Maghreb bloggers react to events in Middle East

19/07/2006

North African bloggers have been following events in Lebanon and Israeli very closely.

[Getty Images] Moroccans follow the news of the Middle East crisis in a newspaper

The situation in Lebanon and Israel has led Maghreb bloggers to bemoan the effects on civilians and to blame media biases for colouring stories and possibly leading to more tensions.

"I've been following the news coming out of the Middle East. We're on the verge of a war -- rockets, bombs, sieges, people dying," cried Subzero blue from Tunisia. He warned that "Media on both sides are spinning stories and the truth as always gets lost in between, just like the innocent lives it concerns. In a few days, nobody will remember why all this started, but the death and destruction will continue."

Algerian TVDZ added that even though most Arab media sources broadcast the images of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel in real time, "Channels [were] not safe from critics. Several editorialists from the Arab press are accusing them of 'helping to increase the tension' by allowing fiery commentators to speak."

In his post "Pauvre Liban" (Poor Lebanon), Metal MadTN could not believe what was happening to what he called "the cradle of Phoenician civilisation". "I want to wake up and realise that this is nothing but a bad dream. But this is real… A country that still can hardly get back on its feet after years of civil war," wrote the Tunisian blogger.

Zizou from Djerba has been living in Beirut since September 2005 and is waiting to be evacuated. He shared, "It is 6 a.m., the night was long. All of the southern Beirut suburbs are in an indescribable chaos and the situation in the south is tragic. The port was also attacked. Military fire is coming from the direction of the sea (and we are on the sea) and the noise is very loud. Finally, a team from the embassy was able to find a bus. A meeting was set for this morning in front of the embassy."

"It is war. One, we saw coming," wrote Moroccan blogger Amina Talhimet.

"When I think that it has been one week since we celebrated Italy's victory over Germany. Life is so unpredictable and the reality is so unbelievable. Here we are in a state of war that seems to have existed forever," added Zizou from Djerba, after he reached Damascus, concluding "Rabbi Yostor (May God protect us)."