Lebanese Australians reminded of previous wars as Israel assaults Lebanon once more | Israel assaults Lebanon

Melbourne, Australia – Israel’s devastating bombing of Lebanon has reverberated around the globe, reaching so far as the suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne.

In Sydney’s Bankstown neighbourhood and Coburg in Melbourne, the place Australia’s vibrant Lebanese neighborhood is seen within the native outlets, eating places and locations of worship, Israel’s newest battle on Lebanon has ignited a brand new wave of trauma.

“I think 99 percent of the Lebanese in Australia still have family in Lebanon,” Michael Kheirallah, founder and chairman of the Victorian Lebanese Neighborhood Council, advised Al Jazeera.

“That’s why the community are watching the news almost 24 hours,” he stated.

“Some of them mentioned to me that they haven’t had sleep for almost two nights, especially when the bombing started happening in Beirut.”

Kheirallah stated the photographs being transmitted from Lebanon by each information and social media had been traumatising, as many neighborhood members had skilled civil battle of their house nation and the violence of earlier Israeli invasions.

“I’m sure [the current attacks are] going to bring some bad memories. It’s very traumatising, especially now we’re living in a social media world,” he stated.

Whereas Lebanese folks have been migrating to Australia for the reason that 1800s, the Lebanese Civil Warfare from 1975-1990 noticed an inflow, with many escaping the preventing which left about 150,000 lifeless and led 1,000,000 folks to go away the nation.

Amid the turmoil, Israeli forces invaded and occupied southern Lebanon, first in 1978 and once more in 1982, reaching so far as Beirut within the second invasion. That occupation would final till 2000 and is remembered for the Sabra and Shatila massacres in 1982, when the Israeli-allied Lebanese Forces – a Christian armed group – murdered greater than 3,000 Palestinian civilians residing in refugee camps in southern Beirut.

In 2006, Israel attacked once more in response to the Hezbollah capturing of two Israeli troopers and the killing of eight others, bombing Beirut and conducting a monthlong floor incursion which left greater than 1,100 Lebanese civilians and Hezbollah fighters lifeless, and displaced a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals.

Whereas not the most important migrant inhabitants – in keeping with Australia’s 2021 census, about 250,000 Australians are of Lebanese heritage, with almost 90,000 born in Lebanon – the neighborhood has planted deep roots on this nation of 26 million.

Lebanese who settled in Australia underneath refugee and humanitarian help programmes introduced their tradition and delicacies with them; freshly baked khobz (bread), deep-fried kibbie and candy baklava have turn into mainstream Australian favourites.

Lebanese Australians have made their mark, too, together with Bachar Houli – a star of the nationwide sport, Australian guidelines soccer.

Each mosques and church buildings replicate the variety of the Australian Lebanese neighborhood, and regardless of historic conflicts, Kheirallah advised Al Jazeera “the community are united” as their homeland comes underneath assault as soon as once more.

“Just recently we had a big gathering here in Melbourne, which brought all sectors of the community together,” he stated.

“We lit a candle for Lebanon, and for the Lebanese people who are now facing a very aggressive war towards their country.”

Evacuation flights

Israel’s newest battle has pressured greater than 3,400 Australian residents in Lebanon, everlasting residents and relations to be evacuated from the nation by the Australian authorities.

Ahmed* is a 23-year-old Australian citizen whose dad and mom had been born in Lebanon. His household returned to Beirut in 2013 to re-establish their roots; nevertheless, the latest battle pressured them to return to Melbourne on an evacuation flight.

“We got a call from the [Australian] government,” Ahmed recalled. “We packed ourselves up as quickly as possible and as lightly as possible, because we weren’t allowed a lot of luggage. And then we just headed to the airport next thing in the morning.”

Ahmed had just lately accomplished a level on the American College of Beirut and was planning to start out a brand new job – then Israel began bombing. He quickly discovered himself volunteering in Beirut to assist the multiple million individuals who have been internally displaced as Israel intensified its assaults in latest months.

Ahmed advised Al Jazeera that folks had fled “their homes in a heartbeat” and he wished to assist “provide some relief to the displaced families”. He recalled the day when Israel detonated explosives hidden inside 1000’s of pagers utilized by Hezbollah members throughout the nation.

“I just saw a guy fall down on the ground with blood covered all over his hip. People thought he was getting shot from a sniper above. And then after that, I started seeing ambulances coming,” Ahmed stated.

“There was so much confusion, there was so much chaos. It was a very tough situation. That was the turning point. This was real,” he stated.

With the violence escalating, his household had been pressured to make the troublesome determination to go away their homeland and unexpectedly return to Australia.

“Lebanese people are very resilient,” Ahmed stated. “We’ve seen this again and again. We have somewhere to go, but others don’t, and so we’re very thankful.”

Spike in Islamophobia

Whereas the Lebanese Australian neighborhood is numerous – with about 40 p.c figuring out as Muslim and 48 p.c as Christian – there was a reported rise in Islamophobic incidents for the reason that Hamas assault towards Israel on October 7, 2023.

Within the weeks following the raid, Islamophobia Register Australia reported that incidents of Islamophobia at Australian universities had elevated 10-fold, and since then solely continued to rise.

Greater than 3 p.c of Australia’s inhabitants identifies as Muslim, from international locations as numerous as Lebanon, Somalia, Turkey and Indonesia.

Adel Salman, chair of the Islamic Council of Victoria, advised Al Jazeera that a lot of the Islamophobia “has some of the common tropes that are used in anti-Muslim hate”.

Specifically, he advised Al Jazeera a standard theme was that Muslim Australians “are uncivilised and don’t share [Australian] values”.

Australia has a protracted historical past of Muslim migration and commerce, together with commerce between Indigenous Australians and Indonesian Macassan folks lengthy earlier than the arrival of Europeans, and the migration of Afghan folks within the 1860s, who arrived as cameleers to assist the exploration of Australia’s desert inside.

But regardless of a prolonged historical past in Australia, Islam is usually thought of to be opposite to Australian values.

Australian Federal Minister Pauline Hanson, from the right-wing political celebration One Nation, referred to as for a ban on Muslim migration in 2017, publicly stating folks must “vaccinate ourselves against” Islam.

Australia can be house to a small Jewish inhabitants of about 90,000, who’ve reported an increase in anti-Semitic assaults.

To fight each Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, the Australian authorities has appointed “special envoys” to handle the problem.

Regardless of these measures, Adel Salman advised Al Jazeera the federal government’s predominantly pro-Israel stance has proved “alienating” to Australia’s Muslim neighborhood. At present, the Australian authorities doesn’t recognise a Palestinian state and says it’s “strongly opposed to unfair targeting of Israel in the United Nations and other multilateral institutions”.

 

In 2018, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison even thought of transferring the Australian embassy to Jerusalem, signalling a pro-Israel shift just like that made by the US underneath the Trump administration. And in contrast to international locations such because the Netherlands and the UK, which have ceased some weapons commerce with Israel, Australia continues to export weapons elements to Israel similar to these used within the building of F-35 jets at present bombing each Gaza and Beirut.

“I think the government has lost a lot of support from the Muslim community because of their stance,” Salman advised Al Jazeera.

“This may actually guide their voting preferences when it comes to the upcoming elections. The government really should take notice of this,” he stated.

‘Lebanon cannot become the next Gaza’

The streets of Sydney and Melbourne have additionally performed host to giant pro-Palestinian protests. Whereas the protests have centred on the continuing genocide in Gaza, the assaults on Lebanon have additionally come to the forefront of neighborhood motion.

These protests have been in the principle peaceable and orderly, however the presence of Hezbollah flags and pictures of the organisation’s late chief – Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an Israeli bombing assault in September – has prompted controversy.

In Sydney, a 19-year-old lady was arrested and charged for carrying a Hezbollah flag, and whereas it was an remoted occasion, it drew widespread media consideration and condemnation from some sides of the Australian authorities.

Just like the US, the Australian authorities has registered Hezbollah as a “proscribed terrorist organisation”; as such, public show of the Hezbollah flag or {a photograph} of Hassan Nasrallah could also be thought of a legal offence underneath Australian regulation.

Michael Kheirallah of the Victorian Lebanese Neighborhood Council advised Al Jazeera that whereas some could help Hezbollah, Australian regulation ought to nonetheless be adopted.

“I think the authorities have dealt with this issue. I don’t think it will happen again. People in Australia have been protesting over one year, and we haven’t had any serious incidents,” he stated.

Together with the evacuation flights from Lebanon, the Australian authorities has dedicated $94.5m in humanitarian help to help civilians affected by conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

Most just lately, Australia additionally joined the US and 10 different international locations in calling for an instantaneous 21-day ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border. A spokesperson from Australia’s Division of Overseas Affairs and Commerce advised Al Jazeera the Australian authorities would proceed to help the Lebanese neighborhood and supply assist to each Lebanon and Gaza.

“Lebanese civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating” Hezbollah, the division stated in an announcement.

“As the Foreign Minister [Penny Wong] has said, Lebanon cannot become the next Gaza,” the division added.

But for Lebanese Australians – and their households again house – a ceasefire can not come quick sufficient.

*Ahmed is a pseudonym because the interviewee didn’t need their title revealed due to safety considerations for household that stay in Lebanon.