Sereina Khalifeh

​The depiction of conflict within the media is rarely neutral and often subjected to biases. The recent war between Lebanon and Israel provided a first-hand example of the biases in media and the selective reporting that can manipulate the perception of the public discourse. The narrative presented tends to mirror geopolitical alignments, editorial agendas, and societal prejudices. This influences the way the audience analyzes the conflict. This piece will tackle the discrepancies found within media coverage, focusing on the portrayal of events in Lebanon versus those in Israel amidst the war, while critiquing the role of media in escalating polarization and confusion.

Lorenzo Cogliolo

After October 8, 2023, amid Hezbollah’s involvement in cross-border fighting with Israel in solidarity with Hamas’ ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’, Tel Aviv escalated the conflict into a full-blown war on September 17, 2024. After more than 4,000 Lebanese killed, 16,500 wounded, 1.6 million people uprooted, a ground invasion, and relentless bombings resulting in what analysts refer to as urbicide, on November 27, 2024, a ceasefire agreement was signed. Accordingly, the Israeli army has 60 days to withdraw from Lebanon. Despite numerous violations of the ceasefire, early reconstruction efforts have already started. Lessons from the rebuilding of Beirut’s city center following the Lebanese civil war and Haret Hreik after the 2006 July War, can shed light on the interplay between post-war urban recovery and social equity and yielding insights into the current reconstruction process.