The Palestinian cause--The Lebanese Way A Visit to a Refugee Camp by Jessie Deeter and Anne Sengès
Sitting on an uncomfortable faux leather couch so cracked that the foam stuffing is popping out in places, Colonel Mounir Maqdah speaks of the dream he has for his people-the 75,000 or 100,000 (depending on who's counting) inhabitants of camp Ain Al-Hilweh, which lies on the outskirts of Sidon, a town in southern Lebanon. As the camp spokesman, he is the only person a visiting reporter is allowed to speak with, for her safety, her interpreter translates. The five armed guards wearing tee shirts and camouflage pants who accompany her on a brief walk through the camp are also for her safety. Maqdah is certain that the day will come when the refugees from camp Ain Al-Hilweh and the rest of the Palestinian Diaspora scattered around the globe will all go home, no matter how long it takes. "I have been fighting for 30 years, and I am ready to fight another 30 years if I have to," he said. Maqdah has the browning teeth, wispy form and long black-shot-with-gray beard of an aging revolutionary; he even wears tan fatigues and smokes thin cigarettes which he takes with small cups of thick coffee. When he smiles, however, it's easy to forget for a moment that this is a man who has survived, by his own count, more than 100 attempts on his life. He interrupts the interview several times to take calls on his cell phone, delicately balancing the phone and a cup of coffee as he answers in soft Arabic. His take on the Middle Eastern peace process is not negotiable: "If any Palestinians are outside Palestine, even a single one, the struggle will continue," he said adding, "making resistance does not require a license." Next Page		WHO ARE WE? CONTACT US FEATURE STORIES Caught in the cross fire: Is Beirut Ready for Tourism? Marriage: Lebanese Style Meet Lebanon's only Male Belly Dancer Beirut Blues Christians Looking for a Better Future The Woman Behind the Walls Back to Home Page