'Lebanese working very hard to rebuild'

Firas Al-Atraqchi, Aljazeera.net

Israel completed its withdrawal from Lebanese territory this week but local and international relief workers say the army has left a trail of destruction and devastation in its wake. According to the Lebanese interior ministry, at least 1,180 people were killed during the conflict, a third of them children, while another 4,036 were injured. Around 15,000 homes were destroyed and 80 vital bridges are now unusable. Ray Jureidini is an associate professor of sociology and the acting director of the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies department at the American University in Cairo. Jureidini is part of a task force initiative on relief and recovery in Lebanon from where he recently returned. He says he saw a nation still traumatised by the 33-day conflict that ended on 15 August but that the Lebanese are slowly rebuilding and reviving their economy...

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