Via Haaretz.com comes news that Israel has announced a bombing pause that includes a 24-hour period to allow civilians to flee south Lebanon.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Israel has agreed to suspend its aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon for 48 hours, effective immediately, to allow for an investigation into Sunday's bombing that killed 54 civilians, a U.S. State Department official said early Monday.
Israel will also coordinate with the United Nations to allow a 24-hour window for residents of southern Lebanon to leave the area if they wish, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told a briefing in Jerusalem.
Given the utter failure of the US administration to deal with the situation, combined with Bush's Work Wife scampering home with her reputation even further in tatters, it seems the least they could do.
While if anyone reads or comments on this diary it might wind up being yet another bumpy ride, I hope everyone could agree that something had to be done to limit the carnage. And the million dollar question: will Hezbollah keep lobbing rockets into Israel, presumably precluding any extension of the "bombing pause?"
A lot of people in the US and around the world just want some kind of slow-down or halt to the civilian deaths on both sides. Maybe this is a first glimmer of hope?