The situation in the Middle East has so alarmed Arab American communities that the Arab American Institute held an emergency Washington summit Wednesday.

Issa told approximately 100 people it would be up to individual Lebanese Americans and to Congress to aid Lebanon once there is a cease-fire. "We know the day after we're not just going to have to rebuild the bridges and power plants and the other areas that were hit. We're going to have to build it a new way," he said.

Nick Rahall (D-WV) said he has been thinking a lot about the homeland of his paternal and maternal grandfathers, having been there in 1982 when Israel was "bombing the smithereens out of Beirut to get the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization)."

Rahall said Israeli destruction of roads, bridges, government buildings and some military is undermining a fragile pro-United States government and could become a rallying cry for insurgents in U.S.-occupied Iraq.

Rahall, Boustany, Issa, LaHood and Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican of Lebanese descent, made that point in a meeting with assistant secretary of state David Welch. They also demanded that the United States drop evacuation fees for Americans needing government help to leave Lebanon. The U.S. government dropped the fee request and has evacuated more than 1,000 American citizens.

But it was still unclear what role the United States will play in the conflict, Rahall said. "This president has turned from cowboy diplomacy to couch potato diplomacy," he said, referring to what he considers to be a slow U.S. response to the crisis.

Cedar Revolution

I wonder how the UN investigation into the Hariri murder is going forward ... perhaps the murder of 400 civilians can be added?

Cedar Revolution Gets Back Stabbed by Bush

BEIRUT (BBC News) 5 minutes ago -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said there is an "urgent" need for a ceasefire in Lebanon - but that conditions have to be right. Ms Rice, speaking en route to Israel, said there must be no place for "terrorist groups" like Hezbollah to launch attacks from Lebanese territory.

BEIRUT (AP) -- Rice also said there are existing channels for talking with Syrian leaders about resolving the crisis -- when they're ready to talk.

Displaced Lebanese people walk past an anti-U.S banner depicting U.S President George W. Bush, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Statue of Liberty bearing a handgun, as they find temporary shelter in the grounds of the university in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis

In recent weeks, the Bush administration has blamed Syria, along with Iran, for stoking the recent violence in the Middle East by encouraging the Lebanese Hezbollah militia to attack northern Israel.

Rice noted that the United States still has a diplomatic mission and State Department officials working in the Syrian capital. "The problem isn't that people haven't talked to the Syrians. It's that the Syrians haven't acted. It's not as if we don't have diplomatic relations," she said. "We do."

Under his command, execution of extra-judicial assassinations in Gaza and the West Bank occupied territories. Defended the bombing of an appartment building killing 16 civilians including nine children by F-16 precision strike, dropping a one ton bomb to take out a 'terrorist'.

Controversy lasted through appointment cycle as new chief of staff, ended before the Israel Supreme Court where he lied out of the dilemma.

Pilots have no concern or responsibility for consequences of target where the bomb is dropped. The leadership is culpable, let the protesters come to me, according to Dan Halutz. Iranian descent!

Excellent qualification for indictment before a war crimes tribunal.

Why we Refuse - Avihai Becker