Photo: 'One of the fastest displacement crises the country has faced.' - The International Rescue Committee, on Lebanon.
Lebanon and Palestine Friends cancel YM
Friends have cancelled the Yearly Meeting that was due to be held in the Middle East
Friends in Lebanon and Palestine have been forced to cancel their Middle East Yearly Meeting (YM) due to the war. Middle East YM was due to meet this month, on 6-10 April, for the first time since the 1990s. Michael Eccles, executive secretary of Friends World Committee – Europe & Middle East Section (FWCC-EMES), told the Friend: ‘Around fifty people had registered from all over the world, including Australia, Britain, Ireland, Palestine, Lebanon, and the USA.’
Rania Maayeh, head of Ramallah Friends School, told FWCC-EMES that, due to concerns about falling debris, the school moved to remote learning when the war started. She said: ‘At the moment, the school campus is largely closed, with the exception of Grade 11 and 12 students who attend in person due to taking exams. A small piece of missile debris fell on the school grounds and was found on the basketball playground. Fortunately, no one was present at the time it fell. Despite its small size, it was quite heavy and could have caused serious harm. In Ramallah explosions are regularly heard and the war has further exacerbated the already difficult situation there; roads have been blocked and checkpoints closed for several days, making movement very challenging. Settler attacks also continue, and the situation remains tense.’
Sabah Baz, from Brummana Meeting, described the effect of the war on life in Lebanon, where Israeli planes and drones are attacking targets in Beirut. ‘Since the war restarted on March 2nd, 2026, over 700 people have been killed, including 91 children, 1,586 injured, and more than 800,000 have been displaced, with many seeking shelter in collective centres or fleeing to other parts of the country. Shelters are struggling to cope with the numbers and there is growing concern about the spread of infectious diseases. Brummana, where Friends in Lebanon live, has been relatively safe but the bombing of Beirut is only fifteen miles away; the people of Brummana are helping people who have fled Beirut with their limited resources.’
According to FWCC-EMES, ‘David Gray, principal of Brummana High School, and the school staff have tried to keep the school open, only closing it when it became impossible for students to physically reach the school (see Special Interest Group report, 27 March).
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said on 19 March that one million people had been displaced in Lebanon in the previous two weeks. The IRC warned that ‘one of the fastest displacement crises the country has faced is straining already fragile services and pushing communities to the brink. The numbers of displaced are likely much higher as one million is only based on those who have self-registered with the government’.
