"Because Hezbollah has positioned itself as the "David" in this war, every day that the killing continues burnishes its reputation within the Arab world. Every day that more of the Lebanese infrastructure is turned to dust, Beirut's fragile democracy becomes weaker, both in its ability to function and in the eyes of its people.

The impact is not limited to Lebanon or Israel. Every day America gives the green light to further Israeli violence, our already tattered reputation sinks even lower. The reluctance of our closest allies in the Middle East even to receive Secretary Rice this week in their capitals attests to this fact.

It is time for the United States to step forward with the authority and balance that this moment requires." So wrote former Secretary of State Warren Christopher on the current crisis in the Mid-East. The following link, A Time to Act, will take you to the complete article in the Washington Post, printed on Friday, July 28th.

In a recent "Christian Century" article on the holy land, Shaul Magid a religious studies teacher and a Jew, commented on the Zionist movement and Jewish sovereignty over the holy land. He wrote, "In recent years, certain Jewish and Christian communities have proclaimed that exclusive Jewidsh sovereighnty over the holy land is a thrological right and necessity, a condition for the unfolding of the messianic era." He then points to previous theological understandings, posited by Martin Buber, that might offer a more plausible proposal for sharing the land. He wrote, "Buber argues that Zionism is, or can be, a unique national movement precisely because it is not based on national rights or a myth of origins, but on dwelling in a land that belongs to no one people precisely because it belongs to God. Israel's mission as caretaker is to make that land a place that mirrors its owner, thereby making those who dwell on it a people who reflect the divine." "Christian Century, July 25, 2006, p.24. Is not the source of most of the tension among Jews and Arabs stemmed from a dark theology of the land? Maybe they should read some Wendell Barry to get a richer perspective on the stewardship of the land.