Sorley Mosedale, Pembroke College, Oxford

An amalgam of Palestinian refugee camps and Hezbollah-affiliated Shia neighbourhoods, the notorious Dahieh district has long been at the centre of several issues within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. From wars with Israel to the growing influence of Iran, Dahieh’s turbulent past has left it in a state of isolation and destitution. Following its turbulent history in the Lebanese Civil War and Israel’s 2006 invasion, I travelled to Dahieh to get a glimpse of what life is really like today in this district of Beirut’s southern suburbs. What I found was a neighbourhood scarred by the conflicts of the past and bearing the brunt of Lebanon’s current crises.

Driving south from Beirut’s city centre, visitors are greeted by the green and yellow flags of Hezbollah guiding traffic to a solitary Lebanese army checkpoint on the edge of Dahieh. A stark reminder that the country’s official security forces do not venture further into the neighbourhood. Glancing briefly at each driver, the young soldier waves the cars through.

The scars of past conflicts are everywhere. Buildings are pockmarked by bullets and graffiti reads ‘death to America’. The scarring continues below ground where Hezbollah’s extensive tunnel network is hidden from view. These remains tell the story of the devastating 2006 Lebanon War when Israel invaded southern Lebanon following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. Ordinary Shia Muslims suffered most with the Dahieh district being repeatedly shelled by Israel.

The psychological scars cut even deeper. While many of the buildings destroyed during the war have now been rebuilt, many residents testified anonymously that they still carry the horrific memories embedded in their minds.

Yet, the suffering of the 2006 War was nothing new to long-time Dahieh residents. During the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War, the Palestinian and Shia residents of Dahieh endured Israeli airstrikes, bombings, Syrian occupation, and even what the UN termed an “act of genocide” in the massacre in the Shatila refugee camp. These shared experiences have hardened the residents of Dahieh, instilling an urge to resist persecution and poverty.

This mentality is evident in everyday life for the residents of Bourj al-Barajneh, one of Dahieh’s Palestinian refugee camps. Packed with kebab shops and street vendors, overflowing onto the road in places, the residents of Bourj al-Barajneh fight to sell their produce amidst the decaying rubbish on sewage-stained tarmac. Street vendors’ calls drown out the distant hum of the generators, a constant reminder that the government grid only provides a few hours of electricity a day. 

Heading deeper into the camp, the sense of isolation grows stronger. The air thickens as the streets narrow between the cramped multi-storey concrete boxes the inhabitants of Bourj al-Barajneh call home. Even the murals of the former Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) leader, Yasser Arafat, are fading, as if silently reflecting the sinking profile of Palestine, its leaders and people, both in Lebanon and on the world stage in general.

Bourj al-Barajneh, like the rest of the Dahieh district, has been left internationally isolated. The complexity of administering significant aid to these Palestinian and Hezbollah-affiliated neighbourhoods, without offending Israel or Iran, has proven too difficult for individual states. What little aid does reach Bourj al-Barajneh is provided by NGOs or the United Nations (UN).

However, even aid from the UN is limited. Cramped conditions mean that all schools run by UNWRA, the UN’s agency responsible for Palestine refugees, are located outside of the camp. Furthermore, the lack of administration and policing of the camp has left it in a lawless state. These appalling conditions have been exacerbated by a perfect storm of Lebanon’s contemporary crises.

Since Lebanon’s political and financial crisis began in 2019, poverty has plagued the country due to economic mismanagement and a banking collapse. The coronavirus pandemic and a steady influx of Syrian refugees have strained the economy further. Dahieh has been hit hardest. Today, Syrian refugees have exacerbated existing overcrowding and the inability of the already-failing infrastructure to cope, while Covid-19 has caused businesses to close leaving many Dahieh residents without an income. Their only lifeline remains NGOs and groups such as Hezbollah promising relief.

The continued lack of action from the Lebanese state will have implications upon Lebanon and the region as a whole. However, the effects of further inaction are not confined to a humanitarian crisis but have arguably greater political implications.

As the situation worsens, groups such as Hezbollah gain more control over Dahieh. Building up a stronger support base and embedding itself in key institutions such as schools and hospitals, Hezbollah has cemented itself within the district. This sense of security has emboldened the group.

A more confident Hezbollah risks further conflict with Israel which, in turn, would cause even more lasting damage to the politics of the Middle East. For Dahieh, an escalation in violence with Israel would only bring destruction, again.

Clambering back into a taxi, within minutes the slums of Dahieh are soon replaced by the high-rises of downtown Beirut. Here in Lebanon’s capital, the glaring inequality is all-encompassing. While the future of Dahieh remains uncertain, one thing is for sure. Time is running out. The Lebanese government must act fast to provide basic services before isolation and destitution tears Dahieh apart.