I don’t know where to even start.
I wanted to write about how Joe Akiki’s mom broke my heart. How Sahar Fares’ funeral tore me to pieces. How little Alexandra’s face, next to her glass, as they announced that she passed was so full of life, gone too soon.
But I am still angry. And right now, I’m even angrier.
The blog may have been retired for a while. But today, I want to use whatever reach it has left to say one message: The Lebanese government is killing us. Right now. Blocking aid, blocking rescue teams, arresting journalists.
You don’t believe me? Well, here’s a French medical team saying they were ready to head to Lebanon tomorrow when they were notified by the Lebanese government they were no longer needed:
This is a Dutch rescue team talking about the difficulties and hurdles they were handed by the Lebanese government:
It took them THREE WHOLE DAYS to search for Joe Akiki and his colleagues. THREE WHOLE DAYS. I want to ask why. But I know why… because they’re incompetent, rotten, corrupt, illegitimate murderers…. will the gallows be enough?
If Joe Akiki had been their son, would they have waited three days? If Alexandra was their daughter, would they have blocked aid? Our government lives in la la land, devoid of any overlap with the people it supposedly governs… Our deaths do not affect their lives. They don’t care.
Journalists are also blocked from entering the site of the explosion. What are they hiding? Are they hiding how their criminal negligence killed Beirut? How their years of corruption caused such non-inevitable suffering? Are they trying to cover up all the ways they killed us?
I don’t know what else to say. For now, the world must now what the Lebanese government is doing. Pass it on.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
Hi Elie,
I just wanted to let you know that this post and others reached me in London.
You always write so eloquently and whilst of course the horrific events in Lebanon are shocking enough without accounts like yours, your writing especially always has an impact on me. I am so sorry for the loss and devastation that you, your family and friends have been faced with and only hope that aid reaches those that need it.
Thank you for sharing your writing, and opening my eyes further to what goes on in a country I’ve never been privileged enough to visit, but very much hope to one day.
All the best,
Micaela
LikeLike
Fake news😖 Lebanese government is excepting any help you can send.
Arresting Journalists? What journalist no journalist is arrested again it’s a fake news😖
LikeLike
Why do you say it is a fake news?
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing news, insights and your feelings, even when you may not feel like it.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Welcome to My Corner Here on Word Press and commented:
I normally release a monthly thought here–but the tragedy in Lebanon is just beyond the pale–as now the ruling class in Lebanon is doing this–I add my voice to help pass this on–and this is as I have seen reports over the past 24 hrs about Hezbollah bigwigs being jetted off to Tehran–what I find so irritating is how as workers have not been paid in months, COVID-19 continues to rage on in the country, the regime sent forth field hospitals and planes and pledged support as the disregard shown to force college and graduate students to take entrance exams (over 500,000 people) was done.
LikeLike
They were also blocking the search and rescue teams sent from Cyprus and Qatar. I didn’t realise they were blocking other countries too. Shocking and beyond disgusting.
LikeLike
Fake news😖 Lebanese government is excepting any help you can send.
Arresting Journalists? What journalist no journalist is arrested again it’s a fake news😖
LikeLike
Well there’s something missing in this whole story. Before meeting Macron, Lebanon was accepting every kind of help from whichever country. After Macron ‘s meeting, they stopped all the help. Why? What happened? What did he suggest or ask them to do in order to continue to get help?
Something to think about…
LikeLike
Fake news😖 Lebanese government is excepting any help you can send.
Arresting Journalists? What journalist no journalist is arrested again it’s a fake news😖
LikeLike
No its not fake news!!! They are REFUSING!!! They want to let the wounded without help and the people without food!!! They should be hanged one by one!!!
LikeLike
Fake news😖 Lebanese government is excepting any help you can send.
LikeLike
Fake news😖 Lebanese government is excepting any help you can send.
Arresting Journalists? What journalist no journalist is arrested again it’s a fake news😖
LikeLike
Please tell me this an old post and the situation has changed 🙏🏻 Praying for Lebanon
LikeLike
Lebanon need a national Government, not a sectarian Gov. a government that thinks about it people, not about their pockets.
LikeLike
Even Israel offered aid, but I doubt the Lebanese government would accept it. As far as I know, there is a team of Israeli Arab doctors (that may be more acceptable to our neighbors than Jewish doctors, sadly) ready to head to Beirut.
Elie, is there any talk in Lebanon suggesting that whatever exploded was linked to Hizballah? It’s not widespread, but there is some talk here that the ammonium nitrate or whatever was meant for they’re huge arsenal of rockets pointed at us. That would also explain why they need to ‘remove evidence’ before letting anyone in.
LikeLike
Please. Please stay safe. Come home!! So worried for you.
LikeLike
They are definitely trying to hide something. There have been reports of tunnels and at least one bunker under the site.
LikeLike
Pingback: The Lebanese Government Is Blocking International Aid, Rescue Teams, & Arresting Journalists. Pass It On | The Press