Is there a limit to human suffering? In recent days, unprecedented events have taken place in Lebanon. In less than 48 hours, more than 5,000 pagers and communications devices exploded, killing dozens of people and injuring at least 3,200 individuals. Less than 24 hours later, Israel relentlessly bombed different parts of the country, resulting in the deadliest day for Lebanese citizens since 1990. In total, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since mid-September, according to officials. authorities. Israel’s bombing campaign has also generated around 100,000 internal refugees, forcing families to flee their homes and villages in panic.
We write this article to denounce Israel’s inhumane strategy in its military policy, criticize the hypocrisy of the West and, above all, remind the world of the humanity of the Lebanese people. Since October 7, many voices, both States and international organizations, have expressed concern that Israel’s military operations do not respect international law.
In Gaza, we saw hospitals, schools and churches attacked. Israel says Hamas uses these locations and civilians as human shields. Yet in many cases there has been no concrete evidence that the targeted infrastructure housed Hamas members or weapons.
Today, Israel is repeating the same propaganda as at the start of its invasion of Gaza, justifying the deaths of Lebanese by the elimination of a terrorist organization, Hezbollah. To eradicate this “evil”, Israeli forces will not hesitate to target civilians or openly play with international law. For example, the pager explosions of September 17 have already been denounced by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. Recalling that “acts of violence aimed at sowing terror among civilians constitute a war crime”, he called for the opening of “an independent, rigorous and transparent investigation into the circumstances of these explosions”.
It is also important to emphasize that Hezbollah, guilty of numerous crimes, was created in reaction to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in 1982. History shows us that wherever the Israeli army expands, terrorism and extremism emerges in response to extremism and occupation. The violence inflicted on Lebanon by Israel risks directly increasing the number of Hezbollah recruits and further legitimizing its existence in the eyes of many Lebanese.
What would happen if the roles were reversed? If Hezbollah had blown up 5,000 communications devices in Tel Aviv, how would Israel have reacted? Why has no major power, including the United States, condemned Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, a sovereign country? As we write this op-ed, Israel has asked its troops to prepare for a ground invasion of Lebanon.
Such a violation of sovereignty is comparable to Russia’s illegal occupation of Ukraine. Moscow has faced diplomatic and economic consequences, including sanctions imposed by all major Western states. Why aren’t Gaza and Lebanon treated the same?
Our family left Lebanon following the Israeli invasion of 2006. We witnessed global indifference to the suffering of our people. Since then, we have been part of the social fabric of Quebec and Montreal. More than ten years after our arrival in Canada, it is clear to us that social mobilization is an intrinsic part of the Canadian identity. Thus, we ask our fellow citizens to stand up for Lebanon and demand a ceasefire in the region.
From Beirut to Montreal, our lives and our deaths deserve the same dignity. To the Israeli government, know that no matter what you do, the Lebanese and Palestinian people will always rise from their ashes, our land will remain ours and it will never succumb to the invasion of your state, in our eyes colonial.