1982, Lebanon and the Road to War

On June 6, 1982, the Israeli Defence Forces entered Lebanon for what was billed as a relatively limited operation. In reality, the Lebanon War claimed many lives and undermined public trust in decision-makers. Through newly published archival documents, this book explores the events that led to the war and the actions of the people involved. With the help of documents published in this book for the first time, historian Yigal Kipnis lays out the circumstances of the war, the preparations and discussions leading up to and during it, Israel's convoluted moves against the administration in Washington and against the Lebanese Christians, and above all - the consistent coordination between Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Minister of Defense Ariel Sharon. The goals of the war were derived from Begin's worldview. Sharon worked to achieve these goals in the military field while Begin operated in the Israeli political field and diplomatically with the United States. To this end, he skillfully, cleverly, and decisively maneuvered between his principles and his obligations as a leader guiding a nation to war and to the political struggle for its justice. However, he was also subject to extreme emotional changes, as revealed by the detailed reports of his behavioral transformations by representatives of the US State Department. This book will be of interest to researchers of Middle Eastern political history, US-Israeli relations, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as political science and political history.

Yigal Kipnis is a historian who researches the political history of the State of Israel. His books include The Mountain that was as a Monster: The Golan Between Syria and Israel (Hebrew); The Golan Heights: Political History, Settlement and Geography since 1949 (English); 1973: The Road to War (Hebrew and English); and 1982, Lebanon, The Road to War (Hebrew).

Introduction: The Roots of the War in Lebanon Part 1: August 1978-July 1981: Crises 1. Israel's Master Plan and Bashir's Master Plan 2. The "Masada Battle" at Zahleh 3. To Lebanon First or To Iraq 4. The Two-Week War Part 2: August 1981-June 6, 1982: Organization 5. In Washington, Preparations for a Peace Plan and in Israel, Preparations for War 6. Awaiting an Excuse for War 7. Blood Poker 8. Begin: "Be Ready for the Maximum" Part 3: War 9. Sunday, June 6: "Forty Kilometers" 10. Monday, June 7: "The Additional Decision" 11. Tuesday, June 8: "Raful, Let Me Take Care of That" 12. Wednesday, June 9: Begin: "Those Missiles are Set for Destruction" 13. Thursday, June 10: The Israeli Solution - A Unilateral Ceasefire 14. Friday, June 11: What Israel Will Do in Lebanon 15. The Israeli Crawl 16. Expulsion from Lebanon 17. The Circle of Vengeance Epilogue