"The renewed debate over a possible "Israeli" withdrawal from the south has had little impact on the daily struggle for survival experienced by the few elderly, war-weary residents of Qantara, a village tucked just inside the central sector of the occupation zone".
"On a wet winters morning, the sky a mantle of gray cloud, Qantaras single deserted road and bombed-out houses provide a bleak testimony to the hardships of the handful of residents remaining.
Only 30 elderly villagers remain in the village eking out a precarious living from planting tobacco and tending the wizened olive trees surrounding the village. Given the meager income generated by local farming, the residents are forced to rely more on occasional handouts from Unifil and the International Committee for the Red Cross".
The economic situation here is very bad, said Mohammed Atwi, 68, the only villager interviewed by The Daily Star who was willing to give his name.
If I could leave I would. I only have some olives and one cow, which gives us some yogurt enough to eat but not enough to sell. Someone from the Red Cross passes by every four months and gives us some rice, butter and oil. Thats how we survive, he said.
"Outside Mr. Atwis cold, cheerless house, thunder rumbled across the rolling landscape and wind lashed the windows with rain. Mr. Atwi tugged his brown wool abaya more tightly around his shoulders".
"Just up the road from his house lies a position manned by the South
Lebanon Army*. The outpost
dominates the village and is regularly targeted by the resistance,
firing mortars from outside the zone.
Inevitably, "Israeli" artillery located in either Khiam or Meiss al-Jabal pound the areas from where the attacks are staged, while SLA machine gunners in the Qantara post and other nearby positions in Qsair and Salah spray the surrounding countryside with bullets".
"During the 1978 invasion, fierce battles were fought in Qantara between Palestinian guerrillas and "Israeli" troops. Several residents were killed in the conflict, including Mr. Atwis first wife.
Following the deployment of Unifil troops in the south, "Israeli" forces retreated to the border and Qantara fell under the auspices of Finnish peacekeepers".
"But following the second "Israeli" invasion four years later, the village was incorporated into the occupation zone.
"Qantara is separated from state-controlled Lebanon by the yawning depths of Wadi Hojeir, which snakes north from Wadi Salouqi to reach the Litani River below the village of Qaaqaaiet al-Jisr.
Although Qantara is only 10 minutes drive from edge of the zone, the road running between the village and Ghandourieh is open only for UN personnel. All residents wishing to leave the zone have to pass through the SLA checkpoint at Kfar Tibnit near Nabatieh, a journey of around one hour.
Qantaras isolation from the rest of Lebanon is highlighted by the proximity of the front line village of Qabrikha, lying barely 1 kilometer away on the other side of Wadi Hojeir.
We do feel its unfair when we look at Qabrikha. We have no one here to tell us God give you strength, said an elderly women as she brewed tea.
The villagers have suffered from a lack of water since the system was destroyed by shelling 14 years ago.
We had to collect our water from the spring and carry it back home on our heads just as our ancestors used to do, the woman said.
"Now, they pay LL30,000 to have water delivered by truck from Kfar Kila.
Wrapped in blankets and huddled over the stove the only source of heat in their home the elderly couple had clearly lost any defiance they might have had to the occupation. Amid the demands of daily survival, they suffered a personal tragedy when their daughter was killed by a roadside bomb outside the village in 1991".
She went to the SLA position to ask permission to leave the village. She was returning from the post with a friend when the bomb exploded. Both of them were killed instantly, she recalled. Then she lapsed into silence, tears trickling down the creases of her cheeks.
"On the eastern outskirts of the village lies the Finnish battalions
9-50 outpost. The 12 soldiers manning the small post spend their entire
year-long tour alternating between 9-50 and 9-51 located on the hill above
the village. The post is only 100 meters from the SLA position and as such
the
soldiers manning 9-50 record many firings close when resistance mortar
rounds explode nearby".
Weve had a number of firings close in the last 10 months. If the shells hit 200 meters or less from our post we go into the bunkers, said Lieutenant Jukka Sepata, the officer commanding the 9-50 post.
" The platoon patrols the village twice a day to ensure there are no "Israeli" or SLA troop infiltrations and to check on the well-being of the villagers"
"The soldiers greatest enemy is boredom. Other than a gym and a collection of video tapes, the platoon has little else to do other than add to the collection of rusting shell and mortar casings, exploded Katyusha rockets and other assorted ordinance deposited in one corner of the outpost".
"But for the villagers, the presence of Unifil soldiers has imparted a degree of reassurance that at least somebody has their interests at heart".