More On Tel Aviv and Beirut

August 1, 2006 - 11:47 AM by

Following up Lisa’s interesting piece about the editors of Time Out Tel Aviv and Time Out Beirut comes Jonathan Klinger’s observations on the two cities, where the residents pretty much just want to have fun, but are continually reminded of where they live.

Both Tel-Aviv and Beirut are modern cities, which much alike. Both on the shore of the Mediterranean sea, with active life and with cultural diversity. Both, however, misrepresent their country. Both Israel and Lebanon, the black sheep of the Middle east, have many religious sects fighting (either violently or not) against modernism and against other religions in the area.

Both cities try to appear modern, and hide the fact that their nation is at war while the music goes on. Maybe now Beirut is different, but in peaceful times, there still is a war both in Lebanon and Israel. Both cities suffer from this war; Tel-Aviv has suffered many terrorist bombing during the last 10 years, when Beirut has as well. Both cities, however, are fighting for normal lives.

Tel-Aviv, much like Beirut, wants this war to end. It wants it to end not only to gain peace, but also to return to average day life, the quiet which hides the real tension that was brought out by this war – the tension that religious extremists, no matter from which religion, cannot be satisfied by partial victories.

Tags: • Category: A New Reality 

Comments

2 Comments on More On Tel Aviv and Beirut

  1. Gray on Tue, Aug 1st 2006 1:37 PM

    2. Thx for the link to Klingers site. I can understand his position very well. It would be great if both cities would find back to their normal, modern way of life soon. I don’t have too much hope for Beirut, though, because rebuilding it would require some kind of Israeli ‘Marshall plan’, and Israel isn’t really known for showing much responsibility for the wellbeing of its neighbors. In fact, I suspect that Olmert has even less of a plan for the aftermath of the war than Bush had in Iraq.

  2. Susan on Tue, Aug 1st 2006 3:15 PM

    3. And did the Hisballah have their own ‘Marshall Plan”? I hate to think of what it might have been.

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