|PIC1|Christians and Muslims in Lebanon have united in the face of continuing war as Action by Churches Together International continues to assist those left vulnerable by Israeli air assaults.

As Israeli rockets continue to rain down on Hezbollah installations across Lebanon, a Maronite Catholic priest in Lebanon has said that the war has failed to divide Lebanese Christians and Muslims.

Fr Charles Ksas, a parish priest in Bziza, a village near Tripoli in the northern part of the country, said that “their unity is the only way to survive”.

"Dialogue is the only way to solve problems between countries," he told Catholic newspaper The Universe. "This war failed to divide the Lebanese. Christians and Muslims are both damaged, and they have found that their unity is the only way to survive."

Fr Ksas’ parish is already taking care of four Muslim families and their children whose homes have all been destroyed in the war.

"We support all and help all. Christians and Muslims alike, there is no difference," the priest said.

Fr Ksas’ message is a message of peace: "I spend several hours watching TV, watching my country being destroyed. I pray that Jesus save us, save the children, the women, the old ones, the men. But I also pray for our enemies: stop the war; we care also about your children! |TOP|

"Israel is destroying the country,” he said, adding that the people in Lebanon were praying every day for peace.

"We don't want war inside the country, (or) outside it," he said. "We expect that war will be over soon. We think no one will win and the problems will be unsolved. But who will give life to the dead and rebuild the houses and restore the bridges and reconstruct the economy?"

Meanwhile ACT International member, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), reported that it was assisting some 260 displaced families in the Mount Lebanon and Beirut areas through its Inter-church Network for Development and Relief in Lebanon (ICNDR) and with the support from local partner organisations.

The MECC expressed concern, however, at the efforts to bring aid to the people in the south as delivery continued to be severely hampered by the ongoing shelling of the area, numerous air raids and the complete destruction of roads. |AD|

ICNDR assessment teams have already been in Tripoli, Akkar and Batroun, where mattresses, sheets, baby nappies and medication for chronic diseases were identified as the most urgent needs of the people there.

As the shelling continues, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, told reporters in Beirut on Monday of her concern at what could become a humanitarian crisis, adding that the US was discussing “a durable way to end the violence”.

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch announced that the US government will send USD 30 million of humanitarian aid to Lebanon which will include medical kits for 100,000 people, 20,000 blankets and plastic sheeting.

Meanwhile the UN called for USD 120 million in aid as its emergency relief chief, Jan Egeland, warned that the air strikes on Lebanon were returning the country to the dark ages.

The United Nations has contracted 100 trucks to distribute the aid coming into Beirut across the country. Egeland said the UN hoped to dispatch its first aid convoy to Tyre on Wednesday.