Pledge Drive: Lebanon

by hilzoy

Jonathan Edelstein, aka the Head Heeb, writes:

"The next task in the Middle East is to rebuild what has been destroyed and to heal what can't be rebuilt: to restore the houses and the roads, to comfort and provide for the bereaved families. Rebuilding northern Israel is an urgent priority, reconstructing southern Lebanon much more so. Lebanon sustained more damage than Israel - environmental as well as structural - and it has fewer resources to rebuild. Lebanon, has also been under a blockade for the past month and is running short on humanitarian supplies in addition to its longer-term needs.

Some, Shimon Peres included, have proposed a massive international effort to rebuild Lebanon - a Marshall Plan of sorts. It's important, for both political and moral reasons, that this happen and that Israel take part in it. Such a program would be both a way to ensure that the south is rebuilt by someone other than Hizbullah, and a chance to make good on the promise that Israel is not at war with the Lebanese people. But aid programs, especially major ones, always take time to plan and implement, and there's a great deal that can't wait for the international community to get its act together.

For this reason, I will match up to US $1250 in reader donations for reconstruction of southern Lebanon and up to US $750 to rebuild northern Israel. I strongly encourage Israeli and Jewish readers to donate to Lebanese charities and vice versa, but that isn't mandatory; I will match all donations to non-extremist-controlled charities up to the stated sum."

I think this is a really good idea, so I have decided to do something similar. I will match the first $1000 (good Lord, did I really just type that?) that people give to non-extremist charities working to rebuild Lebanon. Since my ability to research charities is limited, I reserve the right to substitute one of the charities I list below for yours, in case of doubt. But I will match the money.

About the fact that I'm specifying Lebanon and not Israel: I wavered about this. I have already given money to charities for use in Israel, and urge everyone to do likewise. Here's a web site with links to charities working in both Israel and Lebanon; in addition, you could give to Magen David Adom (the Red Star of David), the Israel Emergency Campaign of the United Jewish Communities, or the B'nai B'rith Israel Emergency Fund.

However, I decided to match funds going to Lebanon for the following reasons. First, Lebanon suffered a lot more damage, and since it is a poorer country, it has fewer resources to deal with it. Second, I did some research before writing this post, and there are a bunch of stories about charitable giving for Lebanon being slow, in part because of political reasons. Third, I think it really matters, politically, that Americans help out in Lebanon. Our support for Israel is not in doubt, but after the events of the last month, our support for Lebanon definitely is. Also, we're not Hezbollah.

But for me, the most important reason is the extent of the need, and the apparent lack of resources with which to meet it.

So: a thousand dollars it is. If you want to post donations, fine; if not, just email me privately. I'll update this page if we seem to be getting near my limit.

Here are some charities working in Lebanon:

ICRC

World Food Programme

Doctors Without Borders [Note: they don't, as far as I can see, let you designate funds for Lebanon, so possibly another charity would be better.]

Mercy Corps

There's also the page I linked earlier, which lists several other charities.

I have no idea what will happen with this post, but it seemed worth trying. Thanks.

PS: Any other bloggers want to do this?

*** UPDATE: Within twelve hours of putting this post up -- twelve hours which included the middle of the night, US time -- I'm within several hundred dollars of the thousand dollars I pledged. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far. You all are really wonderful.

Comments

[rilkefan]

I'll give $100 to Mercy Corps.

[CaseyL]

I've emailed you. I used the kitty address, so I hope it gets to where it needs to go.

[hilzoy]

You all are wonderful. I've matched them. Thanks so much.

[Jesurgislac]

FWIW, there's an international page for MSF (Doctors Without Borders) so that people can easily donate to the national office of their country which means tax and such can be reclaimed off the gift. The same will apply to other international charities.

(Also, World Foor? *picky*)

[kate]

Habitual lurker gives £50 to MSF. Thanks for the nudge.

[cleek]

a fine idea.

put me down for $100 to MSF/DWB

i hope this doesn't mean you'll have to have a "Hilzoy Food Program" fund drive later on. :)

[hilzoy]

cleek: lentils are wonderful and cheap.

I've matched everything that came in so far.

[cleek]

cleek: lentils are wonderful and cheap.

this is true. and, they're used widely in Lebanese cooking. mmm mjaddarah...

[dutchmarbel]

I hope I sent 100 euro to the ICRC (this computer is kind of whacky, it might end up being a few times 100 euro, or it might not have come through at all - I'll have to check when I get home :) )

Dutch charities don't have specific Lebanon aimed fundruns yet - we are still doing specials for Java.

[hilzoy]

Dutchmarbel: matched ;) Thanks so much.

[Elayne Riggs]

Hilzoy, on my blog I advertise a charity book where proceeds will be going to aid displaced Israeli children (Jewish, Arab & Christian alike) and specifically ask for anyone who knows of an equivalent Lebanese charity. Have you been able to locate any?

[hilzoy]

Elayne: try UNICEF.

[dutchmarbel]

Before I encounterd Hilzoy's pledge I was thinking about donating to the sos childrens villages

[Anonymous]

100 dollars from me.

[hilzoy]

Thanks, anon. Off to match now ;)

[kbarnes]

I made a donation of $100.00 to the World Food Programme. Do you need some proof from me to match it?

[hilzoy]

kbarnes: no, we work on the honor system here. I'm off to match. Thanks so much.

[IntricateHelix]

$40 to Mercy Corps. This is a really great idea.

[hilzoy]

Thanks you all so much. I've matched it all, and I'm closing in on my limit. -- But hey, try me: I may go on matching stuff (even after the slightly less than $100 that remains).

I dare anyone who hangs out here to try to be a misanthropist.

[Gary Farber]

"misanthropist"

Does mean I can be a misanthrope instead?

(I am, in fact, not; I merely have some tendencies at times; far far more limited character flaw.)

[JakeB]

I have just given $50 to MercyCorps.

[hilzoy]

JakeB: Thanks. So have I ;)

[Gary Farber]

This seems like a faintly good thing:

"Today I was in a position to offer a rather substantive maritime component which is so encompassing that it could patrol and secure the whole of the Lebanese coast to make sure that no weapons or other related materials get into Lebanon," German UN Ambassador Thomas Matussek said.

"We could also offer a rather substantial border patrol along the Syrian border," Matussek said after a meeting at UN headquarters of countries interested in supporting the peacekeeping force in Lebanon. The offer was contingent on parliamentary approval, he said.

Bangladesh also pledged up to 2,000 troops to be deployed in Lebanon.

Bangladesh troops are, of course, overwhelmingly Muslim, although probably mostly or entirely Sunni. Presumably that's more of a positive thing than not.

The Lebanese border with Syria is, of course, 375 km long.

[Gary Farber]

I actually meant to put that on another thread, and don't know how I made the error; apologies.

[Leila]

So good of you to do this fundraiser. I only just discovered you via Head Heeb and also my BIL's enthusiastic recommendation.

And your mjaddarah link to my blog, in comments, is generating all kinds of hits, thank you. In peaceful times about two/thirds of my referrals are from people googling hummus, kibbe, tabbouli, kafta, Lebanese green beans, Sephardic red lentil soup, etc. In Lebanese crisis times my site meter spikes but with political referrals, not food. (okay if you visit, looking for the food, it's archived on the lower left column)

I would gladly go back to 200 hits a day of hummus in exchange for a lasting, just peace, and a vibrant healthy multi-ethnic open Lebanon, with peace and democracy - the real thing, not the GWB ersatz horror - spreading all over the region.

[cleek]

mjaddarah link to my blog, in comments, is generating all kinds of hits

i made some for dinner last night. the wife loved it.

[hilzoy]

Leila: thanks.

Personally, I'd give up blogging for a lasting just peace and a vibrant healthy multi-ethnic Lebanon.