Five Troops for Every Tree: Lamenting Green Carnage in Contemporary Arab Women&apos;s War Diaries

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Arab Studies Quarterly

Volume 36, Issue 2

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Five Troops for Every Tree: Lamenting Green Carnage in Contemporary Arab Women's War Diaries

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Author(s): Nadine Sinno

Publication date (Print): Spring 2014

Journal: Arab Studies Quarterly

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Keywords: war, environment, ecocriticism, blogs, Arab women's diaries, militarization

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Abstract

Stories about “green carnage” often get lost among headlines, which most often emphasize civilian and material costs in times of war. War's violation of the environment, however, has serious repercussions for the communities who have strong economic, emotional, and sociopolitical ties to the land. Using Ecocriticism as a framework, I provide a close textual analysis of five contemporary war diaries by Arab women, Suad Amiry's (2004) Sharon and My Mother-in-Law: Ramallah Diaries, Riverbend's (2005) Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq, Zena El-Khalil's (2006) “Beirut Update,” IraqiGirl's (2009) IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq, and Laila El-Haddad's (2010) Gaza Mom: Palestine, Politics, Parenting, and Everything in Between. I demonstrate how these environment-centered diaries engage with contemporary debates about the impact of militarization on the environment and how that environmental impact affects the inhabitants. I argue that these counter-narratives demonstrate an increasingly prominent environmental consciousness among civilians in war-torn countries in the Middle East.

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Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): arabstudquar

Title: Arab Studies Quarterly

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 02713519

ISSN (Electronic): 20436920

Publication date (Print): Spring 2014

Volume: 36

Issue: 2

Pages: 107-127

Article

Publisher ID: arabstudquar.36.2.0107

DOI: 10.13169/arabstudquar.36.2.0107

SO-VID: ececbbac-509d-4922-99b8-b26d24d7f4fd

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Notes

For details on the damage caused by the July 2006 bombing of the Jiyeh power plant, see “Lebanon Post-Conflict Report Assesses Spill Damages,” Oil Spill Intelligence Report (March 1, 2007).
According to Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), the humanitarian news and analysis service of the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 12,000 fishermen were impacted by the 2006 war. Many lost their boats during the attacks and were impeded from going back to sea due to the conflict and the pollution caused by the spill. Many of them had to count on handouts (including donations from Hizbullah and the United Arab Emirates) to survive. For details, see the IRIN report, “Lebanon: Fishermen Survive on Handouts,” October 19, 2006.
According to the Lebanese newspaper, The Daily Star, the United Nations has repeatedly called on Israel to offer compensation to the Lebanese government. For more details, see “Mikati Calls for Int. Tribunal to Try Israel for 2006 Lebanon Oil Spill,” June 22, 2012.
On December 27, 2008, Israeli forces began a unilateral bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip called Operation “Cast Lead.” Its stated aim was to put an end to rocket attacks into Israel by armed groups connected to Hamas or Fatah. By the time the ceasefire occurred on January 18, 2009, an estimate of 1,400 Palestinians had been killed, and large areas of Gaza had been razed, leaving thousands homeless and destroying Gaza's already ailing economy (For a detailed account, see “Israel/Gaza: Operation Cast Lead, 22 Days of Death and Destruction,” Amnesty International Report, July 2009.
According to the Oil Spill Intelligence Report (August 24, 2006), initial cleanup activities were disrupted by the hostilities and most international assistance projects had to be put on hold until a ceasefire occurred in mid-August, a month after the spill occurred. By that time, about 90 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian coastline were impacted.
For a comprehensive study of popular non-violent resistance among Palestinians, see Mazin B. Qumsiyeh's book, Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment (London: Pluto Press, 2011).
Members from various organizations, including the International Solidarity Movement and International Women's Peace Service, have documented the impact of the wall on the lives of Palestinians. Many activists have protested the building of the wall and provided Palestinian farmers with support and protection while harvesting their crops. For details on the construction and impact of the wall on Palestinian residents, see the following reports: “Seven Years after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Barrier: The Impact of the Barrier in the Jerusalem area,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, accessed December 2012, http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_barrier_update_july_2011_english.pdf; “The Humanitarian Impact of the Barrier: Four Years after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Barrier,” United Nations, accessed December 2012, http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/Barrier_Report_July_2008.pdf; and “Behind the Barrier: Human Rights Violations As a Result of Israel's Separation Barrier,” B'Tselem, accessed December 2012, http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/opt_prot_bteselem_Behind_The_Barrier_march_2003.pdf.

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Comment on this article

[1] For details on the damage caused by the July 2006 bombing of the Jiyeh power plant, see “Lebanon Post-Conflict Report Assesses Spill Damages,” Oil Spill Intelligence Report (March 1, 2007).

[2] According to Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), the humanitarian news and analysis service of the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 12,000 fishermen were impacted by the 2006 war. Many lost their boats during the attacks and were impeded from going back to sea due to the conflict and the pollution caused by the spill. Many of them had to count on handouts (including donations from Hizbullah and the United Arab Emirates) to survive. For details, see the IRIN report, “Lebanon: Fishermen Survive on Handouts,” October 19, 2006.

[3] According to the Lebanese newspaper, The Daily Star, the United Nations has repeatedly called on Israel to offer compensation to the Lebanese government. For more details, see “Mikati Calls for Int. Tribunal to Try Israel for 2006 Lebanon Oil Spill,” June 22, 2012.

[4] On December 27, 2008, Israeli forces began a unilateral bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip called Operation “Cast Lead.” Its stated aim was to put an end to rocket attacks into Israel by armed groups connected to Hamas or Fatah. By the time the ceasefire occurred on January 18, 2009, an estimate of 1,400 Palestinians had been killed, and large areas of Gaza had been razed, leaving thousands homeless and destroying Gaza's already ailing economy (For a detailed account, see “Israel/Gaza: Operation Cast Lead, 22 Days of Death and Destruction,” Amnesty International Report, July 2009.

[5] According to the Oil Spill Intelligence Report (August 24, 2006), initial cleanup activities were disrupted by the hostilities and most international assistance projects had to be put on hold until a ceasefire occurred in mid-August, a month after the spill occurred. By that time, about 90 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian coastline were impacted.

[6] For a comprehensive study of popular non-violent resistance among Palestinians, see Mazin B. Qumsiyeh's book, Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment (London: Pluto Press, 2011).

[7] Members from various organizations, including the International Solidarity Movement and International Women's Peace Service, have documented the impact of the wall on the lives of Palestinians. Many activists have protested the building of the wall and provided Palestinian farmers with support and protection while harvesting their crops. For details on the construction and impact of the wall on Palestinian residents, see the following reports: “Seven Years after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Barrier: The Impact of the Barrier in the Jerusalem area,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, accessed December 2012, http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_barrier_update_july_2011_english.pdf; “The Humanitarian Impact of the Barrier: Four Years after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Barrier,” United Nations, accessed December 2012, http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/Barrier_Report_July_2008.pdf; and “Behind the Barrier: Human Rights Violations As a Result of Israel's Separation Barrier,” B'Tselem, accessed December 2012, http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/opt_prot_bteselem_Behind_The_Barrier_march_2003.pdf.