Lebanese Australians reminded of previous wars as Israel assaults Lebanon once more

Melbourne, Australia – Israel’s devastating bombing of Lebanon has reverberated around the globe, reaching so far as the suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne.

In Sydney’s Bankstown neighbourhood and Coburg in Melbourne, the place Australia’s vibrant Lebanese neighborhood is seen within the native retailers, eating places and locations of worship, Israel’s newest battle on Lebanon has ignited a brand new wave of trauma.

“I feel 99 p.c of the Lebanese in Australia nonetheless have household in Lebanon,” Michael Kheirallah, founder and chairman of the Victorian Lebanese Neighborhood Council, informed Al Jazeera.

“That’s why the neighborhood are watching the information nearly 24 hours,” he mentioned.

“A few of them talked about to me that they haven’t had sleep for nearly two nights, particularly when the bombing began occurring in Beirut.”

Kheirallah mentioned the pictures being transmitted from Lebanon by each information and social media have been traumatising, as many neighborhood members had skilled civil battle of their dwelling nation and the violence of earlier Israeli invasions.

“I’m certain [the current attacks are] going to carry some dangerous reminiscences. It’s very traumatising, particularly now we’re dwelling in a social media world,” he mentioned.

Whereas Lebanese individuals have been migrating to Australia because the 1800s, the Lebanese Civil Battle from 1975-1990 noticed an inflow, with many escaping the combating which left about 150,000 useless and led 1,000,000 individuals to go away the nation.

Amid the turmoil, Israeli forces invaded and occupied southern Lebanon, first in 1978 and once more in 1982, reaching so far as Beirut within the second invasion. That occupation would final till 2000 and is remembered for the Sabra and Shatila massacres in 1982, when the Israeli-allied Lebanese Forces – a Christian armed group – murdered greater than 3,000 Palestinian civilians dwelling in refugee camps in southern Beirut.

In 2006, Israel attacked once more in response to the Hezbollah capturing of two Israeli troopers and the killing of eight others, bombing Beirut and conducting a monthlong floor incursion which left greater than 1,100 Lebanese civilians and Hezbollah fighters useless, and displaced a whole bunch of 1000’s of individuals.

Whereas not the most important migrant inhabitants – in keeping with Australia’s 2021 census, about 250,000 Australians are of Lebanese heritage, with practically 90,000 born in Lebanon – the neighborhood has planted deep roots on this nation of 26 million.

Lebanese who settled in Australia below refugee and humanitarian help programmes introduced their tradition and delicacies with them; freshly baked khobz (bread), deep-fried kibbie and candy baklava have turn out to be mainstream Australian favourites.

Lebanese Australians have made their mark, too, together with Bachar Houli – a star of the nationwide sport, Australian guidelines soccer.

Each mosques and church buildings replicate the variety of the Australian Lebanese neighborhood, and regardless of historic conflicts, Kheirallah informed Al Jazeera “the neighborhood are united” as their homeland comes below assault as soon as once more.

“Only in the near past we had a giant gathering right here in Melbourne, which introduced all sectors of the neighborhood collectively,” he mentioned.

“We lit a candle for Lebanon, and for the Lebanese people who find themselves now dealing with a really aggressive battle in direction of their nation.”

Evacuation flights

Israel’s newest battle has compelled greater than 3,400 Australian residents in Lebanon, everlasting residents and relations to be evacuated from the nation by the Australian authorities.

Ahmed* is a 23-year-old Australian citizen whose dad and mom have been born in Lebanon. His household returned to Beirut in 2013 to re-establish their roots; nevertheless, the current battle compelled them to return to Melbourne on an evacuation flight.

“We received a name from the [Australian] authorities,” Ahmed recalled. “We packed ourselves up as shortly as attainable and as calmly as attainable, as a result of we weren’t allowed a number of baggage. After which we simply headed to the airport subsequent factor within the morning.”

Ahmed had lately accomplished a level on the American College of Beirut and was planning to start out a brand new job – then Israel began bombing. He quickly discovered himself volunteering in Beirut to assist the multiple million individuals who have been internally displaced as Israel intensified its assaults in current months.

Ahmed informed Al Jazeera that folks had fled “their properties in a heartbeat” and he wished to assist “present some aid to the displaced households”. He recalled the day when Israel detonated explosives hidden inside 1000’s of pagers utilized by Hezbollah members throughout the nation.

“I simply noticed a man fall down on the bottom with blood lined throughout his hip. Individuals thought he was getting shot from a sniper above. After which after that, I began seeing ambulances coming,” Ahmed mentioned.

“There was a lot confusion, there was a lot chaos. It was a really powerful state of affairs. That was the turning level. This was actual,” he mentioned.

With the violence escalating, his household have been compelled to make the troublesome resolution to go away their homeland and rapidly return to Australia.

“Lebanese individuals are very resilient,” Ahmed mentioned. “We’ve seen this time and again. Now we have someplace to go, however others don’t, and so we’re very grateful.”

Spike in Islamophobia

Whereas the Lebanese Australian neighborhood is numerous – with about 40 p.c figuring out as Muslim and 48 p.c as Christian – there was a reported rise in Islamophobic incidents because the Hamas assault towards Israel on October 7, 2023.

Within the weeks following the raid, Islamophobia Register Australia reported that incidents of Islamophobia at Australian universities had elevated 10-fold, and since then solely continued to rise.

Greater than 3 p.c of Australia’s inhabitants identifies as Muslim, from nations as numerous as Lebanon, Somalia, Turkey and Indonesia.

Adel Salman, chair of the Islamic Council of Victoria, informed Al Jazeera that a lot of the Islamophobia “has among the widespread tropes which can be utilized in anti-Muslim hate”.

Particularly, he informed Al Jazeera a standard theme was that Muslim Australians “are uncivilised and don’t share [Australian] values”.

Australia has a protracted historical past of Muslim migration and commerce, together with commerce between Indigenous Australians and Indonesian Macassan individuals lengthy earlier than the arrival of Europeans, and the migration of Afghan individuals within the 1860s, who arrived as cameleers to assist the exploration of Australia’s desert inside.

But regardless of a prolonged historical past in Australia, Islam is commonly thought of to be opposite to Australian values.

Australian Federal Minister Pauline Hanson, from the right-wing political get together One Nation, known as for a ban on Muslim migration in 2017, publicly stating individuals have to “vaccinate ourselves towards” Islam.

Australia can also be dwelling to a small Jewish inhabitants of about 90,000, who’ve reported an increase in anti-Semitic assaults.

To fight each Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, the Australian authorities has appointed “particular envoys” to handle the problem.

Regardless of these measures, Adel Salman informed Al Jazeera the federal government’s predominantly pro-Israel stance has proved “alienating” to Australia’s Muslim neighborhood. At present, the Australian authorities doesn’t recognise a Palestinian state and says it’s “strongly against unfair concentrating on of Israel within the United Nations and different multilateral establishments”.

In 2018, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison even thought of transferring the Australian embassy to Jerusalem, signalling a pro-Israel shift just like that made by america below the Trump administration. And in contrast to nations such because the Netherlands and the UK, which have ceased some weapons commerce with Israel, Australia continues to export weapons parts to Israel equivalent to these used within the development of F-35 jets at the moment bombing each Gaza and Beirut.

“I feel the federal government has misplaced a number of help from the Muslim neighborhood due to their stance,” Salman informed Al Jazeera.

“This may increasingly really information their voting preferences on the subject of the upcoming elections. The federal government actually ought to take discover of this,” he mentioned.

‘Lebanon can not turn out to be the subsequent Gaza’

The streets of Sydney and Melbourne have additionally performed host to massive pro-Palestinian protests. Whereas the protests have centred on the continuing genocide in Gaza, the assaults on Lebanon have additionally come to the forefront of neighborhood motion.

These protests have been in the principle peaceable and orderly, however the presence of Hezbollah flags and pictures of the organisation’s late chief – Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an Israeli bombing assault in September – has induced controversy.

In Sydney, a 19-year-old girl was arrested and charged for carrying a Hezbollah flag, and whereas it was an remoted occasion, it drew widespread media consideration and condemnation from some sides of the Australian authorities.

Just like the US, the Australian authorities has registered Hezbollah as a “proscribed terrorist organisation”; as such, public show of the Hezbollah flag or {a photograph} of Hassan Nasrallah could also be thought of a felony offence below Australian regulation.

Michael Kheirallah of the Victorian Lebanese Neighborhood Council informed Al Jazeera that whereas some might help Hezbollah, Australian regulation ought to nonetheless be adopted.

“I feel the authorities have handled this subject. I don’t assume it is going to occur once more. Individuals in Australia have been protesting over one yr, and we haven’t had any critical incidents,” he mentioned.

Together with the evacuation flights from Lebanon, the Australian authorities has dedicated $94.5m in humanitarian help to help civilians affected by conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

Most lately, Australia additionally joined the US and 10 different nations in calling for an instantaneous 21-day ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border. A spokesperson from Australia’s Division of Overseas Affairs and Commerce informed Al Jazeera the Australian authorities would proceed to help the Lebanese neighborhood and supply assist to each Lebanon and Gaza.

“Lebanese civilians can’t be made to pay the value of defeating” Hezbollah, the division mentioned in an announcement.

“Because the Overseas Minister [Penny Wong] has mentioned, Lebanon can not turn out to be the subsequent Gaza,” the division added.

But for Lebanese Australians – and their households again dwelling – a ceasefire can not come quick sufficient.

*Ahmed is a pseudonym because the interviewee didn’t need their identify revealed due to safety issues for household that stay in Lebanon.