By Dr. Fadi El Jamal
PhD Political and International Relations Officer, Green Party of Lebanon, Co-Convenor, Asia Pacific Greens Federation (APGF)
With Michelle Sheather
Australian Greens International Development Coordinator
A country under siege
Since 2 March 2026, Lebanon has been engulfed in a devastating war that has displaced over one million people and claimed over 3,600 lives. Entire neighborhoods in Beirut's southern suburbs, villages across the South, and communities in the Bekaa Valley have been reduced to rubble.
At the time of publication, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) is occupying 70 villages in Lebanon.
The humanitarian situation is catastrophic. Over 134,000 internally displaced persons are registered in 639 collective shelters, many of which are at or over capacity. Families are sleeping in the streets, in unfinished buildings, in makeshift tents. Forty-seven primary health centers have closed. Five hospitals are out of service. Children are out of school. The elderly are without medication.
The war did not begin in March 2026. For the Lebanese people, the conflict has roots reaching back to 1948. The current escalation is part of a broader regional conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
The Targeting of Civilians - A War Crime
The scale of civilian suffering is staggering. Israeli airstrikes have repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure: directed at schools, hospitals, residential buildings, and humanitarian workers. At least 201 attacks on healthcare facilities have been recorded, resulting in the deaths of 134 healthcare workers. Medics, journalists, and aid workers have been killed while trying to save lives and document the truth.
More journalists have been killed in Southern Lebanon and Gaza than in all of the World Wars and regional conflicts going back to the American Civil War. This of course restricts the news coverage and reporting of what is really happening on the ground.
The Australian Greens and the Asia Pacific Greens Federation (APGF) have condemned these attacks in the strongest terms. The killing of over 250 people in a single day, including many women and children, constitutes a war crime demanding immediate international investigation and accountability.
The systematic violence has also had a devastating impact on agricultural livelihoods. Farmers have reported destroyed olive groves, damaged irrigation systems, inaccessible farmland, and contamination from explosive remnants of war, a direct assault on Lebanon's food security and cultural heritage.
In a statement issued in April 2026, APGF and the Global Greens declared that this war is "illegal and unjustified," violating Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of any state. The APGF has called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a complete arms embargo on Israel, protection for civilians and civilian infrastructure, accountability for war crimes, and respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and right to self-determination.
This position is grounded in the conviction that peace is an ecological condition. There can be no lasting security where international law is trampled, where civilians are sacrificed, and where diplomacy is abandoned for the brutality of war.
The Green Party of Lebanon: On the Ground, Showing Up
Despite everything, the Green Party of Lebanon is on the ground. We are small, under-resourced, and many of our own members are themselves displaced, bereaved, and traumatised.
But we are doing what Greens do best: showing up.
We are helping families find shelter. We are maintaining secure communication systems to keep our members connected across displacement. We are documenting environmental destruction for future accountability. We are activists, citizens, neighbours, and we are doing what we can with what we have.
Our work is rooted in the Global Green principles of ecological wisdom, social justice, participatory democracy, non-violence, sustainability, and respect for diversity. We believe that environmental justice and social justice are inseparable. This is why we have documented the environmental devastation caused by the war, toxic spills from bombed industrial sites, contaminated soil and water, use of new sulphur weapons, the destruction of forests and agricultural land, to ensure accountability and to advocate for a green reconstruction when peace returns.
The Role of the Australian Greens
We owe a profound debt of gratitude to the Australian Greens for your unwavering solidarity. Your support has been vital in helping us maintain our organisational capacity during this crisis. Through the International Development Committee (IDC), the Australian Greens have supported the Green Party of Lebanon's work for years, including our recent pivot from election preparation to emergency relief and digital resilience.
We also deeply appreciate the advocacy of Greens parliamentarians who have spoken out against this war. Senator David Shoebridge has challenged the Australian Government to oppose Israel's invasion and to cancel weapons contracts as a protest against what he called this "disastrous, illegal, immoral war." In the Senate, Greens senators have consistently demanded de-escalation and an end to the conflict.
Your political courage gives us hope that the world is watching, and that justice is possible.
How You Can Help
Please continue to stand with us. Here is how you can help:
1. Pressure the Australian Government: Call on the Australian government to put direct pressure on Israel to stop the bombing, including cancelling arms contracts. Send letters to your MP. Show up at protests. Demand that Australia honour its commitment to international law and human rights.
2. Support the Humanitarian Response: Donate to humanitarian appeals supporting displaced families. The UN International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Flash Appeal for Lebanon seeks USD $42.37 million to sustain emergency response. Every dollar counts. The Green Party of Lebanon also has an appeal through APGF so we can help directly with the humanitarian aid such as food, water, clothing to our displaced peoples. You can donate directly through the following details:
Account Name: Asia Pacific Greens Federation Ltd
BSB: 633-000
Account Number: 156991366
All funds will be used for us to assist in humanitarian efforts in Lebanon.
3. Amplify Our Voice: Share our story. Post on social media, distribute this newsletter article to your branches and members. Write to your local newspaper. Let the world know that Lebanon is bleeding, and that the Green Party of Lebanon is fighting for peace, justice, and ecological reconstruction.
A Message of Hope and Solidarity
We are Greens because we believe in the possibility of a better world. That belief is tested every day in Lebanon right now.
But we still believe it.
We believe that when the bombs stop, the Lebanese Greens will be there to help rebuild. We believe that a politics of ecology, peace, and justice can take root in our country. We believe that the ancient city of Tyre, one of the oldest in the world, can be rebuilt. We believe that the olive groves can be replanted. We believe that the children of Lebanon can have a future.
But we cannot do it alone. We need you. We need your voices. We need your solidarity. We need you to act.
The killing must stop. The reconstruction must begin. The right to development must be realised.
Thank you for standing with Lebanon. Thank you for standing with us.
