INTRODUCTION

Volume eight of the series Israel's Foreign Relations deals with one of the most controversial wars of Israel, the War in Lebanon. An attempt was made to provide as many documents as possible in order to explain the official position of the Israeli Government and the decisions it made during the two years starting with 6 June 1982 and ending with the conclusion of the term of office of the Shamir Cabinet in September 1984. This period also saw the resignation of the Defense Minister in the wake of the Kahan Commission Report (also included in this volume) and the retirement from public life of Prime Minister Menachem Begin in August 1983. Because this was seen as a most difficult time for Israel's international position, there is an effort to provide to the best extent possible the reasons, motives and evolution of the operation "Peace for Galilee" As usual, the annual United Nations General Assembly resolutions, relevant to the Arab-Israel conflict, are also included, as well as all relevant Security Council resolutions.

As in previous volumes, all the documents reproduced here have been previously published elsewhere, either in the form of Knesset addresses or media interviews. Much of the translation of most of the documents was carried out by the devoted staff of the Israel Government Press Office. This also explains the absence of a uniform spelling, as various people translated material under tight deadlines. All the translators deserve our gratitude. As usual in this series, there was virtually no effort to edit texts so as to retain the original favor of the intent of the speaker or interviewee. Nor was there an attempt to refine the style. There are often English and American ways of spelling.

An editorial note before each document seeks to place it in a proper historic context in order to make the circumstances in which it appears more understandable. Although almost a decade has passed since the beginning of the War in Lebanon, its impact on Israel is still evident. Scores of books have since been published from Israeli and other sources. This volume is an additional contribution to this literature as well as a continuation of this series begun in 1977.

During this period there were other developments in Israel's international relations, but they were deemed secondary to the main preoccupation which was the attempt to secure peace for Galilee. This series is intended to serve historians, students, journalists and diplomats, Israelis and foreigners alike, who are still trying to grapple with the events of 1982-1984.