Al Quds Day by the Olive Trees of Maroun Al-Ras

Al Quds Day by the Olive Trees of Maroun Al-Ras

Friday, August 17, 2012

Holding a Palestinian flag looking down at the Israeli settlements. Maroun al-Ras rings many bells, but the most famous one is Nakba protest May 2011 when the Israeli troops opened fire on protesters and 10 demonstrators were shot dead and and another 112 wounded. Leila who witnessed this deadliest day since the war in 2006 told us how Israeli tanks shot demonstrators. As we drove through the hights of Jabal Amel, pictures of the martyrs of the Lebanon-Israel war appeared on the sides of the road, along with the pictures of the leaders like Imam Khamenei, Imam Musa Sadr and the popular Hezbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. A big sign reading "Iranian Park" decorated by the emblem of the Islamic Republic shows up and we stop. The view of the mountains and hills coupled with a charming breeze welcomes the visitors. Two buses carrying Palestinian Kids from a refugee camp were ready to leave when we heard the little boys call Leila out loud. They were excited to see their teacher and they waved at her and posed with a victory sign when she took the camera out.

The strategically well-located park makes you feel strong enough to break the borders and liberate Jerusalem. From the outlook which was built over a Golden Dome Mosque inside the park, you can watch an Israeli military base, settlements and roads through a fixed telescope. Flags of Iran, Hizbullah, Lebanon and Palestine were dancing in the wind all across the park.

The liberation does not seem a tough job, we just dream of more "awakenings". To get back to Tyre we leave before the sun sets. As we get to Tibneen, the graffiti in different colors on a plane white wall attracts our attention. The blocks were all painted "Go-Go-Go-Go" and the a gate with a sign reading "This is Occupation". The building was a former UN base and now all you could see was graffiti, and letters containing a message...these people were so angry at the United Nations.