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Israel invents a pretext to bomb Beirut Uri Avnery - Social activistThe facts about the days prior to the war and the IDF invasion of Lebanon are not widely known to this day. This war was a military failure from start to finish. How did it start? Sharon went to America to get permission from the Americans, and Haig, the American Secretary of State said: 'We are against invading your Lebanon unless there is probable cause'. So this was an invitation to create probable cause. Indeed, a few days later, two or three days, the organization of Abu Nidal, which had killed Sartawi and Hammami and which was extremely anti-Arafat and wanted to kill Arafat, attempted to assassinate the Israeli ambassador in London. And Israel − despite the fact that all the experts knew exactly who Abu Nidal was and who had done it − bombed Beirut. They opened fire from the border on the Lebanese side, despite the fact that for 9 or 11 months, I think, not even one bullet had been fired from Lebanon. Arafat really didn't want a war. He feared it, so he prevented not only the PLO organizations, but also the non-PLO organizations, prevented them from firing on Israel. Indeed, not one bullet had been fired. But when the Israelis were bombing the PLO positions in Beirut, the PLO gave a faint response, and that was the reason why Haig made his demand. After the attack on the Ambassador, the Begin government said: 'This is cause for attack'. The intelligence people told him: 'But this is Abu Nidal. They are against Arafat, against the PLO'. So Begin said: 'In my eyes they are all PLO'. One of his historical sayings. Then the IDF invaded, first along the coastal axis from Rosh Hanikra to Beirut, to reach Beirut, to reach the PLO. |
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