1982 Lebanon War: Encyclopedia II - 1982 Lebanon War - Outcome of the war

1982 Lebanon War - Outcome of the war

1982 Lebanon War - Casualties

It is estimated that around 17,825 Arabs were killed during the war. There are different estimates of the proportion of civilians killed. A Beirut newspaper An Nahar estimated that

• 17,825 killed during the invasion
  • Outside Beirut
    • Military personnel: 9,797 (PLO, Syria, etc.)
    • Civilians: 2,513
  • Beirut area: 5,515 (mil. + civ.)
• [6]

About 675 Israeli soldiers were killed.

1982 Lebanon War - The security buffer zone

In August 1982, the PLO withdrew most of its forces from Lebanon. With U.S. assistance, Israel and Lebanon reached an accord in May 1983 that set the stage to withdraw Israeli forces from Lebanon. The instruments of ratification were never exchanged, however, and in March 1984, under pressure from Syria, Lebanon canceled the agreement. In January 1985 Israel started to withdraw most of its troops, leaving a small residual Israeli force and an Israeli-supported militia in southern Lebanon in a "security zone," which Israel considered a necessary buffer against attacks on its northern territory. The Israeli withdrawal to the security zone ended in June 1985.

1982 Lebanon War - Political results

In the voting in the Knesset on the war, only Hadash opposed to the war (and even submited a no-confidence motion against the government). Hadash Knesset member Meir Vilner, said in the Knesset plenary session that "The government is leading Israel to an abyss. She is doing something that in the course of time might lead to crying for generations". In response they were condemned and calls were heard, among others from the editor of Yediot Ahronoth to prosecute them for treason. Left-wing Knesset members, including Shulamit Aloni and Yossi Sarid were absent from the plenary for the vote. The HaMa'arakh faction even voted for. Also the newspapers, except Haaretz, supported the war: optimistic articles were published in the newspapers (it had been reported, for instance, about lessening in the number of theft in Gush Dan region, implying that there is connection between the lessening to the war) and even one doubting voice was not heard in these communications media. Enlarged to do Amiram Nir from Yediot Akharonot in the staff article in the first day of the war, the June 6, 1982 under the title "quiet, shooting" (שקט, יורים): "now there is no opposition, no Likud and Ma'arakh, no religious and non-religious, rich mans and poor mans, vuzvuzs and chakhchakhs. Now we all one people, in uniform, now shooting. Quiet.".

The most famous case of the cooperation between the Media to the government was in the time of the conquest of Beaufort. The prime minister of Israel reported that Beaufort was conquered "without losses", despite that that it was known that six soldiers of Sayeret Golani, including the commander of the Sayeret, Rasan Goni Hernik, fell during the fighting. The Media itself reported about the courage and bravery of the soldiers in the battle, but did not mentioned the issue of the losses. Only fastidious examination of the obituaries showed another picture: "on the death of Rasan Goni Hernik, in the time of the conquest of Beaufort, mourn Peace Now movement".

But heavy Israeli casualities, alleged disinformation of government leaders and the public by military and political advocates of the campaign, and lack of clear goals, led to increasing disquiet among Israelis. This culminated in a 300,000 protestor rally in Tel Aviv, organized by the Peace Now movement, following the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre.

In addition, it has been noted that the bombing of the United States Marine barracks in Lebanon on October 23, 1983, was a forerunner of the kinds of assymmetrical warfare experienced with increasing frequency in later decades. The United States has repeatedly experienced the devastating impact which a small number of suicide bombers could have against a much larger force in many later events - from first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, to the Oklahama City bombing in 1995, to the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, to the second bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001, to the 2003 Iraq war.

Israel finally withdrew from the "security zone" in 2000, during the Prime Ministership of Ehud Barak. Israel continues to control a small area called "Shebaa Farms", which Lebanon and Syria claim to be Lebanese territory but Israel insists to be former Syrian territory with the same status as the Golan Heights, since they have captured it from the Syrians. The United Nations has determined that Shebaa Farms is not part of Lebanon. The UN Secretary-General had concluded that, as of 16 June 2000, Israel had withdrawn its forces from Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 425 of 1978, bringing closure to the 1982 invasion as far as the UN was concerned.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Outcome of the war", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki