The war in Lebanon is a conflict closely followed with pain by the vast Lebanese diaspora, whose population exceeds those of Lebanese living in their own country. For Lebanese expatriates in the Gulf, the situation is particularly difficult as they live in countries destabilized by this regional war.
From our special envoy in Doha, In Qatar, two Lebanese friends living abroad for professional and economic reasons, like many of their compatriots, discuss the situation in Lebanon. “We have this huge concern about Lebanon. We live the news, we stay awake, we watch the news, we are always in front of our screens,” says the first friend. “We work, that’s true, but our mind is elsewhere.”
“Lebanon is our country. It is the most beautiful country, we love it. But unfortunately, we have experienced many wars and we continue to live through many wars,” adds her friend. “And now, Lebanon is bleeding. So we are tired, we are morally exhausted.”
With 17 years in Qatar for one and 10 years for the other, one works in the healthcare field, the other in education. Both Lebanese friends have experienced other wars in their country, but this time, the conflict is regional, with Iranian drones and missiles intercepted in the Gulf countries’ skies. “We didn’t expect this and we don’t know what will happen in a week, in a few days, because we have to leave for better opportunities, to find stability for us and our children,” expresses one of the friends. “And we find ourselves in a really extremely complicated situation again.”
After the initial turmoil, the two Lebanese friends feel safe in Qatar, where alerts are now rare. “So here, for us, what we are experiencing now is nothing, honestly, it’s nothing,” one judges. “We are ashamed to talk about it,” reacts her friend. “So what we are experiencing here now is nothing because here, you feel the state is here, there are people working behind the scenes, there are leaders present, there are people sending you messages to reassure you,” continues the first friend. “That, we miss in Lebanon.”
The dialogue between the two women continues: “We are in Qatar, we thank God, we are in Qatar. Because even with the bombings and missiles, we always feel this protection. Really.”
Sometimes, a sentence is interrupted by a sob when the two expatriates recall conversations with their family remaining in Lebanon. “We feel guilty because when we see our parents in what state they are, well, as a Lebanese, I want to go there, to help them. I am helping them financially. But there is also the moral side. They need us. But how? We will be torn…” she confides. “Because here, Qatar, for me, is my second country, it needs us. Now, we cannot leave because we have our families here, we have our children, so we will stay, God willing, everything will be fine.”
