In a suffocating political darkness, cries of anguish echo. Green grass grows over graves, and peace itself trembles beneath the roar of warplanes. Amid the devastation, suffering fills the land. The mind longs for those who turned away and betrayed it, leaving wisdom to cry out into the void, searching for anyone willing to listen among the lost, racing through a pitch black night. They rode off quickly, disappearing so no one would notice. They do not value words, and words cannot survive in darkness. Meanwhile, a sorrowful bird still trembles among the branches, fearful for itself and for those it once loved among the people of this land and time.

We chose, of our own will, to be one people, and so we were bound to a shared fate. Still, we will not despair. We will not surrender. We will not retreat. Nor will we follow those who thirst for blood within this circle of fire. From beneath the rubble, we call out to you: raise the banners high, light up the streets. Our banners were never meant to fall, and our streets, which carry their share of your suffering, were never meant to live in darkness when dawn breaks.

You who come from wounded fields of goodness, from the edges of olive groves and tobacco farms, come. Let us search for life even in dimly lit cells and suffocated alleyways. Let us break down prison doors and confront the fear that fills our streets, using even the ruins around us. This moment calls for understanding. It calls for us to speak to one another. Why do we deny ourselves honest conversation, yet flood our lives with virtual exchanges that are often toxic? The language of accusation distorts what remains of a once beautiful shared memory. Through these divisions, Israel has managed to destroy what its missiles could not.

Come, my brother, my partner in this homeland. Let us meet. Do not fear me. I am not your enemy. Speak to me. In the whisper or the strength of your voice, I see you. In the beginning was the Word.

They Do Not Respect Values

Israel breaks free of every restraint. At its core, it is not founded on justice, nor does it carry any real claim to it, and it does not respect values. Some of its leaders glorify killing, drawing on the words of strange so called scriptures that bear no resemblance to true sacred texts and do not exist in reality. They attribute to Abraham whispers of evil, yet he did no such thing, and the Lord of all does not command wrongdoing. All His children are equal. He created them free and granted them the earth in its entirety so they might show compassion to one another and live together as nations, tribes, and communities. No one is superior to another except through piety, generosity, knowledge, and faith. How could a God of wisdom, goodness, and love command discrimination among His own children?

The enemy is overhead and deep in the south. The sea to the west, or to the left during the journey of displacement northward, and to the right on the return, is raging and restless. As for the east, it remains exhausted by caves and tunnels, by prisons, sorrow, and confusion. We have nothing but Lebanon and faith.

People, my brothers, are calling out to you. They stand by your side and would sacrifice for you. May God have mercy on Ahmed Kaabour and Ziad Tawfiq. But the path of suffering has grown long, and patience is slowly running out. Speak, even from beneath the weight of these calamities, perhaps your words can spare us more. Those who unleash their deadly planes and drones may fear our unity more than they fear what remains of our shells and rockets. Entrust the state, openly, with the question of our fate, and we will offer you the light of our eyes and the warmth of our hearts.

An Unequal Confrontation

A losing compromise can still be honorable if it serves to preserve tears and prevent bloodshed. It is far less degrading than persisting in an unequal confrontation with an arrogant enemy that has no regard for justice. A culture of death only leads to more death, and acts of killing and those responsible for them are crimes that no divine authority would condone. Bloodshed begets more bloodshed, and harm inevitably breeds further harm. Let us search for common ground that can confront the occupying enemy while preserving dignity and the very fabric of society.

Tying Lebanon to the conflicts of others is not a sound approach. If this beloved homeland is like a pliable political sweetness, do not consume it entirely to the last drop. Do not always rely on the nobility of victims, for one day their buried anger may surface. Slow death is no different from death by bullets, explosions, or poisonous words. Let us seek a new Lebanese path, perhaps a new Silk Road of our own, and may God deliver us from evil, from devastation, and from the flames of destruction.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar