The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon

    As a Lebanese expatriate living in Germany, It is very hard and sad for me to see the TV reports of the war in Lebanon.
    Until 4 weeks ago, I thought that Lebanon regained it`s status as Switzerland of Middle East. I remeber my grandparents used to tell me stories about Lebanon in the past:
"... Lebanon in the mid-60s used to be Switzerland of the Middle East. We had one of the most beautiful countries on earth. We were so lucky to have such a pretty country, a very small country where you can ski and swim in the same season...".
    I was so proud to be a Lebanese... to know that I am a part of this special country. Now it seems like everything is collapsing in Lebanon, and it retreats back to the situation it was on 1982. Lebanon citizens suffer a lot, more than most of us can imagine. They are forced to leave their homes, and run away leaving everything behind, while they are exposed to Israeli attacks, day after day. And if this is not enough, they can't just get into a car and drive to a safe place. Most of the main roads and bridges have been destroyed or seriously damaged in the attacks so it became a huge problem to move from place to place.
    Lebanese citizens suffer due to a lack of fuel, medication, food and many other basic human needs. Hospitals are full, and hospital staff barely manage to care for the patients.
    I think the reason for this situation is very complicated. For years Lebanon has been split from the inside - civil wars, struggles for power between ethnic groups and incursions of outsiders (France, Israel, Syria... and now they say even Iran).
    I think that countries worldwide, especially the rich ones, must send a humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Lebanon immediately.

And I – stand here, far away… and cry for my country…