Another City from Another Time

When I was writing about Madny there was another city whose inhabitants were being massacred: just near Trablous - Lebanon ( I write it as we pronounce in Arabic). I saw the Islamic fighters on TV. They looked very healthy and determined to fight to the end, dressed in black with long thick beards. Why not? They will be going to a better place where are rivers of honey and wine and hoor el een and weldan mokhaldoon.

But why they are fighting the Lebanese army instead of Israeli troops? That is a silly question and for such questions we have an even sillier answer: because they NEVER WANTED TO FIGHT ISRAEL!! The Lebanese press say that the fighters in Fateh El Islam are not Palestinians. In that case why are we facing here another Jehad? Why suddenly (suddenly?) did they appear; and why now?

I lived in Lebanon from 1978 until 1982. I was working in Beirut as a journalist.

The city was 'according to my heart': clean, beautiful and cosmopolitan. Everything was there: drugs, drinks, fun, life and death; even Carlos was said to come from time to time. I had a great time, great food; there was a free press (as long as you knew where the red lines were), there were (and still are) Palestinians in camps and some of them were refugees, some were in the PLO and some were rich and some were crooks - like all people in this bloody world: victims and killers.

I left west Beirut in August, when the Israeli army led by Sharon (where is he now ?!) was chasing Arafat (I know where he is now!), and the Army was just at the doors of the city - almost inside it. How many years ago that is now. But it now as it looked in 1982 and as it looked last summer when the Israeli army were chasing Hezbollah

Did nothing change?

A lot is changing: now instead of a foreign army we have Islamic fighters!

A question for Khaled El Berry: is doniea ahla min eljana still?!!