Why I opposed Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon
Today Hezbollah's strength is several times greater than it was in the summer of 2006, certainly far greater than it was in May 2000.
By Ephraim SnehThe Israel Defense Forces' unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000 deserves a thorough analysis even 10 years later, because both the situation in Lebanon and the reasons for the withdrawal will continue to occupy us in the future.
 |
A neighborhood in southern Beirut demolished in the Second Lebanon War, as seen in October 2006. |
| Photo by: Archive |
By way of full disclosure, I admit that I do not approach this analysis from an objective standpoint. As deputy defense minister, I was firmly opposed to the unilateral withdrawal. On the political scene, almost no one else agreed with me, apart from Uzi Landau on the right and Yossi Sarid on the left. In the defense establishment, both Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz and GOC Northern Command Gabi Ashkenazi opposed the move.
After the expulsion of the PLO from Lebanon in the summer of 1982, it was Iran that waged war against Israel, with increasing intensity from one year to the next, through the organization it set up there - Hezbollah. For the 18 ensuing years, the fighting in Israel's security zone in South Lebanon took on the nature of guerrilla and counter-guerrilla warfare, with the IDF ultimately gaining the upper hand. The communities along the confrontation line in the north enjoyed full security, worked their lands right up to the border, and no rockets were fired into our territory.
This situation was not achieved without our paying a price in blood, however. Each year, an average of 25 Israeli soldiers were killed. This was the price of maintaining the security zone, which provided a protective layer on which the Iranian guerrilla effort was shattered.
What was eroded during those years, and particularly in the four years that preceded the withdrawal, was Israeli society's ability to tolerate the constant price of casualties. Since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the political leadership never sent a message of steadfastness to the public and the troops, no declaration that the war against Iran's proxy was a just war that must be tirelessly pursued, even if there was no blitzkrieg-type victory to be achieved.
Public opinion, with its weakening sense of mutual commitment, was shaped by the Four Mothers movement that placed concern for the lives of their sons, the most fundamental of human sentiments, above all considerations of national security, which had almost become a despised concept. Political leaders on the left and the right, with isolated exceptions - I among them - never presented any moral or substantive reply to this.
The leadership did not realize that the war was not being fought for control of the Beaufort ridge, or only for the well-being of the residents of the Galilee. It was the first attempt by Iran to defeat Israel in guerrilla warfare, to enable it to deploy right on our northern border. The national mood, which had nothing to guide it apart from the populist wailing of the Four Mothers, made withdrawal an election trump card.
The proponents of withdrawal argued that it would deny Hezbollah the pretext of "fighting the Israeli occupation," and would bring about an end to the organization's military operations and turn it into a purely political body. The opponents countered that there could be no vacuum in Lebanon, and in the absence of an agreement, Hezbollah would take the place of the IDF and the South Lebanon Army, deploy along the northern border fence and gain a convenient take-off point for renewed aggression. Iran would continue to pull Hezbollah's strings against us, from the line that we withdrew to.
The Second Lebanon War, which broke out on July 12, 2006, decided the argument six years later. The cost of the temporary calm was Hezbollah's propitious opening conditions. Our dead in that war numbered six times more than the annual average in the final years we were present in Lebanon.
The unilateral withdrawal had two other repercussions. One was the abandonment of the SLA, whose soldiers had linked their fate to ours and many of whom had fallen in combat, but were left to live in poverty in Israel or in humiliation and suffering in Lebanon. Their cynical abandonment is a moral stain on the State of Israel, a warning signal to anyone considering an alliance with us in the future.
The second repercussion was the dissemination of a message of weakness to our surroundings: We run away from places where we bleed. On June 30, 2000, one month after the withdrawal and three months before the outbreak of the second intifada, Yasser Abed Rabbo told me: "With you Israelis, one should only speak in 'Lebanese.' It's the only language you understand."
There are those who say that it's a good thing that the second intifada found us already out of Lebanon. But it is certainly possible to assume, although it cannot be proved, that the message of weakness transmitted by the retreat from Lebanon encouraged the Palestinians to return to using violent methods.
Today Hezbollah's strength is several times greater than it was in the summer of 2006, certainly far greater than it was in May 2000. Iran will continue to want to use that strength against the Israeli home front. A genuine understanding of the nature of the confrontation, and telling it the way it is to the public, will be necessary in the future as well.
The writer has served as a cabinet minister and a deputy minister. Today he is chair of the Center for Strategic Dialogue at Netanya Academic College.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
Thank you
The amassing of arms by Hezbollah from Iran through Syria is something to worry about...if...and only if Israel attacks. Otherwise Hezbollah will just need to sit on the armaments. Hezbollah cannot afford to make the same mistake as last time. The curious thing is that the USA is bringing in another carrier towards the Persian Gulf.
Sir, if the top brass of Israel starts a monoeuvre in the North which lasts for ONE WEEK, that does not look very peaceful and it is understandable that the Lebanese and that includes Hesbollah as a political party and resistance movement that is part of the government with two ministers, are keen to defend the South. Let's not forget Israel is in Lebenese eyes an occupation force (Shabaa Farms) and that for 42 years and also violates Lebanese airspace almost daily.
This article and the one of Moshe Arens"Right for the wrong reasons" are very important because for the first time they point at the betrayal of our allies SLA in the South .These soldiers who fight shoulder to shoulder 25 years with IDFand had many casualties for the relief of Israel has been abandoned and Hezbollah now is violenting their family and the remaining who are in Israel have not a better fate .It was the lot of lebanese christians in the Mount Lebanon after the withdrawal of IDF which permit to the Druze to expel 400.000 and razzied their properties(Arens was the ministry of defence) Jomblatt with the help of syrians and palestinians make this razzia pretexting that the christians collaborate with Israel.They were from the side of Bechir Gemayel an ally of Irael. Neither Arens nor Sneh utter any refutation on this policy
Seek Doctor or intelligent.
The retreat was a disater for all the reasons mentioned above - essentially signalling defeat and weakness, giving ground to our enemies and betraying our allies but Sneh is disingenuous at best when he claims he opposed it. He was a labor minister- deputy defence no less- and he held collective responsibility with govt. decisions. He did not resign, he did not campaign against it, he did not speak out publicly against it. Indeed he campaigned as a labor member for the party that clearly said it would retreat in its manifesto. Israel is in a mess because of Sneh and his friends on the Left who are ever-willing to surrender to our enemies from Sinai to Judea and Samaria and Gaza, all territory handed to Arabs will lead to disaster. Israel must aim to gain ground in the next war and hezbollah must be made aware of this.
Yes the blinded Left led us down this street and only the brave, progressive ones in Israel can lead us to peace.
Ephraim Sneh doesn't say if he thinks that Israel should re-occupy the part of Lebanon that he claims should not have been evacuated in 2000. If he's not in favor of that, what's the point of his article? That Israel should never withdraw from territories under its control?
teaches us is the fact that unilateral peace proposals don't work.
at long last, someone willing to tell it as it is...TRUTH! something haaretz is not very willing to tell. on balance, haaretz likes to avoid balance and tried to steer the conversation heavily left, which is to say, heavily misguided and full of holes. We all want peace, only some of us dont know how to achieve it. Only through strength and sacrifice will israel ever know peace. wishful thinking wont work, no matter how many out of touch columnists you use to try to effect the cause.
THIS IS WHAT WE SEE NOWDAYS IN A ISRAELI GOVERMENT, AND THIS IS A KIND OF DEMOSTRATION THAT ISRAEL DONT INTEND TO LIEVE A PALESTIAN TERRITORY, BECAUSE THEY JUST HAVE THE SAME ARGUMENT, THE SECURITY. THE ONLY WAY TO ACHIEVE THE PEACE IS MAKE PEACE, MAKE PEACE AND LET THE PEOPLE WORKS AND LIVE WITHOUTH FEAR.
Hizballah is more powerful than it used to be, true, but it would not initiate a full-scale attack on Israel unless Israel does something stupid about Iran. Hizballah's treshold to let the fire go is very high due to the fact that Israel does not refrain from killing thousands of civilians in the way to fight Hizballah, so Israel has to do something very very serious to really make them attack. If Hizballah attacks at all costs, then there is no other way than reinvading Lebanon for Israel. But this reinvasion would be infinitely bloodier for both sides, than the first Lebanon War. Plus, Israel does not have the economic strength and patience to maintain a long-term invasion. If republicans win the next election, Israel may pressure US to invade both Lebanon and Syria. Yet for this, Obama must go. Israel's long-term security is very much in jeopardy because of Likud and part of the Israeli public which supports Likud.
sneh is right on one account, which is that israels opponents, in this case hizbollah with iran"s backing, are getting stronger. he is wrong on the second account, which is that israel cannot secure its future by trying to destroy its enemies, thats just not possible. so what is israel to do?.. the only alternative, make a fair peace. the world is fed up of the mid east imbroglio , and now israel is increasingly being seen as the problem. the settlements for instance have become a millstone around israels neck. do something before israel goes under.
You cannot appease our enemies, they consider all the land of Israel to be occupied Islamic land. A strong defense is our only chance for relative peace.
It is really so sad... And I feel so sorry for the SLA warriors. Israel has betrayed them... Who else would want to side with us in the future???
You Israelis have become cowards! Iran has been warring you for decades now! So be brave and fight them! And stop being anti God and the Torah. You are in the land of Israel as God gave it to you! That is why you are there, why you speak Hebrew and why your mother was born Jewish. Fight for the land of Israel and believe in God and be strong!!
Anyone with any common sense knew it was a mistake to abandon our SLA allies and hand over Southern Lebanon to Hizbollah terrorist. This led to the Fatah terror wave of the early 2000 which ended with the murder of 1000 innocent Israelis, it led to the kidnapping of Shalit, Goldwasser, the Lebanon war of 2006, Hamas take over of Gaza and Hamas terror wave against Israel. We must return to South Lebanon and make all the land south of the Litani river a demilitarized no man zone in the interest of peace and security.
Do not worry soon we will save you the trouble of going to Lebanon ,we will meet you in every hill wadi or plain from the river to the sea.