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Israel is the world's largest benefactor of US military aid. With Israel
being the world's fourth strongest military power, with additionally many nuclear and other
chemical and biological weapons, one might ask why this aid is neccessary. In particular, I would like to
pose the following two questions:
1. What does the US gain through helping Israel?
Is it really in US interests to help Israel? Israel, in deceiving America into some of
its foreign policy failures (i.e. in Libya and in the bombing of the marine
barracks in Lebanon) hardly presents a grateful customer.
2. Does the US support of Israel help solve the situation?
Is the vetoing of some 50-odd UN resolutions the best way to peace? Or the increasing of military aid
to Israel immediately
following such acts as its illegal invasion of Lebanon? Does the US approach represent the best
way towards a peaceful solution, or is the US simply aiding in Israel's repressive occupation of
Palestine?
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Lord Balfour writes the Balfour declaration, committing Britain to 'facilitate' the
'establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people' on the condition
that 'nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the
existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine ...'.
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President Wilson's King-Crane Commission reports that 'the Zionists looked forward to a
practically complete dispossession of the present non-Jewish inhabitants of Palestine' and
estimated that the latter - 'nearly nine-tenths of the whole' - are 'emphatically against
the entire Zionist programme'.
The Commission warns that the Zionist programme 'would be a gross violation of the principle
[of self-determination], and of the people's rights, though it kept within the forms of law'.
The Commission, while expressing 'a deep sense of sympathy for the Jewish cause', recommends
limitation of Jewish immigration and abandonment of the goal of a Jewish state.
It also warns that 'No British officer, consulted by the Commissioners, believed that the
Zionist Program could be carried out except by force of arms ... That of itself is evidence
of a strong sense of the injustice of the Zionist program ... The initial claim, often submitted by
Zionist representatives, that they have a 'right' to Palestine based on occupation of two
thousand years ago, can barely be seriously considered.' The commission's conclusions
are ignored.
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Lord Balfour writes 'The contradiction between the letter of the Covenant and the policy
of the Allies is even more flagrant in the case of the independent nation of Palestine than
in that of the independent nation of Syria. For in Palestine we do not propose even to go
through the forum of consulting the wishes of the present inhabitants of the country, though
the American [King-Crane] Commission has been going through the form of asking what they are.
The four great powers are committed to Zionism and Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or
bad, is rooted in age-long tradition, in present needs, in future hopes, of far profounder
import than the desires and prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancient land.'.
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The Palestinians resist as expected, often resorting to terrorist violence against Jews, the
worse case being in August 1929 when 133 Jews area killed by Palestinians and 110 Palestinians die
at the hands of the British police.
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Mahatma Ghandi comments on the Palestine conflict - 'Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same
sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French ... What is going on in Palestine
today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct ... If they [the Jews] must look to the
Palestine of geography as their national home, it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the
British gun. A religious act cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or the bomb. They
can settle in Palestine only by the goodwill of the Arabs ... As it is, they are co-sharers with
the British in despoiling a people who have done no wrong to them. I am not defending the Arab
excesses. I wish they had chosen the way of non-violence in resisting what they rightly regard as
an unacceptable encroachment upon their country. But according to the accepted canons of right
and wrong, nothing can be said against the Arab resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.'
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The noted Zionist Yossef Weitz, Director of the Jewish National Fund affiliated to the
World Zionist Organization, writes that 'It should be clear for us that there is not room
for two peoples in this country. If the Arabs leave it, there will be enough for us ... There is
nothing else to do but to remove them all; we mustn't leave a single village, a single tribe ...
We must explain to Roosevelt and all the heads of friendly states that the land of Israel isn't
too small if all the Arabs leave and if the borders are pushed back a little to the north, as
far as the Litani, and to the east, on the Golan Heights.'
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Ben-Gurion proposes that Israel support the establishment in part of Lebanon
of a Maronite-dominated Christian ministate that would ally itself with Israel.
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The PLO is expelled from Jordan, and sets up its major base of operations in southern
Lebanon, from which it attacks northern Israel.
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Civil war breaks out between a predominantly Muslim leftist coalition and Christian right-wing
militias.
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During the two years of civil war, Israel reportedly invests US$150 million in equipping and
training the Maronite Phalange Party's militia.
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Syria intervenes at the request of the Lebanese president to force an uneasy peace, however
the cease-fire proves unstable and hostilities resume full scale in '77.
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Israel launches a full-scale invasion of Lebanon with 20,000 troops, supposedly in response
to Palestinian guerilla activity, however later studies show the invasion (Operation Litani)
had been planned two years prior to this.
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Israel attacks civilian targets in Lebanon. Palestinian retaliation then elicits heavy Israeli
bombing. Some 450 Arabs - nearly all Lebanese civilians - are reported killed, along with six Jews.
Following this, the US mediates a new ceasefire.
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The PLO observes the ceasefire except in two retalatory cases, only one of which results
in any damage. In contrast, Israel violates the terms daily.
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Israel's Major General Yehoshua Saguym, Chief of Israel's Intelligence, meets with Pentagon
officials and Secretary of Defense Haig to outline Israel's plans for a major invasion of
Lebanon. Following this meeting Israel takes delivery of $217,695,000 worth of military equipment
from the US.
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The US and Soviet Ambassadors to Lebanon meet separately with Lebanon's President Elias Sarkis,
who asks both for help from their countries in staving off a feared Israeli invasion of southern
Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Begin assures them 'that the Israeli cabinet has taken no
decision to go into Lebanon in any way, shape or form.'
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An attempt is made to assassinate Shlomo Argov, Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom.
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Although the attempt was not made by the PLO, rather a group opposed to the PLO (allegedly hoping
to provoke an Israeli assault on the PLO), Israel finds in this a sufficient excuse to execute
their planned invasion.
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Mr Ghassan Tueni, a Christian, and the official representative of the Government of Lebanon at
the UN, informs the UN of Israeli aggression and requests that the Security Council act 'to
stop the aggression against Lebanon'.
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In response to Lebanon's pleas, the Security Council unanimously passes a Resolution calling
for a cease-fire.
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Israel responds by invading Lebanon. Initially the declared aim of the invasion is to create
a 40km wide PLO-free zone north of Israel, however the invasion quickly proceeds in accordance
with the earlier made plans - the Israeli forces head straight to Beirut.
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Israel's invasion of Lebanon is often reported in the American Press as a humanitarian
'liberation'. To consider whether the
Lebanese really felt liberated, we need only consider the expressed reactions of the three populations
in Lebanon - the Christians, the Shi'ite Muslims, and the Palestinians. I also examine here the worldwide
(i.e. UN) reaction, to highlight the uniqueness and also importance of the US support of Israel in the
invasion.
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The UN passes a further resolution, which 'Demands that Israel withdraw its military forces
forthwith and unconditionally to the internationally recognized borders of Lebanon'.
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The US gives its official blessing to the invasion, vetoing a Secutiy Council resolution that
'Condemns the non-compliance' of Israel with the earlier resolution, calling for
immediate cessation of hostilities and withdarwal of Israeli forces.
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Mr Ghassan Tueni, a Christian Lebanese, and the official representative of the Government of
Lebanon at the UN, calls for the 'immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from
Lebanon' citing UN Resolution 509, deploring the fact that the UN peacekeeping forces were
unable 'to defend [Lebanon] against aggression'.
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He also later comments on the name given to the Israeli invasion: 'Peace for Galilee' - 'To
occupy almost half of a country, destory its capital, disrupt its economy, ferciously kill its
civilian population by the thousands - for the sake of 'Peace for Galilee' - is indeed a very
strange notion of peace!'
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The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Shafik Wazzan, a Muslim, also condemned the invasion. At one
point, referring to the unremitting Israeli attacks on Beruit, he complains 'Every time we
reach some kind of understanding, we run into a new escalation as if designed to pressure us.
You can quote me: this is an international conspiracy against Lebanon and the Lebanese. You want
me to remain silent while Philip Habib watches the bombardment of residential areas? As if we
were rats in this country! Shafik Wazzan cannot accept this'.
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The former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saeb
Salam, also a Muslim, condemned the merciless attacks on the civilian population, and demanded that Israel pay
reparations, blaming the US for 'backing Israel blindly'.
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An estimated 18,000 Lebanese and Palestinians were killed, 30,000 injured and 500,000-800,000 made
homeless in the invasion.
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A US-mediated ceasefire is brokered, by which the PLO guerillas will leave Beirut and US troops
will oversee the evacuation and protect the now defenceless citizens of Beirut.
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After a heavily rigged election Christian Phalange leader Bashir Gemayel becomes president
of Lebanon.
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Having overseen the evacuation of the PLO guerillas, the US troops also leave, thus breaking the terms
of the agreement and leaving the citizens defenseless.
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Following the assassination of President-elect, Bashir al-Jumayyil, Israel breaks
the cease-fire and ignoring UN and US protest occupies West Beirut, encircling the Sabra and
Shatila refugee camps.
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Israeli forces send Lebanese Christian militiamen, known for their history of atrocities and
hatred of the Palestinians, into the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, and watch as they
massacre an estimated 2000 unarmed civilians.
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Israel's original justification for the breaking of the cease-fire was to prevent the
Lebanese Christian militiamen from undertaking such an atrocity. This justification was
later retracted, however it indicates foreknowledge that such a massacre was likely if
they were to let such militiamen into an undefended refugee camp.
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A later justification was that the camp was full of 'terrorists'. However, in massacring 2000
men, women and children, only two Lebanese were killed, hardly indicitave of armed terrorist
resistance. The PLO had of course already withdrawn, as part of the ceasefire agreement which
Israel broke.
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An Israeli government inquiry absolves itself of any blame except 'indirect responsibility
for the massacre since the I.D.F. held the area'. It recommends Ariel Sharon (now prime
minister) resign from his post as defense minister for failing to act to prevent the massacre.
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The US embassy in Beruit is partially destroyed by a bomb, killing 50 people.
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241 US Marines are killed by a truck bomb in Beruit.
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Ex-Mossad agent Victor Ostrovsky, in his book
By Way of Deception,
writes that the Mossad knew
of the bombing in advance, however only gave the US the usual general notice that they had
reason to believe someone might be planning an operation against them. He says the Mossad
hoped the attacks would poison American-Arab relations, with the general attitude about the
Americans being: 'Hey, they wanted to stick their noses into this Lebanon thing, let them
pay the price.'
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A year following Israel's withdrawl from Lebanon, the Lebanese government considers
suing Israel for compensation over its 22-year occupation, estimating the damage from
the Israeli occupation at about $1bn.
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A Belgian court rules that a case for crimes against humanity by survivors of the 1982 Sabra
and Shatila massacres brought against an Israeli general by can go ahead. A trial
against Sharon however will have
to wait as he is currently Prime Minister of Israel.
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To date, not a single individual has been brought to justice for the massacre.
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