Fenced in

| Mindy Belz

When Lebanese streamed by the thousands across the Good Fence into Israel, one foreigner was forced to seek refuge along with them. Beverley Timgren, a Toronto native, was the only expatriate living in south Lebanon at the time of the Israeli withdrawal. For 16 years she ran a dental clinic in Marjayoun with the help of Christian organizations and churches in Canada and the United States.

Marjayoun is a Christian village. Over the years, Ms. Timgren witnessed countless attacks from the militant Islamic group Hizbollah, including a shell that exploded in her own house several years ago. She was at home at the time but not hurt.

Ms. Timgren says she came to appreciate the benefits of Israeli occupation. "When Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, the area was devastated by years of civil war and PLO occupation. There was no functioning hospital in south Lebanon," she said.