Birth Pangs?



Flight of 700,000 refugees puts massive strain on Syria

With nearly 370 killed and 700,000 Lebanese displaced following Israel's 12-day bombardment of Lebanon, tens of thousands of people are trying to flee across the border to Syria. Lebanon's border crossings with Syria to the north and east have been inundated with people, with up to a million Lebanese seeking refuge, according to state-run Syria TV. The Lebanese government and the United Nations yesterday warned that there is an impending humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.

The exodus is putting a serious strain on Syria, which has 300,000 Palestinian refugees and over 450,000 Iraqis who fled Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003. With hotels full in Damascus, people are staying in orphanages, schools and university dormitories, or travelling to neighbouring Jordan, or to other Syrian cities. Flights out of Syria are booked up for at least five days, despite airlines increasing the number of outward flights.

Is this what the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice means by birth pangs? I can only conclude that she is a cretin.

With the Israeli agression in southern Lebanon taking up much of the news coverage, the Gaza Strip remains forgotten - Israel continues Gaza, W Bank killing

Issandr El Amrani of The Arabist reports on the latest developments of the crisis in the Lebanon.

The Lebanese Bloggers - Iraqizing Lebanon

Lenin of Lenin's Tomb reports on the pro-Lebanese protests in London yesterday - Israel kills more in Lebanon: media blackout protests.

The Yorkshire Ranter - Another dip in the quagmire & Maintenance of the aim

Craig Murray on Lebanon