Knesset Debate Shows National Unity

The Knesset wound up a six hour debate over the war in Lebanon last night with what amounted to an agreement between the coalition and opposition to disagree without fracturing national unity while Israeli soldiers were still at the front lines.

Premier Menachem Begin’s coalition cast 60 votes in favor of a resolution supporting the government’s war aims in Lebanon and its conduct of the war. The Labor Alignment mustered 47 votes for its own resolution basically supporting the “Peace for Galilee” operation but critical of the broadening of the war after its initial objectives were achieved.

The coalition and opposition agreed beforehand that each would vote for its own motion but would not vote against the other’s. They joined forces to crush a Hadash Communist Party resolution denouncing the Lebanese operation without qualification.

Given the ebullience of Israeli politics, the Knesset debate was restrained. Its most significant development was Begin’s offer to allow Palestine Liberation Organization forces to leave west Beirut with their personal weapons. This was an unexpected departure from the terms laid down by the Cabinet last Sunday which demanded that the PLO surrender its arms to the Lebanese army as a precondition for their evacuation of west Beirut and Lebanon under a safe conduct guarantee by Israel.

Begin made the offer in the course of his summing-up speech at the end of the debate. He said Israel had no desire to humiliate the PLO, just to rid Lebanon of their presence. “We will now allow them to leave with their Kalachnikovs” (Russian-made automatic assault rifles), Begin said. “But they must all leave Lebanon, leaving behind their tanks and artillery.”

Some sources said Begin’s easing of terms for the PLO reflected mounting criticism at home of the expansion of the war to the outskirts of Beirut and opposition to the possible entry of Israeli troops into west Beirut to oust the PLO remnants by force. There were also suggestions that Begin’s moderation indicated uncertainty over U.S. policy toward the war in Lebanon after the resignation of Secretary of State Alexander Haig and the nomination of George Shultz as his successor.

According to some sources, Israeli moderation could help U.S. special envoy Philip Habib who is engaged in what has been described as the most delicate phase of his negotiations in Beirut for the departure of the PLO without further bloodshed.

WAR COSTS $2 BILLION

The debate over the war gave way to a discussion of the State budget in the Knesset today. Shlomo Lorincz, chairman of the Finance Committee estimated that the three weeks of war in Lebanon has cost Israel 65 billion Shekels (about $2 billion) to date and its indirect costs may amount to an additional 40 billion Shekels. Lorinz said that as a result, inflation this year would exceed the projected 90 percent rate. As of last month, inflation was running at an annual rate of 130 percent.

Former Premier Yitzhak Rabin, summing up Labor’s position on the war last night, prefaced his remarks with a call for restraint of criticism while Israeli soldiers were still at the front facing the possibility of renewed fighting. But there must be no cover-up of mistakes, he warned. He said that all wars fought to ensure Israel’s security and defense were just wars but to continue fighting to achieve political aims not directly related to national security, was a mistake he said.

He thought it would be a serious mistake to risk more lives in an attempt to storm west Beirut to destroy PLO headquarters and the remnants of its military capability. Even if this succeeded, with heavy losses. Rabin doubted that the Lebanese could overcome their internal differences to form a strong central government. He said Israel also should not risk further casualties in an attempt to drive Syrian forces out of Lebanon.

SHULTZ SEEN AS FRIEND OF ISRAEL

Begin, appearing before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee this morning, expressed hope that Secretary of State-designate Shultz would prove to be a friend of Israel despite his connections with the Bechtel Corp. The huge American construction company of which Shultz was president, has billions of dollars worth of contracts in the Arab world, especially Saudi Arabia.

Begin said Israel should not judge Shultz by his business record because the job of Secretary of State has “its own effects.” He added that Max Fisher of Detroit, an American Jewish leader with close contacts in the Reagan Administration, had promised him to exert his influence on maintaining “good relations” with Shultz.