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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 July 1999 Issue No. 436 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 July 1999 Issue No. 436
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Special Interview Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Netanyahu's good-bye
By Nassif Hitti *
Israel's massive attack on Lebanon, which killed and injured many civilians, was presented as "retaliation" for the Hizbullah attack on northern Israel. Mr Netanyahu's outgoing government is still faithful to its policy of turning the facts on their head. The Hizbullah action was in fact a response to an Israeli pattern of provocation targeting civilian populations in Lebanon, thus violating the letter and spirit of the "April Understanding".
As Netanyahu admitted, the aim was to destroy the Understanding, which constrains Israel's military action in Lebanon and forces Israel to acknowledge the national resistance's legitimate right to operate in the Lebanese occupied territories. The military establishment in Israel would support any measure that could free Israel's hand by changing the understanding on the eve of the negotiations.
Israel also sought to make it clear that it could violate the Understanding at any time. Finally, besides the physical and material damage it inflicted, Israel was able to revive memories of the war and raise extra hurdles for Barak to negotiate.
None of these political goals was achieved, however: the state did not turn against the resistance; nor was a wedge driven between Lebanon and Syria. Was Mr Barak consulted beforehand or left in the dark? We will be able to judge him by his position on the Understanding, his recognition of the link between the Lebanese and Syrian tracks and his immediate return to negotiations where they left off.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is adjunct professor of political science at the American University in Cairo.
