Did All Roads Really Lead to Beirut? Menachem Begin’s Lebanese Policy, 1977-1982
Keywords:
Ariel Sharon, Bachir Gemayel, Lebanon, Maronites, Menachem Begin, Peace for Galilee, Saad HaddadAbstract
The Peace for Galilee War which began in 1982 is one of the most controversial events in Israeli history. The prevailing narrative states that it was a war of deception, in which Defense Minister Ariel Sharon misled Prime Minister Menachem Begin and the rest of the government. While Begin and the government approved a small scale operation that was meant to push the Palestinian organizations to 40 kilometers north of the Israeli border, Sharon had more grandiose plans aimed at creating a new order in Lebanon. Without trying to vindicate Sharon for his actions during the war, this narrative attributes Begin with far too small a role.
This article claims that as part of Begin’s Lebanese policy, the Peace for Galilee War was conceptualized well in advance. It will show that from the moment Begin became prime minister in 1977, a countdown began toward a full-scale operation in Lebanon. Under Begin’s leadership, Israel’s involvement in Lebanon increased from year to year. The culmination was the Peace for Galilee War.
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