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WHENWOMEN
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Bomber" and labeled the
raids "an act of
irrationality." Citing the
tragic losses of Israelí
civilians to PLO terror
attacks, sorne lsraelis
wondered out loud whether
Mr. Begin had been taking
lessons out of the PLO
handbook.
In the end, the efforts
ot
diplomatic troubleshooter
Habib succeeded in
arranging a cease-fire.
laraell lnvasion
The precarious
U.S.-engineered cease-fire,
however, carne lo an abrupt
end al the beginning
ot
June
ot
this year.
Following the attempted
assassination
ot
lsrael's
ambassador in London,
Israelí warplanes attacked
PLO targets in southern
Lebanon and in Beirut. In
response. PLO artillery and
rocket tire pounded border
towns in northern Israel. The
renewed fighting was even
more intense than that
which had preceded the
truce a year earlier.
The Israelí bombing raids
culminated in a tull-scale
Israelí invasion
ot
Lebanon
beginning on June 6.
Though such an attack had
long been rumored as
lsraelis became increasingly
angered over PLO guerrilla
activity against towns in
Galilee, the scope
ot
the
June invasion surprised
many lsraelis themselves.
Armored columns of
Israelí troops advanced on a
wide front. Streaming into
Lebanon with air and .sea
support, the ground troops
pushed more !han 50 miles
into Lebanon and into Beirut
itself.
This decisive military
4 2
action was designed to
break the political back
ot
the PLO in Lebanon and
destroy the PLO's military
intrastructure. Israel
correctly calculated that the
continuing disarray in the
Arab world would preven! a
united Arab response lo
the extensive invasion.
Israelí torces also carne
into direct conflict with
Syrian torces stationed in
Lebanon. Syrian and Israelí
warplanes engaged in !he
biggest aerial clash since
the 1973 Arab-lsraeli war.
Israelí jets also succeeded
in knocking out Syria's
controversia! surface-to-air
missile batteries in the
Bekaa valley.
The PLO military
structure in Lebanon was
shattered by the Israelí
invasion. In !he first 10
days alone, 100 guerrilla
tanks were destroyed.
More !han 2,000 Palestinian
guerrillas were killed and
6,000 taken prisoner.
Thousands more were pul
lo tlight.
During the same period,
!he Syrians lost more than
1,000 soldiers. Three
hundred Syrian tanks were
destroyed and 85 Syrian
tviiG jets were shot down.
lsrael 's losses, though
considerably fewer, were
the highest of any Israelí
military action since the
1973 Middle East War: 240
soldiers killed, 1, 120
wounded.
And, tragically, multiple
thousands of civilians–
men, women and children
-were killed and literally
hundreds ot
thousands
made homeless throughout
southern and central
Lebanon.
For !he first time since
the Lebanese civil war six
years ago, the balance
ot
power in Lebanon has now
tipped in favor
ot
the
lsraeli-backed rightist
Christians.
As of this writing, Israel is
demanding that the PLO be
prevented from rebuilding its
military structure in southern
Lebanon as part
ot
the
political price of the
withdrawal
ot
lsrael's
invading army. As a
long-term goal, Israel is also
demanding guarantees of
the eventual removal of "all
foreign torces' ' -specifically
those
ot
Syria and the
PLO-from Lebanon.
lt has been suggested
that sorne sort of
multinational peacekeeping
force might ultimately be
stationed in
Lebanon-either a United
Nations force with a strong
mandate, or an independent
multinational army like the
one stationed in the Sinai in
the wake
ot
lsrael's return
of the península to Egypt.
Many dream that
conditions can be created
that will permit the
restoration of tull
sovereignty and unity lo
Lebanon and the
establishment
ot
a strong
central government in Beirut.
They envision a rebuilt
Lebanese army lo be
deployed throughout !he
country to maintain order in
place
ot
the PLO guerrillas
a·nd !he Syrians.
For its part, the
beleaguered PLO retuses to
concede deteat.
11
declares
that regardless
ot
where il is
based, the PLO will carry on
the fight " until the
Palestinian homeland is
reclaimed from Israel."
The Soviet Union
meanwhile has warned Israel
that the Jewish state will be
"punished" for its invasion
of Lebanon.
The rebuilding of a
Lebanese state that could
command the allegiance of
all tactions within the
country looks remole. A
comprehensive settlement of
the Lebanese crisis is a
long way off.
No solution will finally be
possible until the larger
Palestinian problem is
resolved. And there are
increasing numbers of
observers who believe
that
problem may be insalvable
by human beings! o
Tire
PlAtN
TRUTH