Refugees in Aley--A resurgence of sectarian violence?

Business at my friend, Amira's, roastery was booming. She was so worried about the Gulf people leaving, and instead these refugees are buying more nuts and candy then the rich tourists. In fact, you see all these people in the souk, carrying shopping bags. It's like they're enjoying the mountain resort of Aley, as if they were a tourist on vacation.

A guy who works in a music shop told me that there are going to be culture clashes. He says they don't act the way we act. They don't talk the way we talk. See all those motorcycles in the souk. I didn't notice before, but there were a lot more than normal. He said one guy is going to cut in front of another guy and they're going to go at it.

The papers are all suggesting a resurgance of sectarian violence. The war never really ended, reconciliation talks never happend. The same stuff of the civil war could easily flare up now. I think it would be impossible for it NOT to. (I hate the pessimism.) Especially now that Shia people are being thrown into Christian and Druze areas. And the Christians and Druze (at least the ones I talked to in Aley) are blaming the Hizbollah and Hasan Nasrallah for destroying their country, not the Israelis who are actually bombing it.

He said some people already came in looking for knives. (I kind of didn't believe him??? Like these people are all naturally violent.) And he's very concerned about crime. They're putting away and hiding expensive things.

Today, Nazih said the the PSP (Druze) Party met last night. They are concerned about violence. He told us if we see people in the streets, tell a PSP member, which is just about any local. And that already they're having to watch the people in the public schools, to not put up their flags (I think he meant Hizbollah) and to not bring any of that stuff to Aley.

So here's the thing. Everyone says Aley is safe. Aley is safe. But how can it be with all these new people?? If Israel is trying to get rid of Hizbollah, they pushed all its members out of the south and now they have spread all over the country. Anything is now fair game now. The whole country of Lebanon. What a strategy?? But why were they bombing the north, Ein Mreisse and other obviously having-nothing-to-do-with-Hezbollah targets earlier. Now they can bomb anywhere in Lebanon and say they are "defending themselves."

But I don't understand why Israel's original intention was to destroy Lebanon.

My Druze friend in Beirut thinks it might be a Biblical pride thing, like all this is their Holy Land.

It just makes no sense.


Note: Some experts will question my identifying the Progressive Socialist Party as the Druze party. I'm aware of this, but don't feel like getting into those details here.