Dan Darragh RFB Shows Solidarity With The Lebanon
Throughout its history, Lebanon has enjoyed periods of prosperity, punctuated by lengthy upheavals of violence and war.
Beirut is famous for its wide boulevards and French-style architecture. It has been called the Paris of the Middle East.
Before the outbreak of civil war in 1975, Lebanon as a whole was known as the Switzerland of the Middle East, enjoying a conflict-free status such as Costa Rica in Central America.
But the seeds of conflict had already been sown. After the Arab-Israel conflict in 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees flooded Lebanon, and Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization was in charge of their political and military activities.
In the 1970's fighting began between a coalition of Palestinian refugees along with Muslim and Druze militias in a conflict with mostly Christian resistance forces.
Syria intervened, sending tens of thousands of troops into Lebanon, while Israel launched invasions in 1978 and again in 1982 in an effort to stop cross-border attacks aimed at Israeli civilians.
It is estimated more than 100,000 Lebanese were killed during this period and many fled the country and its ruined economy.
Israel withdrew from its self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon in 2000 and Syria withdrew its troops last year after being linked to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Before the current crisis, Lebanon's economy was improving rapidly, helped by a financially sound banking system, small and medium scale manufacturing and international aid.
In recent decades Lebanon has seen some periods of political stability and economic prosperity, marred by significant times of turmoil.
When the current fighting between Israel and Hezbollah stops, the Lebanese people will once again face the difficult and lengthy task of rebuilding their country, while hoping for a more peaceful future.
