This military operation aimed to drive PLO - The Palestine Liberation Organization - out of Lebanon.
The Israeli army invaded Southern Lebanon and reached the outskirts of Beirut, and later entered Beirut, where the elements of PLO and the Syrian Army negotiated a passage out.
By force, threats and mean tricks, More than 100,000 Palestinians fled their homes from Palestine and took refuge in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
In 1964, PLO was founded in Jordan to resist Israel and liberate Palestine.
In 1967. Israel won a 6 days war against Egypt, Syria and Jordan, and occupied Sinai, Golan Heights and West Bank respectively and declared Jerusalem as Israel's Capital.
In September 1970, Jordan decided to minimize the militancy of Palestinian organizations and restore the full monarchy's rule over the country... "Black September"
This"Era of regrettable events" ended with thousands of deaths and the expulsion of the PLO and thousands of Palestinian fighters to Lebanon.
In 1975, PLO and after a military conflict with the Lebanese army manged to create an unofficial state-within-a-state. mainly in Southern Lebanon. which later played a major role in the Lebanese Civil War that started 13 April same year..
In 1978, Israel attacked PLO in Southern Lebanon and then pulled back to fulfill Security Council Resolution 425.
In1981, violence erupted in South Lebanon and Northern Israel.
Israel renewed its air strikes after the PLO began shelling northern Israel and its Air Force launched massive attacks on PLO buildings in the heart of Beirut.
The Palestinian forces continued to grow in Lebanon with full-time military personnel numbering around 15,000, although only 6,000 of these, including 4,500 regulars, were deployed in the south.
On 6 June 1982, the Israelis swept through Lebanon, pushing towards Beirut. To cut off any PLO retreat routes, the Israeli Navy landed a force of tanks, armored vehicles, and paratroopers north of Sidon. Soon reached Beirut but were determined to drive the PLO from southern Lebanon.
Tyre and Sidon (major cities in South Lebanon, still within the 40-kilometer (25 mi) limit) were heavily damaged, and the Lebanese capital Beirut was shelled by Israeli artillery, and bombed by Israeli aircraft for ten weeks, killing both PLO members and civilians.
Israeli troops captured Beirut Airport and several southern suburbs of the city in heavy fighting.
On 14 September 1982, Bachir Gemayel, the newly elected President of Lebanon, was assassinated. Israeli forces occupied West Beirut the next day.
The Israelis entered into the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, claiming there was a remaining force of PLO in the camps. The result was the Sabra and Shatila massacre in which at least 800 civilians were slaughtered.
In 1983, Syria backed the anti-Arafat PLO forces of Abu Musa in the Beka valley from May 1983. When Arafat castigated the Syrian government for blocking PLO supplies in June 1983, the Syrian government declared Arafat a persona non grata on 24 June 1983.
The extensive PLO political and military infrastructure in Lebanon, which had taken 15 years to build, had been destroyed.
Lebanese estimates, compiled from International Red Cross sources and police and hospital surveys, calculated that 17,825 Lebanese had died and over 30,000 had been wounded.
Hezbollah emerged as the new resistance against Israel.
On July 25, 1993, following Hezbollah's killing of seven Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, Israel launched Seven Day War. The aim of the operation was to eradicate the threat posed by Hezbollah and to force the civilian population north to Beirut so as to put pressure on the Lebanese Government to restrain Hezbollah.
The fighting ended when an unwritten understanding was agreed to by the warring parties. Apparently, the 1993 understanding provided that Hezbollah combatants would not fire rockets at northern Israel, while Israel would not attack civilians or civilian targets in Lebanon.
In April 1996, the Israeli armed forces launched Operation Grapes of Wrath, which was intended to wipe out Hezbollah's base in southern Lebanon. Over 100 Lebanese refugees were killed by the shelling of a UN base at Qana, in what the Israeli military said was a mistake.
Finally, following several days of negotiations, the two sides signed the April Understandings where both agreed that civilians should not be targeted, which meant that Hezbollah would be allowed to continue its military activities against IDF forces inside Lebanon.
On July 12, 2006 Israel attacked Hezbollah and invaded South Lebanon up to Litani River, after Hezbaollah fighters crossed the borders and opened fire on a military patrol, managed to kill three, Injure Two and kidnap two Israeli soldiers.
Israel bombed Beirut Airport, forcing its closure, imposed a maritime blockade on Lebanese seaports, and the Israeli Air Force blockaded Lebanese Airspace.
Israel also bombed the main Beirut –Damascus highway.
Aerial attacks also centered on Hezbollah’s long range missile and rocket stockpiles, most of which were destroyed in the first days of conflict.
Israel also destroyed Hezbollah Headquarters in Haret Hreik. and Lebanon’s coastal radars.
By August 13, 2006, Hezbollah had fired about 3,900 rockets into Israel during the 34 days of the 2006 Lebanon War, killing 44 Israeli civilians and 106 soldiers including 12 reserve soldiers, and wounding some 1400 civilians.
According to another report a total of 4,228 Hezbollah rockets hit Israel. Of those 972 (23%) landed within built-up areas.
The number of longer range rockets (over 50 km) was approximately 250 (or 6% of the total).
Israel suffered 53 fatalities, 250 severely wounded and 2,000 lightly wounded, and hundreds of buildings were damaged
For the first time Israel deep cities were hit by Hezbollah Rockets; Hadera in central Israel, as well as Israel's third largest city Haifa, Atlit and the Jezreel Valley cities of Nazareth and Afula. Also a naval ship was hit near Lebanese waters and had serious damages.
Israel withdrew after 34 days.
Encarta states that "estimates... varied from about 850 to 1,200" in its entry on Israel, while giving a figure of "more than 1,200" in its entry on Lebanon.
The Lebanon Higher Relief Council estimated the number of Lebanese injured to be 4,409, 15% of whom were permanently disabled.
The death toll estimates do not include Lebanese killed since the end of fighting by land mines or unexploded Israeli cluster bombs.
Both Israel and Hezbollah declared victory.
Israel admitted huge mistakes made during the military operation that deprived it from eliminating Hezbollah.
So what changed today?
Palestinians are closer to Israel in West Bank and Gaza, but split into many parties each with its own political and strategic views and agendas.
Civil War in Lebanon came to an end. However, the country is more than ever is split into many political and religious parties and sects.
On 25 May 2000, Israel was forced to pull out from the remaining occupied southern region of Lebanon and remained in 2 strategic small towns.
Pro Syria Palestinians military presence remained on the Lebanese-Syrian borders, but inside Lebanon, and also in a spot south of Beirut.
Syrian army left Lebanon.
Lebanon remained a battle field, for internal conflicts as the Lebanese demonstrated in May 2008 when they fought each other in Beirut and the mountains.
And for external conflicts which now involve Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iran, however this time Israel against new military resistance, a Lebanese Resistance that is described greater and more powerful than PLO.
Not to mention the involvement of USA, Europe and Russia although they all keep claiming that they are at equal distance from all parties and trying hard for a solution.. So far it is not working and only complicate the problems further.
Three facts did not change...
Israel war strategy to fight the Palestinians, the Arabs and now Iran on Lebanese land still the same.
The West and the other parties are still accepting to implement this strategy.
And thhe war on Lebanon is still going on and on.
Sami Cherkaoui
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