Lebanon | War in the middle east | Land Without peace | This Week | 1978

THE ISRAELI INVASION AND OCCUPATION OF SOUTH LEBANON WAS STILL UNDER WAY WHEN PRIME MINISTER MENACHEM BEGIN FLEW TO WASHINGTON FOR CRUCIAL TALKS WITH PRESIDENT CARTER. THE TALKS ENDED WITH THE AMERICANS MAKING CLEAR THEIR BELIEF THAT PEACE WAS IMPOSSIBLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AS LONG AS ISRAEL REFUSED TO COUNTENANCE THE RE-TURN OF ANY PART THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK TO JORDAN. BEGIN RETURNED TO A COUNTRY STILL DIVIDED OVER THE FUTURE OF ITS SETTLEMENTS IN THE WEST BANK, AND ALTHOUGH HIS CABINET HAS SUPPORTED HIS STAND, HIS OWN
DEFENSE MINISTER, GENERAL WEIZMANN, HAS CALLED FOR A GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY TO COPE WITH WHAT SEES AS A CRISIS IN AMERICAN-ISRAELI RELATIONS. WEIZMANN HIMSELF IS COMING UNDER ATTACK WITHIN ISRAEL OVER THE WISDOM OF THE LEBANESE OPERATION. THE PLO'S REACTION TO THE INVASION OF THE LEBANON HAS BEEN A MIXTURE OF FURY, JUBILATION AND DEFIANCE. THAT EVENTS IN THE WEST BANK AND SOUTH LEBANON ARE LINKED IS CONFIRMED BY SAFIR AL MASRI, ACTIVE MAYOR OF OCCUPIED NABLUS.

First shown: 30/03/1978