Monday!
So, the weekend is over and we should be back to work today.
Well, no.
No school today, and ACS has decided not to open at all this week
The situation is so uncertain that we could not guarantee students who arrived safely in the morning would be able to get back home just as safely. Would you send your child to school with those conditions?
Our target date for opening is next Monday, May 19. But that is subject to review.
I think it is a reasonable question to ask if we will re-open at all.
How can I explain the situation in Lebanon?
The government (which has been holding on by a thread) decided to call out Hizbollah on their private communications system and spying on arrivals at the airport. I have read that the communications system is linked to Syrian intelligence, and was implicated in some of the assassinations. That's serious. But spying at the airport? From my balcony, I have a really good view of most of the planes going in and out.
Hizbollah reacted very sharply to these government actions. Within minutes of Nasrallah's speech on Thursday afternoon, there were military confrontations in Hamra. I had gone out to buy wine and was out on the street when the local firing began. (It was a quick trip home!) Those soldiers were already in place, before the speech. Hizbollah won this round by out-planning the opposition.
Hizbollah's lightning raids into Hamra shocked the city and the government, and when the Prime Minister addressed the country on Saturday afternoon, he firmly said that this sort of violence would never work. then he gave the troublesome decisons over to the army, which promptly reversed them. It might have been the end of the story, or at least that was what a lot of people hoped. But this is not over at all. There is serious fighting up north in Tripoli and east of Beirut in the mountains. Hizbollah has weakened the government, and continues to attack on several fronts.
The only good thing to come out of all this is that Lebanon now sees Hizbollah more clearly. The weapons that H swore would never be used against Lebanese have, in fact, done horrific damage to the country. The Christian, Sunni , and Druze communities may be able to unite politically to defend themselves against H, but H has the military advantage. The final resolution is not clear at all.
If you think all of this sounds complicated, wait until I describe what it has been like to try to move to a new apartment.
Stay tuned for details. Hint: we are still in the old apartment.
Well, no.
No school today, and ACS has decided not to open at all this week
The situation is so uncertain that we could not guarantee students who arrived safely in the morning would be able to get back home just as safely. Would you send your child to school with those conditions?
Our target date for opening is next Monday, May 19. But that is subject to review.
I think it is a reasonable question to ask if we will re-open at all.
How can I explain the situation in Lebanon?
The government (which has been holding on by a thread) decided to call out Hizbollah on their private communications system and spying on arrivals at the airport. I have read that the communications system is linked to Syrian intelligence, and was implicated in some of the assassinations. That's serious. But spying at the airport? From my balcony, I have a really good view of most of the planes going in and out.
Hizbollah reacted very sharply to these government actions. Within minutes of Nasrallah's speech on Thursday afternoon, there were military confrontations in Hamra. I had gone out to buy wine and was out on the street when the local firing began. (It was a quick trip home!) Those soldiers were already in place, before the speech. Hizbollah won this round by out-planning the opposition.
Hizbollah's lightning raids into Hamra shocked the city and the government, and when the Prime Minister addressed the country on Saturday afternoon, he firmly said that this sort of violence would never work. then he gave the troublesome decisons over to the army, which promptly reversed them. It might have been the end of the story, or at least that was what a lot of people hoped. But this is not over at all. There is serious fighting up north in Tripoli and east of Beirut in the mountains. Hizbollah has weakened the government, and continues to attack on several fronts.
The only good thing to come out of all this is that Lebanon now sees Hizbollah more clearly. The weapons that H swore would never be used against Lebanese have, in fact, done horrific damage to the country. The Christian, Sunni , and Druze communities may be able to unite politically to defend themselves against H, but H has the military advantage. The final resolution is not clear at all.
If you think all of this sounds complicated, wait until I describe what it has been like to try to move to a new apartment.
Stay tuned for details. Hint: we are still in the old apartment.
posted by MIke at 10:47 AM
1 Comments:
Dear Rob and Carol:
Greetings from Plymouth. Well, I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not but the "situation in Lebanon" as it is called in these parts has remained in the top 3 international stories/leads - behind earthquake and cyclone. Events do seem to be changing by the moment or at least the hour. I can only imagine how stressful that is for you and your friends there. Please stay safe. Peace and love, Deb
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