In this situation of high urgency, many groups and organizations are coordinating their efforts to achieve higher efficiency and relevancy of relief work. The Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) calls upon their international partners and donor community to answer to the immediate needs of the Lebanese people.

See also the Statement from Lebanese Civic Society Associations

CALL UPON INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS AND DONOR COMMUNITY

17 July 2006

Lebanon has been under a war attack by Israel for the sixth day since Wednesday the 12th of July 2006. The situation has been deteriorating and the military attacks have been escalating.

Israeli aggression against Lebanon went far beyond a reaction to a military operation targeting its soldiers. The capture of Israeli soldiers is serving as a mere pretext for a major offensive attack by Israel on the aspirations and the morale of the Lebanese people, as is the case with the Palestinian people through the continuous attacks on Gaza. Israeli army is targeting Lebanese civilians and civil infrastructure. The Israeli aggression against Lebanon can be described as a collective punishment against all the Lebanese people. More than 170 victims and thousands of injured inhabitants was the result of the first five days of the attack. In addition to human losses, three airports were targeted and all the coastal ports and transport and communications infrastructure including bridges and power stations have been bombed and rendered unusable.

Moreover, Israeli army was given the political encouragement and green light from the newly elected Israeli prime Minster and his government to continue the system siege of the Lebanese people and fragmentation of Lebanese villages, towns, and cities into isolated areas. Israeli military aggression against civilians is in direct violation of the laws of war and particularly the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Hague Regulations of 1907.

From an alive, peaceful, and secure country, Lebanon became a shattered country not able to protect its citizens and cities. Lebanon is in an urgent need for solidarity and relief support in order to face the challenges related to displacement and injuries.

We have called upon the international community to immediately intervene in order to protect civilians and to end Israeli aggression against Lebanon. We are working towards affirming that human life is precious irrespective of nationality or religion. The right to life and security is above any other consideration.

But on the grounds, civil society organizations, including non-governmental organizations and individual activists, are directing all their efforts to answer to the direct needs of displaced people. There have been more than 26 thousand displaced persons that were forced to leave their homes under the threats of Israeli aggression, whether from the cities and villages of the South or the Southern Suburbs of Beirut.

Their basic needs include:

Mattresses, cleaning detergents, canned food, bottled water, basic medicines (Panadol, basic allergy medicine, cough medicine, anti diarrhea …), candles and cooking gas lamps, cooking oil, bread, soap, clothes, pillows, blankets, cooking pans.

In this situation of high urgency, many groups and organizations are coordinating their efforts to achieve higher efficiency and relevancy of relief work. The Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) calls upon our international partners and donor community, with whom we have worked extensively in the time of peace for the purposes of development in Lebanon, to answer to the immediate needs of the Lebanese people.


CONTACT DETAILS of ANND PARTNER GROUPS ACTIVE on the GROUND


Civil Campaign for Relief
A group of civil society organizations and individual activists
Contact person is Walid Fakherddine and can be reached at: Tel: 961-3-753900, email: w.fakherddine@ladeleb.org

The Collective of NGOs in Lebanon, including:

• Call for an immediate ceasefire and call upon the UN to assume its responsibilities for protecting peace and stability.
• Stop all military actions, particularly those which are affecting civilians.


• Immediately cease and desist the policy of collective punishment including the siege of Lebanon, the bombardment of transportation links, and the resulting displacement of citizens which resulted to a grave humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.


• Immediately stop and refute the policy of attacks against civilian infrastructures.


• Invite all private, civic and public organizations as well as concerned individuals to assist people displaced from the south of Lebanon and/or other Lebanese regions.