A Jesuit from Beirut in AsiaNews

Israel’s expanded offensive in Lebanon which began yesterday has already raised the death toll by 15 more Israeli soldiers and 40 Hezbollah guerrillas. But the most blood is being shed by the Lebanese people, who are losing hope a lit bit more every day.

Caught between the blind violence of the Israeli army and the hesitations of international diplomacy, the more peaceful Lebanese opt for emigration; those who are less peaceful become Hezbollah supporters. The hatred for Israel grows in all.

For many analysts and political leaders, Israeli included, the situation is clear. A military victory won’t give Israel security, nor will it bring peace to the region. All it will do is boost hatred against Israel and therefore create greater insecurity.

Similarly, Hezbollah’s and Hamas’s attacks won’t free Lebanese and Palestinian land nor will they lead to peace. All they will do is increase hatred against them and convince Israel (as if that was necessary) that “Arabs know only the language of force”.

There will just be more destruction, more losses, more hatred . . . until the next war.

No one gains from war. No One! As an ideological movement “Islamic terrorism” cannot be defeated by force alone. This was demonstrated by the Red Brigades and ETA, shown in Algeria and Afghanistan, or is seen day after day in Iraq where hundreds of people still die after the US “liberation”. So what can be done?

And, from CNS: Cardinal McCarrick in Lebanon:

In an Aug. 10 telephone interview from Beirut, the cardinal said his visit was meant to be a sign of solidarity with the suffering people of Lebanon, the same kind of visit he has made in the past to Israel in the wake of terrorist attacks.

"I have concerns for the poor people of Lebanon. I’m not making any judgments on what political things are happening, but I know that even now there are people in some villages that are totally blocked off by the war and they have no bread, they have no water and they have no medicine. And that has been going on for almost two weeks," the cardinal told Catholic News Service.

"If that continues, it will be a disaster. We will be starving people," he said.

"I am not a politician, not a statesman and not a general. I can’t blame anybody, but I want to say, ‘Here is what I find,’ and the world must do something," he said.

Cardinal McCarrick arrived in Beirut from Amman, Jordan, Aug. 9 aboard a Jordanian transport plane carrying humanitarian aid. He expected to leave Lebanon the same way Aug. 13.

The cardinal met Aug. 10 with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and other government officials. He said they were courteous, explained the situation in the country and expressed their hopes for a cease-fire.

"They feel they have done what everybody has asked them to do. They are willing to send 15,000 Lebanese soldiers" into southern Lebanon, where the Hezbollah militia are deployed, firing rockets and mortars into Israel.

"But apparently, that is not enough," he said.

Also from CNS: Christian town offers refuge:

A Christian town in central Lebanon is welcoming displaced Muslims and Druze from other parts of the country, offering them shelter in the homes of Christians who have fled across the border.

The permanent population of Deir el-Ahmar is almost 100 percent Christian, the local bishop told Famiglia Cristiana, an Italian Catholic magazine.

"Many Christians have emigrated, but kept their houses here," said Maronite Bishop Simon Atallah of Baalbek and Deir el-Ahmar. "In agreement with them, we have opened these houses and settled the refugees in them."

The flow of people fleeing the fighting in the south has been so overwhelming that "all the inhabitants are hosting the displaced. It is a sign of brotherhood and a witness for the unity of Lebanon," said the bishop.

"The Christians have gone through very tough times, but in the Maronite tradition hospitality is sacred," he said, adding that "peaceful coexistence is our mission as church."