Beirut: The City as a Body Politic

Abstract

Israeli bombs completely destroyed Beirut’s neighbourhood Haret Hreik in the summer of 2006. Because Hizbullah’s headquarters is located in the neighbourhood, Israeli war planners considered its destruction of particular symbolic and strategic relevance. For the same reasons, authority of reconstruction carried heightened symbolism and led to contestation between the central government and Hizbullah. In the intersection of these two powerful actors there remains little room for local residents to have a voice in the re-organization of their living spaces.