Favorite Time of the Day/Year

 Favorite time of the day. The family members slowly trickle back home, and gather around the only place where the entire household actually gets to see each other once a day; the dining room table. Our dining room is 8 months a year outside the house, on the balcony.

PLanes flying into Beirut Airport

We’re not the only ones coming home. In the evening, plane after plane flies into Beirut – you can often see them lining up after one another, 4 lights in a row – and you can imagine them being full of Lebanese who are coming home for the summer break.

Israelis flying over

Now and then the Israelis pay us a visit. You know they’re Israelis because commercial planes don’t fly side by side. When it is a quiet night (i.e. there is government electricity, so no generators), and dinner time, so very few cars are on the road, you can clearly hear the humming in the distance. Commercial planes make a different sound.

They fly pretty high. To avoid being shot at, I assume, but I can’t pertain to be a military expert. There’s this UN resolution. 1701, I believe, that states that the UN ‘Also reiterates its strong support, as recalled in all its previous relevant resolutions, for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders, as contemplated by the Israeli-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement of 23 March 1949 (Source)

Can't see them? They can see you though. Here's a close-up.

I read somewhere that in 2009 – now that’s some 2 years ago –that the Lebanese government filed a complaint with the UN. What was their beef? The Israelis had violated that resolution some 9,000 times. In 3 years. That’s an average of 100 times a day!? I’m not quite sure what they count as violation, but the flying over Lebanese territory definitely is in violation of this resolution. And they do it frequently.

Nasty teenager

And we’re talking about everything and nothing. My son can’t resist sharing some of the old aunt’s latest additions to the long P/B list  (subermarket, bourquoi, Sbike (our dog Spike), parpeque (BBQ), blease, bromise) with us. He's lucky, in summer the kitchen is closer to the table. Summer holiday is almost here, 6 more days until school’s out. That's everyone's favorite time of the year.