TU Delft student and Delta columnist Tarek Ghobar was stranded in Delft this past summer, as his family back home in southern Lebanon desperately tried to escape from Israel’s bombardment of the region.
Unable to travel to Lebanon, Tarek’s recent <@normaal cursief>Delta 24 column recounted the personal crisis he endured here as the conflict engulfed his family and he was powerless to help.
With the Lebanon/Israel ceasefire holding, the latest official Lebanese death toll now stands at 1,300 total: 1,230 civilians, 31 Lebanese soldiers and 60 Hezbollah fighters. The official Israeli death toll is 157 total: 39 civilians and 118 soldiers.
TU Delft student Tarek Ghobar’s family back in his Lebanese hometown of Ibel es Saqi, were among the many civilians caught in the crossfire. During the first week of Israel’s offensive, some 80 members of Tarek’s extended family were trapped in Ibel es Saqi, which is 15 minutes from Israel’s border and also a Hezbollah stronghold.
This conflict erupted as Tarek was preparing to return home for the summer holiday. He never made it. Instead, he was stuck in Delft, helplessly watching the tragedy unfold on television. Tarek wrote about this traumatic experience in his Delta 24 column and has started a Lebanon/Israel discussion forum on TU Delft’s website (forum.tudelft.nl, click ‘International Student Forum’, and open ‘War on Lebanon’). Delta also received letters from readers reacting to the political views expressed in Tarek’s column.
What’s the latest news from home?
“During Israel’s’ bombardment, my mother, sister and younger brother managed to flee Ibel es Saqi and reach a safer area. A week after the ceasefire, they returned home to Ibel es Saqi.”
What emotions were you dealing with this summer in Delft as your family suffered in Lebanon?
“Sadness, anger, hate, depression….When the conflict started, I could only worry about my family. But once they escaped to safety, I could think about the overall conflict and was furious about loss of innocent lives. The worst feeling though was being powerless to help my family.”
Did you get professional help during this personal crisis?
“Professional help was limited to my study advisor, because although I really tried, I just couldn’t study properly for the August exams. I only felt fairly emotionally stable when talking to my family on the phone.”
Did your exam grades suffer as a result?
“Studying has never before so hard. I couldn’t concentrate properly and consequently I can’t say my exams went great. The grades aren’t out yet, but I’m hoping for the best.”
In your column, you expressed your disappointment about going to the International Office during the crisis to see a counselor, only to be told you still had to follow the rules for this and first “send an email to the Student Facility Center to set up an appointment.” A letter to Delta’s editor called this your “negative cannonade about…the International Office.” Is this fair criticism?
“No. My point was that during such a personal crisis, exceptions to the rules should be made, and students treated differently, depending on the circumstances.”
How do you suggest the International Office handle such situations in future?
“Because TU Delft now has so many foreign students from so many different countries, some of them war torn or in fragile states of peace, wouldn’t it be good idea for the TU to set up a special crisis team for such foreign conflicts and also for natural disasters?”
A Delta reader wrote in to say, “Tarek’s column is not the place to state boldly a strong political opinion,” and added that, “Having read Delta for the past five years…this paper is not meant to discuss general world news, but university-related and local issues.” Do you agree?
“No. Delta covers university and student matters. And Delta’s English Pages deal mostly with foreign students and their issues. I’m a foreign student, and I had an issue that was also world news! I certainly would not have liked it if Delta censored me for freely expressing my views.”
Has this conflict changed your feelings about the value of human life?
“The people in power in some of the major countries in this conflict have little value for human life. If you agree to kill innocent people, you don’t value life.”
Has this war made you more committed to return to Lebanon after graduation to help rebuild your country?
“Lebanon’s destruction will create many jobs and bring more investment. I want to be part of this. But the conflict negatively affected my financial situation and exam results, which could lead to my graduation being delayed.”
As an Aerospace Engineering student, do you plan to work for Lebanon’s defense industry, helping to build a stronger Lebanese military force?
“I’d love to be a part of such a force! In fact, I’ve already applied. Unfortunately, many powers won’t allow Lebanon to build up such a strong force.”
Is your ‘War on Lebanon’ forum getting more students involved in this discussion?
“Yes, the forum’s slowly getting more exciting. It’s important to have students from both sides posting, because this helps readers better understand the whole conflict.”
Tarek Ghobar’s next column, ‘Tarek’s Diary’, will be published in Delta 28. Tarek’s previous column, referred to in this interview, is available in the Delta 24 archive: www.delta.tudelft. Tarek can be emailed at: t.ghobar@tudelft.nl
“Wouldn’t it be good idea for the TU to set up a special crisis team for foreign conflicts and for natural disasters?” (Foto: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)
With the Lebanon/Israel ceasefire holding, the latest official Lebanese death toll now stands at 1,300 total: 1,230 civilians, 31 Lebanese soldiers and 60 Hezbollah fighters. The official Israeli death toll is 157 total: 39 civilians and 118 soldiers.
TU Delft student Tarek Ghobar’s family back in his Lebanese hometown of Ibel es Saqi, were among the many civilians caught in the crossfire. During the first week of Israel’s offensive, some 80 members of Tarek’s extended family were trapped in Ibel es Saqi, which is 15 minutes from Israel’s border and also a Hezbollah stronghold.
This conflict erupted as Tarek was preparing to return home for the summer holiday. He never made it. Instead, he was stuck in Delft, helplessly watching the tragedy unfold on television. Tarek wrote about this traumatic experience in his Delta 24 column and has started a Lebanon/Israel discussion forum on TU Delft’s website (forum.tudelft.nl, click ‘International Student Forum’, and open ‘War on Lebanon’). Delta also received letters from readers reacting to the political views expressed in Tarek’s column.
What’s the latest news from home?
“During Israel’s’ bombardment, my mother, sister and younger brother managed to flee Ibel es Saqi and reach a safer area. A week after the ceasefire, they returned home to Ibel es Saqi.”
What emotions were you dealing with this summer in Delft as your family suffered in Lebanon?
“Sadness, anger, hate, depression….When the conflict started, I could only worry about my family. But once they escaped to safety, I could think about the overall conflict and was furious about loss of innocent lives. The worst feeling though was being powerless to help my family.”
Did you get professional help during this personal crisis?
“Professional help was limited to my study advisor, because although I really tried, I just couldn’t study properly for the August exams. I only felt fairly emotionally stable when talking to my family on the phone.”
Did your exam grades suffer as a result?
“Studying has never before so hard. I couldn’t concentrate properly and consequently I can’t say my exams went great. The grades aren’t out yet, but I’m hoping for the best.”
In your column, you expressed your disappointment about going to the International Office during the crisis to see a counselor, only to be told you still had to follow the rules for this and first “send an email to the Student Facility Center to set up an appointment.” A letter to Delta’s editor called this your “negative cannonade about…the International Office.” Is this fair criticism?
“No. My point was that during such a personal crisis, exceptions to the rules should be made, and students treated differently, depending on the circumstances.”
How do you suggest the International Office handle such situations in future?
“Because TU Delft now has so many foreign students from so many different countries, some of them war torn or in fragile states of peace, wouldn’t it be good idea for the TU to set up a special crisis team for such foreign conflicts and also for natural disasters?”
A Delta reader wrote in to say, “Tarek’s column is not the place to state boldly a strong political opinion,” and added that, “Having read Delta for the past five years…this paper is not meant to discuss general world news, but university-related and local issues.” Do you agree?
“No. Delta covers university and student matters. And Delta’s English Pages deal mostly with foreign students and their issues. I’m a foreign student, and I had an issue that was also world news! I certainly would not have liked it if Delta censored me for freely expressing my views.”
Has this conflict changed your feelings about the value of human life?
“The people in power in some of the major countries in this conflict have little value for human life. If you agree to kill innocent people, you don’t value life.”
Has this war made you more committed to return to Lebanon after graduation to help rebuild your country?
“Lebanon’s destruction will create many jobs and bring more investment. I want to be part of this. But the conflict negatively affected my financial situation and exam results, which could lead to my graduation being delayed.”
As an Aerospace Engineering student, do you plan to work for Lebanon’s defense industry, helping to build a stronger Lebanese military force?
“I’d love to be a part of such a force! In fact, I’ve already applied. Unfortunately, many powers won’t allow Lebanon to build up such a strong force.”
Is your ‘War on Lebanon’ forum getting more students involved in this discussion?
“Yes, the forum’s slowly getting more exciting. It’s important to have students from both sides posting, because this helps readers better understand the whole conflict.”
Tarek Ghobar’s next column, ‘Tarek’s Diary’, will be published in Delta 28. Tarek’s previous column, referred to in this interview, is available in the Delta 24 archive: www.delta.tudelft. Tarek can be emailed at: t.ghobar@tudelft.nl
“Wouldn’t it be good idea for the TU to set up a special crisis team for foreign conflicts and for natural disasters?” (Foto: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)
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