Lebanese TV stations unite news broadcast in solidarity with Gaza

Eight major Lebanese TV channels yesterday evening aired a united news broadcast entitled “Palestine…You’re not alone”, in solidarity with the people of Gaza against the Israeli aggression which has led to the killing of more than 600 Palestinians, mostly civilians.

The half hour news broadcast was aired at 20:10 and included reports covering the humanitarian dimensions of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Editor-in-Chief of the As-Safir newspaper, Talal Salman who launched the initiative told AFP: “We suffered similar pains and it is only natural to tell the people of Gaza that we are with you.

“We cannot send them aid or arms but at least we can raise our voice and say we are with you, your cause is fair and we share your pains and sufferings. It is the only thing we can.”

Salman pointed out that “it is the first time that the Lebanese TV channels take this step” noting that despite their political and partisan difference, the channels responded to the initiative due to the scale of the disaster.

LBC Chief Editor Lara Zelaum said the news broadcast was a “joint effort in every sense of the word including technical and editorial levels to salute the people of Gaza and their children.”

Zelaum said: “We have limited capacities, but it is a simple gesture to the Gaza Strip, to tell the people there that we see and stand in solidarity with them.”

Social networking sites launched a hash tag in solidarity with the Gaza Strip to coincide with the united broadcast. One user wrote on Twitter: “This is Lebanon embracing your wounds through its visual media in a symbolic gesture. We assure you that you are not alone, your enemy is the entire nation’s enemy.”