Beirut:
00.0
00.05
Nightlife in central Beirut. Two months on and there is no trace of the war between Lebanon and Israel. The lively character of the mediterranean city seems undampened.
00:20
Gemayzeh is a mainly Christian neighborhood. In the evening, students of all religions meet here.
00:31
Hussein Hallal, a sound technician, is a regular here. An Israeli bomb destroyed his flat and all his possesions. He is neither Shia nor a Hezbollah supporter.
00:44
OT
Hussein Hallal
sound technician
Many villages were utterly destroyed in the South, and here in Beirut 10,000 families are homeless. They lost their homes and everything they had. How can Hezbollah claim that we won the war?
01:06 Although both sides accepted a cease-fire under pressure from the UN last August, Hezbollah declared itself victorious. Despite its attacks targetting the militia, Israel failed to disarm them, and the main victims were civilians. Over a thousand people died and more than 4000 were injured, most of them in the south of the country.
01:25
The war lasted 34 days. Yet soon, Beirut emerged from the chaos. People here are hardened to violence and recover fast.
01:37
Moslems and Christians have learnt to live side by side, but only since they fought each other in the seventies. The historical centre was restored after it had been entirely wrecked in the civil war. This time, it has suffered no damage.
01:55
Scars left by the last bombardments can be seen in the southern suburbs which are home to the poorer Shia population. The Hezbollah militia had their headquarters here, right in the middle of the civilian neighborhood of Daye. This is why the suburb was a target for Israeli bombs.
02:07
We take a tour of the area guided by Zeinab Assafar. She is a presenter for Hezbollahs TV channel Al-Manar. Both TV studios and her house were razed to the ground.
02:33
180 buildings were destroyed in this area alone. Former inhabitants are still desperately searching for remnants of their homes, and reconstruction is already well underway. Hezbollah is mobilising its followers for the reconstruction effort. New houses are being built with Iranian money, and each homeless family is given 10.000 Euro in financial support. Our guide wasnt home when the bomb hit Hezbollah had warned all the occupants in the house that they must leave.
02:54
OT
Zeinab Assafar
Al-Manar-Tv Presenter
Hezbollah didnt have offices in our house. I dont know why the Isrealis had to strike our building. I couldnt save any of my belongings. I miss my books most. I work as a linguist and am also a language teacher, thats why books are so precious to me.
03:16
OFFEN
03:17
OT
Zeinab Assafar
Al-Manar-Tv Presenter
Look, here is one of my students!
03:22
But he refuses to be shown on camera. Members of Hezbollahs militia prefer to go unnoticed as they know theyre considered terrorists in the USA and Israel. Those in charge of the social branch of the so-called Party of God are more outgoing. They help people where the state fails to do so. Now Hezbollahs headquarters are destroyed, reconstruction is managed from a tent.
13:50
OT
Bilal Naim
Coordinator of reconstruction, Hezbollah
We, Hezbollah, support these people who have lost their homes and because of political reasons the Lebanese government refuses to help. They are taking their time because they hope people will turn against us and blame us for the destruction. They want to keep the destruction visible for as long as possible.
04:16
Hezbollah remains popular, even though the war was triggered by the actions of its militia.
They have organised convoys of lorries to clear up the rubble. 150 bridges were targeted and damaged in the war, and this lack of infrastructure now makes life difficult for all Lebanese.
04:39
This art exhibition is trying to deal with Lebanons recent past. One respected artist, whose house in the south was bombed, reveals the deep impact such destruction has had. The paintings arent simply black and white.
4:57
OT
Abdallah Kahil
Artist
A university professor put it brilliantly: Hezbollah is not a state within a state, as so many are saying. Hezbollah is a state within no state.
5:16
Is Lebanon a state or a federation of religious cults at war with each other? Does this country have to be a battlefield for foreigners conflicts? Is there a common identity? Through the use of Western Avantgarde, young artists try to tackle these questions. They long for a life in peace, whether in Lebanon or elsewhere.
05:37
Academic qualifications open the door to emigration, and many young graduates are leaving the country.
05:49
OT
Ghina Mahmoud
Economics student This war has widened once again rifts between religions, and the economy has been declining noticeably. We all want to leave.
05:57
OT
Sarah Makarem
Marketing student
If I cant find a job within the next two months, Im leaving the country.
06:03
OT
Ghina Mahmoud
Wirtschaftsstudentin
We need a national army to keep all armed factions within the country under control. If we want to solve the situation, Hezbollah needs to give its weapons up to the army.
06:18
OT
Fawwaz Traboulsi
Univ.Professor of Political Science
All Lebanese are angry about Israels attacks on civilians and on the countrys infrastructure. They all agree on that. On a human level, they keep together. But the wars had a disastrous impact on the domestic political climate. There are major tensions regarding the question of national defence and the weapons still kept by the Hezbollah. Disputes are also getting more intense about the balance of power among political factions.
06:51
Hezbollah waged a war in the name of Lebanon without asking the Lebanese first. Many were against it. The country is split and no one can speak in the name of all.
07:06
OT
Hussein Hallal
Sound technician
Hezbollah wants Lebanon to turn into an Islamic state just like Iran. But in Lebanon no one can survive without the others, neither the Christians nor the Moslems. I dont think Hezbollah will ever be able to fulfill its wish for an Islamic state here.
07:37
OT
Saad Kazan
Restaurant owner
Half the Lebanese are for the Hezbollah and the other half are against them. I belong to those who are for them.
07:44
Tourism lost millions through the war. This Christian-Orthodox restaurant owner would like to see the economy thrive in a strong nation. He is convinced that only Hezbollahs militia are ready to defend Lebanons sovereignty.
,
08:02
OT
Saad Kazan
Restaurant owner
I am for Hezbollah because theyre patriots like me, but Im against mixing religion with politics. I want a secular state, just like in Europe, though I know I wont see it happen here anymore. Europeans are at peace now, but that is only after they have come to terms with the 50 million that died in the 20 the Century.
08:23
Ot
Abed Khalife
Fisherman
We dont want war!
08:30
(offen)
08:33
We need peace! But when the Israelis come to kill us, Hezbollah has to do something to save our people!
08:45 20 km south of Beirut, fishermen are cleaning up the pollution. Thousands of tons of heated oil flowed into the sea as an Israeli bomb hit a power station. The cleanup had to wait because of the war. Now financial aid and expertise have come from the West, especially from France. This oil spill is reported to be the third worst ecological disaster to hit the Mediterranean. Yet experts are confident that nature will recover.
09:24
OT
Bernard Fichaut
Expert for marine pollution
This oil slick isnt very widespread. If the cleanup is conducted thoroughly, there should be no lasting damage. Were talking about heavy oil, which doesnt dissolve easily in water. Thats why it doesnt spread. It will only be dangerous for animals that come into direct contact with it. Just a couple of meters further away, and theyre not in danger. They dont get poisoned.
09:56
Nature should have recovered within a year, experts believe. However, the damage will take longer to erase at the archaeological site of Biblos. Scars left by the war have been engraved forever in the turbulent history of Lebanon.
00.0
00.05
Nightlife in central Beirut. Two months on and there is no trace of the war between Lebanon and Israel. The lively character of the mediterranean city seems undampened.
00:20
Gemayzeh is a mainly Christian neighborhood. In the evening, students of all religions meet here.
00:31
Hussein Hallal, a sound technician, is a regular here. An Israeli bomb destroyed his flat and all his possesions. He is neither Shia nor a Hezbollah supporter.
00:44
OT
Hussein Hallal
sound technician
Many villages were utterly destroyed in the South, and here in Beirut 10,000 families are homeless. They lost their homes and everything they had. How can Hezbollah claim that we won the war?
01:06 Although both sides accepted a cease-fire under pressure from the UN last August, Hezbollah declared itself victorious. Despite its attacks targetting the militia, Israel failed to disarm them, and the main victims were civilians. Over a thousand people died and more than 4000 were injured, most of them in the south of the country.
01:25
The war lasted 34 days. Yet soon, Beirut emerged from the chaos. People here are hardened to violence and recover fast.
01:37
Moslems and Christians have learnt to live side by side, but only since they fought each other in the seventies. The historical centre was restored after it had been entirely wrecked in the civil war. This time, it has suffered no damage.
01:55
Scars left by the last bombardments can be seen in the southern suburbs which are home to the poorer Shia population. The Hezbollah militia had their headquarters here, right in the middle of the civilian neighborhood of Daye. This is why the suburb was a target for Israeli bombs.
02:07
We take a tour of the area guided by Zeinab Assafar. She is a presenter for Hezbollahs TV channel Al-Manar. Both TV studios and her house were razed to the ground.
02:33
180 buildings were destroyed in this area alone. Former inhabitants are still desperately searching for remnants of their homes, and reconstruction is already well underway. Hezbollah is mobilising its followers for the reconstruction effort. New houses are being built with Iranian money, and each homeless family is given 10.000 Euro in financial support. Our guide wasnt home when the bomb hit Hezbollah had warned all the occupants in the house that they must leave.
02:54
OT
Zeinab Assafar
Al-Manar-Tv Presenter
Hezbollah didnt have offices in our house. I dont know why the Isrealis had to strike our building. I couldnt save any of my belongings. I miss my books most. I work as a linguist and am also a language teacher, thats why books are so precious to me.
03:16
OFFEN
03:17
OT
Zeinab Assafar
Al-Manar-Tv Presenter
Look, here is one of my students!
03:22
But he refuses to be shown on camera. Members of Hezbollahs militia prefer to go unnoticed as they know theyre considered terrorists in the USA and Israel. Those in charge of the social branch of the so-called Party of God are more outgoing. They help people where the state fails to do so. Now Hezbollahs headquarters are destroyed, reconstruction is managed from a tent.
13:50
OT
Bilal Naim
Coordinator of reconstruction, Hezbollah
We, Hezbollah, support these people who have lost their homes and because of political reasons the Lebanese government refuses to help. They are taking their time because they hope people will turn against us and blame us for the destruction. They want to keep the destruction visible for as long as possible.
04:16
Hezbollah remains popular, even though the war was triggered by the actions of its militia.
They have organised convoys of lorries to clear up the rubble. 150 bridges were targeted and damaged in the war, and this lack of infrastructure now makes life difficult for all Lebanese.
04:39
This art exhibition is trying to deal with Lebanons recent past. One respected artist, whose house in the south was bombed, reveals the deep impact such destruction has had. The paintings arent simply black and white.
4:57
OT
Abdallah Kahil
Artist
A university professor put it brilliantly: Hezbollah is not a state within a state, as so many are saying. Hezbollah is a state within no state.
5:16
Is Lebanon a state or a federation of religious cults at war with each other? Does this country have to be a battlefield for foreigners conflicts? Is there a common identity? Through the use of Western Avantgarde, young artists try to tackle these questions. They long for a life in peace, whether in Lebanon or elsewhere.
05:37
Academic qualifications open the door to emigration, and many young graduates are leaving the country.
05:49
OT
Ghina Mahmoud
Economics student This war has widened once again rifts between religions, and the economy has been declining noticeably. We all want to leave.
05:57
OT
Sarah Makarem
Marketing student
If I cant find a job within the next two months, Im leaving the country.
06:03
OT
Ghina Mahmoud
Wirtschaftsstudentin
We need a national army to keep all armed factions within the country under control. If we want to solve the situation, Hezbollah needs to give its weapons up to the army.
06:18
OT
Fawwaz Traboulsi
Univ.Professor of Political Science
All Lebanese are angry about Israels attacks on civilians and on the countrys infrastructure. They all agree on that. On a human level, they keep together. But the wars had a disastrous impact on the domestic political climate. There are major tensions regarding the question of national defence and the weapons still kept by the Hezbollah. Disputes are also getting more intense about the balance of power among political factions.
06:51
Hezbollah waged a war in the name of Lebanon without asking the Lebanese first. Many were against it. The country is split and no one can speak in the name of all.
07:06
OT
Hussein Hallal
Sound technician
Hezbollah wants Lebanon to turn into an Islamic state just like Iran. But in Lebanon no one can survive without the others, neither the Christians nor the Moslems. I dont think Hezbollah will ever be able to fulfill its wish for an Islamic state here.
07:37
OT
Saad Kazan
Restaurant owner
Half the Lebanese are for the Hezbollah and the other half are against them. I belong to those who are for them.
07:44
Tourism lost millions through the war. This Christian-Orthodox restaurant owner would like to see the economy thrive in a strong nation. He is convinced that only Hezbollahs militia are ready to defend Lebanons sovereignty.
,
08:02
OT
Saad Kazan
Restaurant owner
I am for Hezbollah because theyre patriots like me, but Im against mixing religion with politics. I want a secular state, just like in Europe, though I know I wont see it happen here anymore. Europeans are at peace now, but that is only after they have come to terms with the 50 million that died in the 20 the Century.
08:23
Ot
Abed Khalife
Fisherman
We dont want war!
08:30
(offen)
08:33
We need peace! But when the Israelis come to kill us, Hezbollah has to do something to save our people!
08:45 20 km south of Beirut, fishermen are cleaning up the pollution. Thousands of tons of heated oil flowed into the sea as an Israeli bomb hit a power station. The cleanup had to wait because of the war. Now financial aid and expertise have come from the West, especially from France. This oil spill is reported to be the third worst ecological disaster to hit the Mediterranean. Yet experts are confident that nature will recover.
09:24
OT
Bernard Fichaut
Expert for marine pollution
This oil slick isnt very widespread. If the cleanup is conducted thoroughly, there should be no lasting damage. Were talking about heavy oil, which doesnt dissolve easily in water. Thats why it doesnt spread. It will only be dangerous for animals that come into direct contact with it. Just a couple of meters further away, and theyre not in danger. They dont get poisoned.
09:56
Nature should have recovered within a year, experts believe. However, the damage will take longer to erase at the archaeological site of Biblos. Scars left by the war have been engraved forever in the turbulent history of Lebanon.