CrossFireArabia
Dyab Abou Jahjah is a leading Lebanese author, speaker and an activist who lives in the southern part of the country with an open website. This is a reprinted comment he made recently on Lebanon and the Lebanese people, their sorrow but also their love for life and defiance.
This is a somewhat of a personal post, so please indulge me. As a Lebanese, especially coming from South Lebanon, today and yesterday are painful days. There is no denying it. We feel sorrow, and there is no shame in that.
But if there’s one thing about our people, it’s that we don’t break easily. If you ask about us, you’ll understand. We are the children of Canaan, our roots intertwined through faiths that have shaped us—whether in the name of Jesus or Muhammad. That connection makes us one with our Palestinian brothers and sisters, who, like us, have endured so much, yet remain unbroken.
We’re a people who love life. We laugh, we sing, we create art. Some might say we’re a bit romantic, even soft at times. But all our enemies—especially those who’ve tried to occupy us—know how we fight when we have to. There’s a strength in us that comes out in the hardest of times, a resilience that refuses to bend.
Israel’s anger towards us is because we don’t just speak in support of Palestine—we act. Whether we’re part of the resistance or find other ways to contribute, we do what we can. Even in moments when there’s not much we can do, we at least raise our voices and stand by justice. For those of us from South Lebanon, our connection to Palestine runs deep.
It’s something we feel in our bones, a bond that nothing can break. We’ve drawn their wrath, not just because we’ve resisted, but because we’ve made an impact. And though it may bring consequences, we won’t stop. Our support for Palestine is something personal, something that feels right in every sense—as a duty to our kin, to our faiths, and to the shared humanity that binds us.
We don’t glorify war, nor do we seek it. We value life, every bit of it. But when the choice is between humiliation or standing tall, even if it means death, we’ll face it with dignity. And in doing so, we’ll ensure that whoever invades our little country will perish or live to regret. May God protect Lebanon and Palestine, and may the eyes of the cowards never sleep.
Saleem Ayoub Quna
