Statement of Solidarity with the Lebanese People
The MENA Regional Coordination is following with great concern the brutal aggression launched by Israeli occupation forces against brotherly Lebanon since October 8, 2023, which has intensified in the past two weeks. The bombings have turned South Lebanon, its east, and the southern suburbs of Beirut into rings of raging fire. The rest of Lebanon has become a daily target, with many areas becoming centers of displacement.
This fierce war constitutes a blatant violation of all human values, principles, and international laws. It is also a clear infringement on Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and stability, revealing the true face of the occupation’s policies, which are rooted in violence and destruction.
The MENA Regional Coordination strongly condemns the Zionist entity’s use of cyberattacks, with the complicity of Western imperialism, against resistance centers and their leaders by exploding personal pagers under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
Since the beginning of the war, around one and a half million people have been displaced in a country with a population of approximately 5 million. More than 12,000 people have been wounded or killed, with more than 2000 fatalities since October 8 and more than 10,000 injured. Israel has killed 1,030 people in two weeks in september. From October 8th till the end of September, Israel has launched 8,171 attacks, including 2,000 in recent days.
This war comes after a year of continuous raids on southern and eastern Lebanon, predominantly agricultural areas. Israel deliberately set fire to forests, destroyed crops, and polluted water and soil with internationally banned white phosphorus. It also prevented the residents of the south from harvesting their olives, which is a crucial source of livelihood for them.
The MENA Regional Coordination strongly condemns the military blockade imposed on Lebanon by Israeli occupation forces, which has forced more than 100,000 people to flee to Syria in fear of death, while others attempt to leave through the airport, where only local airlines are operating.
In response to the displacement, the Lebanese government has opened more than 900 public schools in safer areas to convert them into shelters for the displaced. This has also resulted in the postponement of the academic year across the country.
It is worth noting that the state did not prepare these schools or provide essential sanitary and personal necessities for the displaced, which has led groups and individuals in various regions to volunteer, collect donations, and organize campaigns to address the needs, health, and dignity of the displaced.
The MENA Regional Coordination affirms that what Lebanon is enduring today is a crime against humanity that demands a firm regional and international stance against the continuous crimes of the Zionist occupation, which we view as a desperate attempt to continue the genocidal war waged by the fascist Zionist entity against the Palestinian people.
The MENA Regional Coordination affirms its support and solidarity with the Lebanese people and their brave resistance in facing these criminal attacks targeting innocent civilians, infrastructure, and vital facilities, such as hospitals, schools, and homes, aiming to displace families and return Lebanon to a state of suffering and destruction.
The MENA Regional Coordination of the World March of Women holds the international community fully responsible for its silence and failure to act in the face of these heinous crimes. We demand urgent action to stop the aggression and hold the Zionist entity accountable for the war crimes they are committing against civilians, which could lead to the expansion of the war and ignite the entire region, undermining all prospects for peace and security.
The MENA Regional Coordination of the World March of Women commends the active role of the feminist movement, including the Lebanese Coordination of the World March of Women, in volunteering to care for the displaced and launching a fundraising campaign titled “United in Resistance” to meet the needs of women and children, particularly undergarments, sanitary pads, baby formula, diapers for children and the elderly, towels, hygiene supplies (soap, disinfectants, brushes), covering two centers in Beirut and Tripoli.
The MENA Regional Coordination of the World March of Women expresses its absolute solidarity with the people in Lebanon, who are paying the price for their steadfast support of the Palestinian people, amidst international complicity and Arab inaction.
The MENA Regional Coordination of the World March of Women