A Defense Ministry proposal for the unilateral withdrawal of the Israel Defense Force from south Lebanon, to be carried out in three stages over a 6-9 month period, has apparently split the Labor-Likud unity government, roughly along party lines.
The Cabinet devoted its regular weekly session today to the issue and is scheduled to convene in special session tomorrow afternoon to continue the debate, but it is not certain when a vote will be taken. Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin and senior military officers briefed the ministers for three hours today on the plan. According to Cabinet sources, it won enthusiastic support from Deputy Premier David Levy, a powerful member of Likud’s Liberal Party wing. It was strongly opposed by former Defense Minister Moshe Arens of Likud’s Herut bloc, a Minister-Without-Portfolio in the coalition Cabinet.
Others favoring the plan included former Defense Minister Ezer Weizman of the Yahad faction and Amnon Rubinstein of Shinui. Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, the leader of Likud, reportedly reserved his position. Likud Liberal Avraham Sharir, the Minister of Tourism, was said to oppose the plan. According to media reports, Finance Minister Yitzhak Modai, a Likud Liberal, is also opposed.
But political observers predicted unanimity or near unanimity among Labor ministers in support of the plan which is strongly favored by Premier Shimon Peres and by Rabin.
Haim Kaufman, chairman of the Likud Knesset faction, called on the Cabinet today to defer a vote until Likud can convene tomorrow night to adopt a party position. Cabinet sources said no formal request has been submitted on behalf of the Likud ministers.
An early vote would be taken in the absence of Minister of Commerce and Industry Ariel Sharon who is still in New York pursuing his $50 million libel action against Time magazine. Sharon, a former Defense Minister, is widely believed to oppose unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon. His presence before the Cabinet votes would bolster other opponents of the plan.
BASIS FOR A UNILATERAL PULLOUT
Government sources have stressed, meanwhile, that no unilateral pullout would be implemented as long as diplomatic efforts were continuing to bring about a military security and withdrawal agreement between Israel and Lebanon. The two sides have been negotiating at Nakura for the past several months with no progress toward an agreement in sight.
The United Nations, which is sponsoring the Nakura talks, is about to make a last-ditch effort to break the impasse. UN Undersecretary General Brian Urquhart is due here tomorrow.
But government sources do not rate his chances high. They believe Beirut’s decision-making apparatus is paralyzed by fragmentation and especially by Syria’s refusal to sanction any agreement that it perceives as a political advantage for Israel. Many Israeli officials believe that Damascus, not Beirut, holds the key to an agreement.
Nevertheless, important circles here feel that if Israel demonstrates a determination to wash its hands of Lebanon and pull out the IDF with or without an agreement, the Lebanese might be spurred to negotiate terms acceptable to both sides.
The main issue is Israel’s insistence that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) take over responsibility for security between the Zaharani and Awali rivers after the IDF evacuates that area.
The Lebanese so far have refused, claiming that their regular army can handle the task.
The newspaper Maariv reported today that the plan under discussion by the Cabinet envisages the withdrawal of the IDF to a line between 21 and 30 kilometers from the Israeli border.
At the some time, Maariv said, Rabin intends to broaden and reenforce the zone held by the Israel-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA) to ensure certain freedom of action for the IDF inside Lebanon even after it is redeployed on the Israeli side of the international border.
According to Maariv, the zone between the Litani and Zaharani rivers would ultimately be patrolled by the SLA while UNIFIL polices the region north of the Zaharani. At each stage of the phased withdrawal, the IDF will review the situation before deciding when to proceed to the next stage, Maariv said.
ROLE OF SOUTH LEBANESE POPULATION
Meanwhile, Uri Lubrani, the coordinator of Israeli affairs in south Lebanon, said today that any arrangements made by the Israeli government would take into consideration the friendly attitude of the south Lebanon population.
Lubrani spoke in the Christian town of Marjayoun at ceremonies commemorating the first anniversary of the death of Maj. Saad Haddad, a native of the town, who commanded the Israel-backed Christian militia, predecessor of the SLA.
Lubrani was representing Peres at the dedication of a memorial to Haddad. SLA commander Gen. Antoine Lahad appealed to the Lebanese government to make use of what he said was the favorable world climate to reach a satisfactory solution to the problem of Lebanon’s internecine strife.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
