The recent history of this “Paris of the Middle East” has been marked by sectarian battles and foreign invasions, which has seen Beirut continually bombed to smithereens.
But this is so tragic, it almost seems karmic:
A large blast in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has killed at least 70 people and injured more than 4,000 others, the health minister says.
Officials are blaming highly explosive materials stored in a warehouse for six years.
President Michel Aoun tweeted it was ‘unacceptable’ that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored unsafely.
(BBC, August 4, 2020)
Indeed, the irony is that the Lebanese government had probably confiscated the explosive materials for safe keeping from warring sects. Again, Beirut just can’t catch a break.
Apropos of which, President Trump carelessly speculated that it was a “terrible attack.” But it should not surprise you to learn that his source is probably no more credible than that which has caused him to make “over 20,000 false or misleading presidential claims” – as tallied by The Washington Post.
Meanwhile, his pal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is bending over backwards to demonstrate that Israel had nothing to do with the explosion – this time.
Israel has offered humanitarian assistance to Lebanon after a massive explosion rocked its capital Beirut on Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said.
(Reuters, August 4, 2020)
That said, the plaintive title to a commentary I wrote a few years ago speaks volumes about the pithy title to this one:
- “Global Outpouring for Paris Makes Beirut Feel ‘Forgotten’,” November 16, 2015
Sadly, by the same token, I fear global preoccupation with Covid-19 will make Beirut feel forgotten again.
For what little it’s worth, though, I shall end this commentary the way I ended that one a few years ago. And that is by reassuring the besieged and beleaguered people of Beirut that, notwithstanding our preoccupation, we shall say a little prayer for you.
Related commentaries:
global outpouring… Trump and Netanyahu…
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