South of Beirut the mother of all traffic jams stretches for miles. Every bridge big and small has been bombed and engineers are working around the clock to clear the way around or to put in temporary ones.
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Volunteers from nearby houses direct the traffic and give out water to motorists and their families. The Lebanese really do bring the concept of solidarity to a whole new level. Despite the heat and the delays the mood is upbeat almost to the extent of being a party atmosphere. Ninety percent of the congestion is made up of refugee families returning to the south. The fact that many of them are returning to destroyed homes and the funerals of their relatives has not dampened the atmosphere. They sing, they wave flags. They tell me and other visitors again and again that they have won. That their land and homes have been liberated from the Israeli invaders.
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