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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Israel's operation darkness
By Ranwa YehiaAs talks with Syria remain deadlocked, Israel's attack on major power stations in Lebanon early Tuesday, wounding at least 19 civilians, represents a clear attempt by Israel to alter the terms of the 1996 April Understanding. This agreement followed the massive 20-day-long Israeli attack on south Lebanon, code-named "Grapes of Wrath."
Although the restrictions called for by the 1996 April Understanding have been violated dozens of times during the past four years, the terms of the deal, which bans attacks on, or from civilian areas, have contributed to restricting military action to the occupied zone in south Lebanon and minimising civilian casualties.
Israel said its attack against civilian targets on Tuesday was in retaliation for the killing of five of its soldiers in attacks by the Islamic resistance movement, Hizbullah, inside the occupied zone. It also came after the killing of Hashem Akel, a key commander of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA) in the same area last week.
Arab countries and Secretary-General of the Arab League Esmat Abdel-Meguid, strongly condemned the attack, viewing it as a sign of Israel's intention to destroy the peace process.
In the attack occurring under the cover of night, Israeli aircraft knocked out three key power stations, one on the perimeter of the Lebanese capital, another in the eastern Bekaa Valley and a third in the north. As a result, most Lebanese cities were plunged into darkness.
Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly, Ibrahim Amin, a columnist for the Lebanese daily As-Safir, said he believes that Israel's attack "cannot be considered a retaliation in the military sense. The Israelis breached the terms of the April 1996 agreement while Hizbullah's operations didn't," Amin said. All recent Hizbullah attacks have taken place within the occupied zone in south Lebanon and did not target civilians, meaning that the Lebanese organisation did not breach the 1996 agreement, he added.
Lebanese civilians inspect the Baalbek power station knocked out by Israeli shelling
(photoa: AP)
Amin suggested that Israel's attack was an indication that it wanted to establish a new formula that would govern the nature of confrontations between its soldiers and its ally SLA militiamen with resistance fighters.
"What Israel really wants is to obtain a cease-fire agreement during its peace talks with Syria. This is an issue that Israel has been trying for, but to no avail. The response it got from Syria was that resistance operations would continue," he said.
Amin predicted "a huge military escalation" following the Israeli attack on Lebanon. "Hizbullah will definitely respond by firing Katyusha rockets across the border and Israel will respond in turn. The situation will escalate until there is interference by the United States to create a new kind of agreement restricting such actions," he predicted.
However, other Lebanese sources believe that it is unlikely that Hizbullah will fire Katyushas across the border because "that would be playing right into Israel's hands."
"With Israeli civilians well-protected inside bomb shelters, Katyusha rockets are unlikely to cause civilian injuries or losses. At the moment, it would be more effective for Hizbullah to continue its operations within the occupied zone and increase the number of Israeli casualties there," one source said.
Asked if he expected Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to keep his promise to withdraw unilaterally from south Lebanon by July 2000, Amin said: "Israel has no choice but to withdraw and maybe even earlier than July. The question is what are the guarantees that Israel will get for taking this step, specifically, whether there will be security guarantees or pledges that the resistance will stop its operations," he said.
Asserting that a major policy shift concerning Lebanon is occurring within the Israeli government, Amin cited recent comments by Haim Ramon, an Israeli cabinet minister. On Tuesday, Ramon said Israeli troops will leave Lebanon by July, regardless of the cost and that they may even withdraw several months earlier. Until then, Israel will respond severely to any attacks on Israeli troops.
Amin said it was obvious that the escalation of conflict in Lebanon was an indication that there is a "serious deadlock" in the Syrian-Israeli peace talks. He also suggested that Israel's attack was directed at changing the agenda of the peace process to make the Lebanese file a priority.
Merely an hour after Barak vowed on Tuesday that the protection of Israeli civilians and soldiers was a priority, Hizbullah staged an operation in the occupied zone which resulted in the death of one Israeli soldier.
Hizbullah earlier vowed it will respond to the Israeli air raids on Lebanon. "Last night's Zionist aggression will not protect its troops in the occupied zone... The occupation soldiers will remain the targets for the bombs, rockets and ambushes of our fighters," Hizbullah said in a statement.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said on Tuesday that Israel must take sole responsibility for the consequences of the failure of the 1996 agreement as it continues to act as though the truce did not exist. He went on to describe the air raids as a "barbaric aggression against civilian targets."
While tens of thousands of Israelis living close to the Lebanese border remained in bomb shelters in fear of Hizbullah's Katyusha rockets, Lebanon faces at least a year of power rationing after the bombing of the power stations.
Lebanese Electricity Minister Suleiman Traboulsi said after touring the wreckage of the Jumhour power station on the edge of Beirut -- the third time since 1996 it has been hit -- that all three stations hit in the midnight assault had been destroyed.
"Rationing will be harsh," Traboulsi told a Lebanese public that had suffered through last summer with severe power shortages following an Israeli onslaught in June 1999 and it will be a blow to an economy already in a recession.
