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Endless need, finite resources — and the jihadis that own Lebanon started the war. [AnNahar] The United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
has warned its flash appeal for humanitarian aid in Leb
 ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
was so far only 17 percent funded, urging donor countries to turn pledges into cash.
Goodness. They all gave generously to UNRWA — several times — and to the Palestinian Authority, but now their spirit might be willing, but their treasuries are weak. "We are facing a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation," said Jens Laerke, front man for the U.N.'s humanitarian agency OCHA.
"The needs are rising by the minute, and the pledge does not buy food, medicine or shelter. So we're hoping for a rapid disbursement."
"Our five-star buffets await!"
He told a presser that only 17 percent of the $426 million sought in the flash appeal had been received.
The largest contributors to the $73 million received so far are Italia with $17 million, the United States with $11.7 million, Sweden with $9.3 million, La Belle France with $7.2 million, Britannia with $6.4 million and Germany with $5.5 million.
La Belle France hosted a donor conference last month at which countries pledged $800 million for humanitarian aid in Lebanon.
Laerke reminded donors of the urgency of "turning these pledges into money that can work on the front line," because OCHA cannot deliver aid "unless the money flows fast."
After nearly a year of cross-border fire with Hezbollah, Israel ramped up strikes on the group's strongholds in September and then sent ground forces across the border.
Since fighting in Lebanon escalated on September 23, the war has killed at least 1,829 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures.
Citing figures from the U.N. refugee agency and the Syrian Red Islamic Thingy, Laerke said that more than 460,000 people have fled Lebanon for neighboring Syria, while 25,000 have gone on to Iraq.
The U.N. migration agency warned the number of people still within Lebanon but who are displaced from their homes stood at 842,648 on Wednesday.
"In the past week, there have been 18,525 new displacements," the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said.
"These individuals might be experiencing displacement for the first time or undergoing secondary movement," it added. 
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