into going along with the cease fire, being warned that if they did not, Lebanon would receive the Gaza treatment.
It is not for me to say the Lebanese are wrong since they are the people who are dying and it is still early days.
In my opinion Netanyahu can claim victory (in the short term) and, there is no way to sugar coat this, the arc of resistance Hezbollah and all other members including Syria, Iraq Yemen and Iran have suffered an at least tactical defeat. What the US/Israel have said and what they have literally done in the middle east is, do as we say or we will break your legs.
“Hezbollah started operations against Israel in response to the genocide in Gaza. As the genocide continues, how can Hezbollah sign this ceasefire?”
They have signed it, though. Maybe helping the Palestinians in Gaza wasn’t the main Hezbollah aim.
Meanwhile the Iranian rulers aren’t immune to a bit of drug involvement. Funny how the western media seems not to be blaming Iran for much at the moment. Are we in a lull or what?
Lending money at interest and consuming intoxicants, both of which are supposed to be haram, are widespread in the Muslim region – Turkey, North Africa, Lebanon, Iran, and elsewhere. ISTR Anglican archbishop Justin Welby too claiming that “usury” only means lending money at excessive rates of interest.
Agreed though about “sign it or we break your legs”.
Craig you are a marvelous man. I am sorry I am 79 years old, I have to pay for tuition for two of my nieces (9 and 10 years old here in Thai) and this has priority. I am not a rich man, so I can not help you, I read from you for several years now.
One point only, you should care for your health, you look too fat :_)
“Always look on the bright side of life”, as a famous British philosopher once said.
In this case, however precarious, the current ceasefire in Lebanon only announced yesterday is already having a major impact on the displaced population (‘refugees’ are not the same thing, as any student of 101 world history would know).
Today, most roads in Lebanon are packed with travelers returning to their former dwellings. Broadcast TV show traffic jams seldom seen there before, unless these images were somehow doctored through some AI black magic. Always beware of the MSM!
Nobody knows how well this ceasefire can go, until the great Trump/Musk team actually takes control of the US of A. But right now, it’s a fine opportunity to shoot another documentary, as a sequel to “Displaced”. Could just be called “Homecoming”. Watching the same family leave that school and return to where they belong could be very moving. Food for thought.
Some have more resources for “travelling”, as you call it, than others. I doubt many of those who left luxury homes in Beirut for the duration send their offspring to state schools.
A graph showing the different types of school in Lebanon and how many of each type got bombed by the terrorist state would be interesting.
As for Musk, does “Elon Dark Maga Musk” make a magic square? Then there’s Doge Coin. What is it with that psilocybin-headed guy and tetragraphs?
I think this quote from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Media Centre as reported on Resistance News Network Telegram channel provides the nub reason for the ceasefire.
“The Front praised the ability of the Lebanese resistance to confront the ground invasion and prevent the occupation from making any advances or field gains, inflicting heavy losses on it. It considered that this steadfastness proved to the world that the will of the resistance is stronger than the zionist war machine, and that the Lebanese people, with their resistance and unity, provide an inspiring example in struggle and steadfastness”.
Israel war machine could bomb at will from the air killing mainly civilians but could not grind Hezbollah down on the ground, where it mattered most militarily.
Thanks for this.
https://t.me/s/PalestineResist
If the PFLP speak thus of Hezbollah, I should probably reduce my cynicism.
Surprised they use Telegram so much, though, given that Telegram is run from Dubai.
Full text of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon
The 13-point document calls for Israel to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, enabling civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/full-text-ceasefire-agreement-lebanon-and-israel
This is worse than I thought. Meanwhile …Twelve Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in an Israeli attack on a school in central Gaza City, Wafa news agency is reporting, citing medical sources.
“Provisions for immunity from prosecution at the International Criminal Court apply to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the French foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the ministry reaffirmed its commitment to international justice after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, but also said that the Israeli leader was covered by immunity rules that apply to states which are not a party to the ICC. Israeli is not an ICC member.
This also sounds rubbish to me”.
From the agreement…..
The Mechanism will work with the MTC4L to strengthen the capacity and training of the LAF to inspect and dismantle unauthorised sites and infrastructure, above and below ground, confiscate unauthorised weapons, and prevent the presence of unauthorised armed groups.
The reformulated and enhanced Mechanism, hosted by Unifil, ‘chaired by the US’, and including France, will monitor, verify, and assist in ensuring enforcement of these commitments. Israel and Lebanon will co-operate with and facilitate the work of the Mechanism and will ensure their safety.
Sounds like a capitulation to me
The French Foreign Minister is wrong when he states that Netanyahu has immunity for ICC crimes. It just goes to show the extent to which the west will try and protect the criminally insane Israeli leader.
France’s argument was previously used by states that refused to arrest Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. But the court has consistently rejected those arguments as unfounded. Heads of state are not immune before the ICC, even if they belong to a state that has not signed the court’s founding Rome Statute, according to previous judgements as well as the opinion of leading immunity scholars who spoke with Middle East Eye.
All 124 state parties to the Rome Statute, including all EU members, are now under a legal obligation to arrest the pair and surrender them to the court.
@Harry – Yes, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot is absolutely full of sh*te on this.
“A state cannot be held to act in a way that is incompatible with its obligations in terms of international law with regards to immunities granted to states which are not party to the ICC” says the French statement.
As well as being written in poncy language, that is absolute c*ck in its context. The warrants are for the personal arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. They’re not states or official roles or even demons. They are a couple of human beings who happen to have committed crimes against humanity. Don’t get me wrong – the terrorist regime called “Israel” should be derecognised as a “state”. (Its officials know it shouldn’t have a right to exist – that’s why they keep insisting that everybody else has gotta say it’s got one). But in this particular case, the warrants are against individuals. Nobody in the world is immune from prosecution at the ICC. That’s a really easy concept to understand. It doesn’t matter what any state they govern may or may not have signed. Anyone can be prosecuted for committing war crimes on a member state’s territory – such as Palestine’s.
*checks whether Barrot went to law school*
Nope, he didn’t. He went to business school (always the sign of a dimbo), and then on to Sciences Po for the contacts.
Before he starts applying a concept (here, “immunity at the ICC”), he should first verify that it refers to something that exists. In this case, it doesn’t. Nobody has immunity at the ICC. The question “Does Netanyahu have it?” is an idiotic question. Based on a false premise. Maybe if Barrot had studied somewhere else instead of going to business school, he’d have learnt what a “premise” was.
Out of interest, does France say the same about the ICC arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin?
Gotta wonder whether Barrot is a complete d*ckhead, or whether he’s an unfortunate guy who’s just following Zionist orders and knows full well he looks like a d*ckhead.
Agreed.
I tend to assume there was in this matter a quid pro quo. Netanyahu was promised France would not arrest him, and in return Israel agreed to have France join the US in the monitoring committee for the peace process.
As I said yesterday, diplomacy is complicated (and not very healthy).
Otherwise, are you rooting for Liverpool tonight ?
The agreement is a joke. It’s between Israel and Lebanon, not Hezbollah. It says that Lebanon will monitor, enforce, dismantle etc. Since when has the Lebanese government ever succeeded in compelling Hezbollah to accept its authority?
It’s BS for domestic consumption and a sop to Biden while he is in office. Then it will be back to business as usual, with the IDF, having made zero progress in invading Lebanon, moving back to Gaza in the hope that with Trump in office they will succeed this time in ethnically cleansing the North to build an upmarket Project 2035 there. Judging by the EI reports, however, even with Trump in power this may be easier said than done. They didn’t succeed in eliminating Hamas before, despite Biden’s staunch support. And what are the odds on Trump selling Israel down the river, if, as a result of a continued and undiminished need for American munitions, he decides that supporting the Zionist project is getting too expensive?
With that absurd argument from France – ‘x is not a member of ICC so x are protected’ – why then the hunt for Putin? Or any other Global South leader that have been targeted by the west/ICC?? The west believe they could save face and sit in two chairs here, it is impossible.
500 million arabs could watch this charade wher the murderer of arabs/muslims walk free, they could watch the capitulation “ceasefire”-accord in Lebanon and accept being slaves, or they could take matter into their own hands. Enough of this!
Thank you Craig for reporting from one of the crime scenes. Please take every precaution for your safety.
Another reminder in the British House of Commons today that the culprits are not solely in Tel Aviv.
SNP’s Brendan O’Hara: “… will the PM continue to choose to license F-35 components to a regime which is now led by a man wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity?”
Keir Starmer: Yes
https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1861751154503213239
Meanwhile:
“Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom says the apartheid state’s army chief Herzi Halevi has just visited Britain.”
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2024/11/26/herzi-halevi-israel-uk-visit/
In a roundabout way this Pause for allegedly 60 days is an indirect admission of defeat for Israel on the ground in Lebanon, but tempered (privately?) with re-assurances for Israel that the US is in for a possible attack on Iran.
This is Biden’s fait accompli to Trump, and if Trump is standing for it then he is a fool.
The other side effect of this deal is that Netanyahu can stay out of the Courts and Prison and is now relatively free to concentrate on killing more Gazans and move on to a place that has not been discussed much – The West bank.
A West bank that could be the trade off to the Occupiers who had to move from the North, who may be offered accommodation in The West Bank once the pesky Arabs are removed from there as with Gaza.
An American-brokered deal with no American soldiers policing the deal or its implementation.
Last time I saw The French ‘preventing’ a Genocide was in Rwanda which on TV nightly where all they were doing was standing on the border of Uganda – Tut – tutting.
A couple of good faith actors in this mix?
The French had no responsibility for preventing genocide in Rwanda, no more than Britain, who did not do much either. France was not the colonial power, which was rather Belgium.
Laguerre
Fair point – but no UN agencies (the ones who are supposed to keep the peace) went near the fighting. Just in case they got hurt.
All I am saying – and we see it currently that when you are dealing with Israel, in particular, it would not be over cynical to not trust the ‘brokers’ who are arguing that because Israel is not a signatory to the ICC and France or anyone else is – then it’s all unknown and arguable.
It isn’t because France is a signatory – as far as I can see, it is their obligation, not Israel’s – and they should arrest him and any other signatories too.
I do not trust the brokers and neither should anyone else in my opinion.
Neither do I think it will last, due to Israel’s and the US’s past records re ‘Assurances’. The Gazans have heard these assurances numerous times.
Craig, glad to see you are covering the stories the MSM are too afraid to air, the occupation of Palestine and Lebanon by the theocratic terrorists from Europe still enjoys the endorsement of major western powers keen to ignore the massive casualties and brutal treatment of the native population. It’s like American history all over again, except for their natives it was mainly the French, Spanish, British, Portuguese and other Europeans nations on the attack. I hope you keep safe and continue to publish reports. I look forward to hearing, reading and seeing them.