Siege of Beirut

The Siege of Beirut took place in the summer of 1982, as a response to PLO attacks on Israel from Lebanon, following a cease-fire effected by the United Nations. It ended with the PLO being forced out of Lebanon, and Israel immediately giving back nearly all the territory taken in the siege, holding onto only a "security zone," a ten-mile wide strip of land along the Israeli-Lebanese border, which was later returned to Lebanon in 2000.

Historical Setting

The PLO moved its primary base of operations to Beirut in the late 1960s, after an attempt on their part to overthrow the government of Jordan, and their subsequent expulsion. A Christian-Muslim conflict in Lebanon in 1975-1976 ended with the occupation of Lebanon by peace-keeping forces from several Arab countries, including Syria. Over the next few years, the Syrians and the PLO gained power in Lebanon, surpassing the ability of the official Lebanese government to curtail or control their actions. Throughout this time, artillery and rocket attacks were launched against Israel. In 1978, and again in 1981 and early 1982, the United Nations sponsored a cease-fire, and Israeli troops, sent into Labanon to curtail these attacks, were withdrawn. But by the summer of 1982, the rocket attacks had resumed, and Israel saw no recourse but to invade Lebanon and drive the terrorists out. The invasion was code-named "Peace for Galilee," and was intended to liberate Lebanon from foreign influence, and also to weaken the PLO to the extent of having a significant effect on their forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel also hoped to avoid entanglements with the Syrian military. The Israeli forces invaded in a three-pronged attack. One group moved along the coastal road to Beirut, another aimed at cutting the main Beirut-Damascus road, and the third moved up along the Lebanon-Syria border, hoping to block out Syrian reinforcements or interference. By the 11th of June, Israel had gained air superiority after shooting down a number of Syrian aircraft; Syria called for a cease-fire, and the majority of PLO guerillas fled Tyre, Sidon, and other areas for Beirut.

The Siege

Israeli forces hoped for aid from the Lebanese Front, a Christian militia, but was denied such assistance, as any alliance with Israel was seen as grossly politically unpopular. Israel hoped to complete the siege as quickly as possible; their goal all along in invading Lebanon was for a quick and decisive victory. In addition, the United States, through their representative Philip Habib , was pushing for peace negotiations; the longer the siege took, the greater Arafat's bargaining power would be. For seven weeks, Israel attacked the city by sea, air, and land, cutting off food & water supplies, disconnecting the electricity, and securing the airport and some southern suburbs, but for the most part coming no closer to their goals. As with most sieges, the population of the city, thousands of civilians, suffered alongside the PLO guerillas. The Israelis secured several key locations in the remainder of Lebanon, but did not manage to take the city before a peace agreement was finally pushed through. Syria agreed on the 7th of August, with the US, Israel, Lebanon, and the PLO agreeing by the 18th. French peacekeepers and American Marines arrived later in the month, evacuating Arafat and his PLO forces.

Results

In the end, Israel succeeded in ending the rocket attacks for a very short period, and routing the PLO from Lebanon, but failed to free Lebanon from Syrian control, and failed to weaken the PLO overall. To this day, many who speak of the illegality and cruelty of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza ignore entirely the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, which is still largely in effect. Following the siege of Beirut, Arafat fled to Greece, and then to Tunis, establishing a new headquarters there. PLO fedayeen continued to operate out of Yemen, Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, and the Sudan, as well as within Israeli-controlled territory.

References

• Davis, Paul K. (2001). "Besieged: 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo." Oxford: Oxford University Press.

See Also

• History of Israel
• 1982 Invasion of Lebanon
• United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon