And Israel Too

This from a New York Times Editorial concerning Lebanon:

After a month of war, large swaths of the country are in ruins. Hundreds of thousands of people are without homes. Many Lebanese are furiously blaming the United States as well as Israel for their suffering. Whatever anger they may also harbor toward Hezbollah for provoking the war is being more than neutralized by the militia’s swift on-the-scene response and the large piles of cash it is handing out, courtesy of Iran.

Already Falling Behind, August 17, 2006.

The Times' point is that the U.S. and outside world is moving far too slowly to provide relief to the people of southern Lebanon. By the time that the U.S. and other national beaurocracies get around to providing relief aid, Hezbollah will have won the war of hearts and minds through its own relief efforts.

I would add to the NY Times concern only this. The Israeli government ought to also give serious consideration to providing relief aid for rebuilding the homes that were destroyed and the hundreds of thousands rendered homeless over the last 30 days. It would be a extraorinary challenge of good will, it would make good the Israeli promise that their intent was to drive out Hezbollah, not ordinary civilians - and it would put the onus on Hezbollah to assist reconstructing some of the civilian homes destroyed on the Israeli side of the border by Hezbollah rockets.

Oh sure, it's a nice fantasy, but, if it happened, wouldn't that be a good start?