The region is currently experiencing an extended war, from the West Bank, where people are killed, imprisoned, and their homes occupied, to Gaza, facing various forms of destruction—humanitarian, environmental, urban, psychological, etc. 

Lebanon, despite its small size, is divided into “normal” areas and war-affected areas, with everyone indirectly impacted by the war. However, southern Lebanon is now the sole battleground against Israel in Lebanon, significantly influencing the fate of the residents and the paths of confrontation. Understanding and documenting how the land, people, and livelihoods are affected by this war are crucial.

This dossier seeks to debunk the direct and indirect impacts of the 2023 Israeli war on various aspects of life, including displacement, housing rights, agricultural practices, and the environment, influencing lifestyles and methods of living. It questions the state’s role and the ways it supports the population in a challenging economic reality.

Read the full dossier’s introduction in Arabic here.

Featured image source: Hassan Fneish – AFP

 

Rayan Alaeddine

Researcher

Rayan is a civil engineer holding a Master’s degree in public works and road planning from the Lebanese University (2019), and a dual Master’s degree in geotechnical engineering from the University of Lille-France and the Lebanese University (2021). Using a variety of research and fieldwork tools, she is interested in discovering the dynamics of the urban environment, while adapting it to the fair and just use of people and all living creatures. Her work also includes monitoring and observing the changes of various urban elements and factors.

 

Christina Abou Rouphaël

Researcher

Christina is an architect and urban researcher who graduated with a Master’s degree in Architecture (2015) and Urban Planning (2017) from the Faculty of Architecture and Fine Arts of the Lebanese University. She is currently working on various research projects related to urban issues, public property and the right to the city.

 

Tala Alaeddine

Research Unit Coordinator and Researcher

Tala graduated with a Master’s degree in Architecture from the Lebanese University, Faculty of Architecture and Fine Arts Branch II (2017), and received Academic excellence certificates and Scholarships from The Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development and the Lebanese American University. Her work focuses on land and housing issues in Lebanon, and includes studying and analyzing Lebanese regional masterplans, monitoring planning institutions practices, and advocating for participatory approaches in planning and reconstruction.

 

Yara Abdelkhalek

Land Policy Observatory Coordinator and Coordinator of Advocacy and Community Work

Yara is an architect and urban researcher who graduated with a MA in Architecture from the Lebanese University in 2017, and a MA in Urban Planning in 2023. She is interested in urban activism and the way in which local organizing shapes the city. Her work focuses on urbanism in relation to law and the state, using a lens on the right to the city violation, as well as networking to raise advocacy on urban-related issues.

Housing Natural Resources Reconstruction and Recovery Lebanon Palestine