Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press are prepared by the Government Press Office as a service to foreign journalists in Israel. They express the views of the authors.
AND IF THEY HAD BEEN OUR CHILDREN?
(Commentary by Ephraim Sneh, "Ma'ariv", Aug 19, 1997, p.2)
"Hizbullah, as well as the Lebanese government, want to begin in Jezzine the process whose aim to collapse the security zone. The Jezzine enclave has long been under intense pressure, both by Hizbullah, through bomb attacks and artillery fire, and also by the Lebanese government, through arrests at roadblocks, investigations and delaying salaries and payments in order to weigh down on the residents."
"The bomb that exploded yesterday in Jezzine caused a strongest emotional reaction by General Lahad's soldiers, resulting in the firing on Jezzine. The two children who were killed were the children of an SLA battalion commander, who was himself killed by a Hizbullah bomb and whose two brothers, both SLA battalion commanders as well, have also died."
"It should be remembered that the SLA is not an army under our complete supervision. There is close coordination between the IDF and SLA, but it does not give us blind obedience - even though they absorb much of the fire for us. Therefore, it is hard to preach to the SLA morals or to pass judgment over its emotional reaction yesterday. Had two of our children been killed in this manner, Israel would have responded as well."
"It must be made clear: There is a balance of terror in Lebanon. The SLA also has the means to create a balance of terror of its own, and to exact a price for casualties from among the population of southern Lebanon. We, in Israel, have set a price for attacks on Israeli citizens, but until now, no such price has been set for attacks on southern Lebanese citizens. It seems that General Lahad decided that the time has come to create for himself a balance of terror and set a price for attacking his citizens."