Drawing on these factors, the article ascertains a seven-fold survival narrative among South Lebanon’s Christians: unwavering faith, coping resilience, distancing from Christian partisan rhetoric, avoiding confrontation, rejecting the war, advocating for coexistence as a fundamental social covenant and reaffirming allegiance to Lebanon and its Armed Forces. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to cease the conflict; hold the perpetrators accountable and ensure reparation for the civilians affected by the war; ensure the right to assisted return; guarantee the rights of individuals not to be displaced; and replace Hezbollah’s power formula – the Army, the People, and the Resistance equation.
Editor’s Note: The research in this article predates the 2024 September entry of Israeli forces into Lebanon, but remains relevant as the violence between Hezbollah, the Israeli military and Lebanese forces escalates. The border communities discussed in this paper face even greater challenges, and the article’s themes of survival and resolution are even more critical today.
KEYWORDS: Lebanon, Hezbollah, Israel, internal displacement, IDPs, Christian communities, border communities
Dr. Guita Hourani holds a PhD in Global Studies from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in Japan and is a distinguished scholar in migration, refugees, and citizenship. She founded the Lebanese Center for Migration and Diaspora Studies at Notre Dame University. Dr. Hourani currently serves as an expert on citizenship at the European Union Democracy Observatory on Citizenship (EUDO) and holds senior research fellow positions at Ukraine Catholic University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan, and the Holy Spirit University, Lebanon.
