La Presse in Beirut | “People suffer in silence”

Stuck between a never-ending economic crisis and the prospect of war on its border with Israel, Lebanon is once again preparing to spend the end-of-year holidays marked by uncertainty.

There are only around twenty supporters gathered on the Place des Martyrs, at the foot of the eponymous statue, on this cloudy morning. Palestinian flags sit alongside signs calling for a ceasefire or the liberation of Palestine and black and white keffiyehs.

On this Monday, Lebanon is observing a strike “in solidarity with the Palestinians”: public administrations, banks, public and private schools are closed. But the demonstration has an aftertaste of unfinished business. “There aren’t many of us today,” laments Lamia, one of the participants. We must believe that people have better things to do or that they have gotten used to this situation,” she analyzes, perplexed, before resuming an anti-imperialist song whose lyrics she follows on her phone.

Since October 8, the day after Hamas’ surprise attack in Israel, bombings on each side of the border have left around 110 dead, mostly among Hezbollah ranks, as well as 17 civilians, including three journalists. Across the border, six Israeli soldiers and four civilians were killed, according to a tally from Agence France-Presse.

A market to get by

In this country which has experienced several wars with Israel, the most recent of which dates back to 2006, the fighting at the border brings back painful memories. But in the capital, spared until now, we have become accustomed to living in uncertainty.

On Sassine Square, in the Christian district of Achrafieh, the NGO Lebanon of Tomorrow is organizing a Christmas market for the fourth consecutive year. The tree that sits on the square has been decorated with illuminated letters forming the word “Hope”. A message of the occasion.

“We created this market to help small traders who were affected by the economic crisis from 2019. We offer them a free stand with a rotation every three days,” explains Joanne Geadah, communications manager within the NGO. “I have the impression that purchasing power has improved since this year. The traders are satisfied in any case, there are more sales. »

But the excitement of the Christmas market, boosted by wealthy customers from the surrounding neighborhoods, is deceptive.

It is enough to list the other activities of the NGO to understand that they are those of a third world country: distribution of sanitary napkins in hospitals, free meals or school materials for needy families. “If you ask people, they will tell you that now, every year, Christmas is worse than the last,” summarizes Chantal, 43, sadly, in a busy bar in the capital.

“Before the crisis, everyone gave each other gifts and visited family across the country. Today, there are two Christmases: that of the rich who do their shopping at the luxury Aïshti shopping center, like in Paris or London, and the others who do not even have the means to give their children a gift or to pay for gas to celebrate Christmas with family,” adds this Lebanese woman who considers herself lucky to be in the middle. “Poverty is everywhere, but strangely enough we don’t see it that much. People suffer in silence, hidden from the gaze of others. »

A crisis that changed everything

In Ein el Remeineh, another Christian neighborhood in the east of the capital, Wahdi Gharios and his son Karl are preparing to begin their daily tour. In the back of the utility, 52 hot meals which will be distributed to elderly people in need in the neighborhood. “It’s simple, if we don’t come, they don’t eat,” summarizes Wahdi, who was born and raised in Ein el Remeineh and knows each of the beneficiaries personally. It was in this neighborhood that another war, the Lebanon War of 1975 to 1990, began, when a Christian militia targeted a bus of Palestinian activists returning from a political rally, killing 26 people.

Today, it is a quiet neighborhood that is surviving the economic crisis as best it can and watching what is happening in the south of the country from afar. In the small room of the Teta w Jeddo association, filled with boxes of foodstuffs, we take inventory of what we have, but especially of what we lack.

“We started helping the elderly after the explosion at the port of Beirut with food aid and also by participating in the reconstruction of their apartments. After that, we said to ourselves that we couldn’t leave them. They are very isolated people who have nothing. The majority of them would not have any social interaction if we were not there,” explains Stéphanie Ajami, who manages the association’s communications. Teta w Jeddo helps 52 elderly people every day, to whom it delivers hot meals every day, and 150 others still independent enough to cook, to whom the association delivers baskets every week.

“The economic crisis changed everything. Those who were already poor remained poor and those who had a few meager savings in the bank lost everything,” adds Stéphanie, puffing on her electronic cigarette.

Last year, Stéphanie and Wahdi organized a Christmas meal with all the beneficiaries.

“It was a great moment for them. At their ages, opportunities to get together are rare. Even if it requires a lot of organizational work, because you have to take each of them by car, it was worth it,” Stéphanie smiles sadly. This year the budget is even tighter than usual. There will be no Christmas dinner.