Land of disinterest: as Lebanon’s south is bombed, Beirut parties

This alliance strengthened its control over state institutions before the significant imbalance in capabilities between Hezbollah and the Christian Aounist faction became clear. Indeed, Hezbollah's capabilities far exceeded anything else in Lebanon.

The fragmentation of Lebanese society and the defeat of the coalition of groups known as the 'Forces of Change' marked an unofficial end to national cohesion.

Splintered and broken

This alliance had believed they were part of a sovereign project to establish a sectarian framework where Sunni Lebanese would hold an equal position to Christians while maintaining strong ties with the West.

Instead, Lebanon's components splintered and separated, living in adjacent sectarian enclaves. Barriers between the Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, Druze, and others went up, especially after 17 October 2019.

This is when huge protests against the state's economic mismanagement forced the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri. A caretaker government took charge, but they also resigned a few months later, after an enormous explosion destroyed Beirut's port.

The ineffectiveness of the 'Forces of Change' coalition and the inadequacy of their representatives further deepened divisions. The inability to forge even a basic consensus among Lebanon's people underscores the collapse of the state's legitimacy.

This feeling was only exacerbated when the port explosion investigation teetered off, when no-one held banks accountable for the freezing of deposits, and when no-one was charged and prosecuted when hundreds of millions of dollars disappeared.

Loyalty lies elsewhere

It is of little surprise, therefore, that the little that remains of a functioning government gets no backing from ordinary Lebanese, whose primary focus is on securing basic necessities for their families.

This partly explains how people can party while Israeli planes strafe southern villages. It is proximity, not plurality, that defines the difference. There is no animosity or hatred between those partying and those taking shelter. There is simply indifference.

In a land where loyalty to religion, faction, party, militia, ideology, or region is greater than to the country or state, it is of no surprise that nothing unites these two groups of Lebanese: the bombed, and the partying.

The contrast shows just how fractured Lebanon has become. Like a shipwreck, its people now swimming through the holes and windows, picking off what they can from the carcass, before leaving for waters new.

Those who controlled the state's resources and chose to engage Israel in support of Gaza must accept responsibility for the somewhat inevitable destruction in the south.

Those enjoying restaurants, parties, and concerts in Beirut, Mt Lebanon, and the north know that they may be next, that war for them may arrive tomorrow. Carpe diem - live for the day. Alternatively, 'dance 'til you drop.' Both phrases fit.