To the Point

The First Stages of Diplomacy in Beirut and Jerusalem

As the US struggles to evacuate Americans from Beirut, Israel says it might consider an international peacekeeping force in Southern Lebanon. Meantime, as Israeli air strikes continue and Hezbollah rockets still land in northern Israel, the international community is pushing for a joint cease-fire by Israel and Hezbollah. Israel and the Bush Administration say the "root cause" of the trouble is Hezbollah, and are calling for the group to first return captured Israeli soldiers and stop its rocket attacks before Israel ends its bombardment of Lebanon. We hear about the American refugees, update the early stages of diplomatic efforts to end the fighting, and learn more about Hezbollah's origins, its charismatic leader and its relations with Hamas, Syria and Iran. Making News: The American Evacuation Effort from LebanonHundreds of Europeans are fleeing Lebanon and the United Nations is evacuating family members and nonessential staff. The United States has flown a few dozen Americans out by helicopter and many more are very unhappy. Thanassis Cambanis, who is in Beirut for the Boston Globe, has more on evacuation efforts and the increasingly tense situation in Lebanon.Reporter's Notebook: Parents Face Moral Dilemma in Human-Embryo GlutThe Senate is about to revisit the issue of stem cell research with the Bush White House threatening a veto if it's expanded to allow use of human embryos created in fertility clinics around the country. An estimate half-million human embryos are now frozen in fertility clinics around the US. The Washington Post's Liza Mundy, author of "Souls on Ice" in this month's Mother Jones magazine, says the couples who contributed cells to those embryos are facing excruciating choices.