(Credit: Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai - NNA)
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai called on Sunday for schools being used to shelter thousands displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah to be "freed" so students can return to classes. He also warned against the "specter of internal conflicts" if the issue of displaced persons is neglected.
"If ignored, the displacement issue will become a source of social and economic problems for citizens," said Patriarch Raï during his Sunday homily. To address this, he emphasized the need to "protect private property and coexistence," referencing several recent minor incidents regarding displaced people occupying private buildings and land.
He also called on the international community to continue sending humanitarian aid, arguing that this would help "keep conflicts between displaced people and residents at bay."
As public schools are set to reopen Monday, many are still housing thousands of displaced people from southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and the Bekaa region. These schools are located in areas spared by Israeli strikes, and the Maronite leader stressed that both public and private institutions "must be freed to ensure children’s education." He stated that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and the government to vacate these schools.
Public schools are reopening nearly a month after private schools, which resumed on Oct; 7. Outgoing Minister of Education Abbas Halabi confirmed the reopening date last Thursday after a meeting with public school administrators and teacher unions, and in the presence of UNICEF and UNESCO representatives. Classes will take place in person in 350 public schools not hosting displaced people, three days a week per student, Halabi explained to L’Orient-Le Jour on Friday.
'War of Extermination'
Patriarch Rai also called on the international community and Arab nations to "intervene diplomatically to end the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel." Noting that the Lebanese people are "clearly against the war" because they "bear the cost," the religious leader described the conflict as a "war of extermination," in which "civilians, men, women, and children are being killed."
"The most advanced weapons and missiles are being used mercilessly and without compassion" against a Lebanese populace "opposed to this war, which has destroyed homes, institutions, and places of worship." "How long will this continue?" he asked, adding that in war, "everyone loses."
On Sept. 23, following nearly a year of a war of attrition with daily exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel, the Israeli army launched a large-scale operation against the Shiite party, resulting in nearly 2,000 casualties in about six weeks. On Sept. 30, the Israeli military also announced the start of a ground offensive in South Lebanon.
