Pres. Bush announces that James Baker will leave his post as secy. of state 8/23 to become chief of staff at the White House. Baker will bring his 4 closest aides with him, will continue to direct...
Rival militias battle in Tripoli; Druze militia surrounds Lebanese Army barracks in Hammana, warns army and police to keep off roads in Chouf mountains; in response to...
Israel fortifies position around Beirut, capturing Lebanese University science campus; uncovers arms caches in Tyre and elsewhere; IDF fails to capture USSR-supplied T-72...
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Pres. Bush announces that James Baker will leave his post as secy. of state 8/23 to become chief of staff at the White House. Baker will bring his 4 closest aides with him, will continue to direct the peace process, and will leave Lawrence S. Eagleburger as acting secy. of state. (WP 8/14)
In private meeting with top AIPAC executives, PM Rabin sharply criticizes the lobby for steering Israel toward an unneeded confrontation with the U.S. over the loan guarantees. According to the New York Times, Rabin said the organization "should not pursue their own initiatives, but rather take instructions from the Israeli embassy in Washington." (WP 8/16; NYT 8/22)
IDF shells Iqlim al-Tuffah, Litani River regions, overflies Nabatiyya and Sidon, S. Lebanon. (VOL, Radio Lebanon 8/13 in FBIS 8/13)
Military Action:
Rival militias battle in Tripoli; Druze militia surrounds Lebanese Army barracks in Hammana, warns army and police to keep off roads in Chouf mountains; in response to attacks by Lebanese National Resistance, IDF steps up security in and around Sidon; Syrian small-arms fire directed at IDF fortification on eastern front.
Casualties:
3 killed, many wounded in Tripoli fighting, shops close as armed men roam streets; 3 wounded by Nabatiyeh car bomb.
Political Responses:
Israel/ Occupied Territories: 12 Bedouin men begin hunger strike in Israel to protest harassment by Green Patrol, demand talks with Ministry of Agriculture; Central Bureau of Statistics figures show $557m. trade deficit for first 2 months of 1983, nearly 20% higher than 1982; trial begins of two Kiryat Arba officials charged with illegal possession of explosives and destroying evidence police believe may be connected with June 1980 bomb attacks on West Bank mayors; 2 IDF injured by stones during incidents in East Jerusalem and Ramallah; general strike in Ramallah; Nablus market under curfew; Birzeit University reopens; 3 Birzeit students beaten, 1 detained by settlers; IDF uses helicopters to patrol West Bank; 35 Gaza youths sentenced by military tribunal to fines and suspended prison sentences for disturbing the peace by throwing stones last week; 6 teenagers in Ramallah sentenced to 6 to 8 months imprisonment and fined $400 to $900 for participating in recent disturbances; 3 girls in Ramallah convicted of stone-throwing, fined up to $2800 and given suspended prison terms; youth arrested in Jerusalem for wearing shirt in colors of Palestinian flag; special prayers held at Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosques to protest plot by Jewish zealots, uncovered by police last week, to seize Temple Mount.
Arab Governments: Egyptian-Israeli talks on normalization of trade and commercial relations, suspended since June, resume in Cairo.
US and Other Countries: Foreign Minister Salem tells Shultz and other officials in Washington, that Lebanese Army is capable of controlling all Lebanon, Israeli military presence is unnecessary; Shultz and Shamir meet for 5 hours, focus on possible use of international troops and increased US presence to meet Israeli security concerns in South Lebanon; Shamir delegation meets with Reagan, Bush, Weinberger, Shultz, Habib and Draper, Reagan reportedly emphasizes urgency of Israeli agreement to withdrawal terms; 10 IDF touring US to offset impression that Lebanon campaign was overly aggressive; US Ambassador to UN Kirkpatrick, in Israel for conference on Soviet Jewry, meets Begin; former President Carter meets King Hussein in Amman, says Israeli settlements in West Bank are illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Military Action:
Israel fortifies position around Beirut, capturing Lebanese University science campus; uncovers arms caches in Tyre and elsewhere; IDF fails to capture USSR-supplied T-72 tanks but claims huge numbers of fighters taken; IDF claims Phalangist forces took university (denied by Gemayel); Phalangist artillery used to pound Burj al-Barajneh Pales-tinian camp. Port access to Beirut cut for 8 days, roads for 5, air access cut. Arafat tours PLO military positions in Beirut; PLO opens 12 new medical facilities in last 10 days, with 2,000 beds, to deal with casualties.
Casualties:
80 bodies uncovered under Sidon building hit by Israeli shelling; 400 Sidon residents reported killed; Lebanese sources estimate over 25,000 casualties and 250,000 displaced persons (1 of 16 living in Lebanon); Israeli government claims only 70,000 home-less in Lebanon as result of fighting; IDF administrator in Sidon says IDF plans to bury bodies in pits where they lay; ICRC negotiates with IDF to fly 2 planes from Cyprus to Beirut; most Beirut businesses closed. 30-vehicle relief convoy leaves Israel for southern Lebanon for 2-week stay; Israeli banks set up mobile units inside Lebanon for Israeli soldiers (will also service local Lebanese); Israeli Trade Minister Patt says Lebanese merchants wishing to buy Israeli goods may place orders through military commanders (to be filled in 24 hours); Israel claims 6,000 guerrillas captured, 60 Syrians.
Political Responses:
Israel/Occupied Territories: Begin, in New York, tells Israeli Cabinet to disregard US pressures in setting war policy; Shimon Peres claims military actions lacked necessary Cabinet approval, calls for meeting of foreign affairs committee; Israeli Cabinet reportedly orders Sharon not to enter Beirut; Israeli government claims possession of documents showing PLO hosting of groups "such as" the Japanese Red Army, Italian Red Brigade, and German Baader-Meinhoff Gang; public criticism surfaces on conduct of war and casualty levels.
Palestinians/Lebanese: PLO's Hani Hassan urges direct US-PLO talks; former Lebanese Premier Salam meets Habib to convey PLO views on fighting; Phalangists deny cooperating with Israelis during fighting; some Lebanese Christians reported cooling toward Israeli presence.
Arab Governments: Saudis urge US pressure to force Israelis to withdraw, suggest arms embargo to Vice-President Bush, Senator Percy, Defense Secretary Weinberger (in Saudi Arabia for funeral of late Saudi King).
US and Other Countries: Reagan delays sending Congress formal notice of long-planned sale of 75 F-16s to Israel; Israeli reassurance that IDF would not enter Beirut reportedly ensures Begin meeting with Reagan; US rejects PLO request for direct talks; UK Prime Minister Thatcher says PLO office can stay in UK; USSR reportedly replenishing Syrian supplies.
