Foctts On Israel
Page fTHE NEWS-May. 1983
Pentagon — Up in Arms
By Kenny Gross
From recent statements
made and letters leaked
(from senior Marine officers
in Lebanon) it would seem
that some of the occupants of
the Pentagon are more than
somewhat upset at Israel’s
army and leadership. This
reaction, of course, pleases
the Secretary of Defense,
who takes a particular
delight in besmirching Israel
and who waits impatiently
for an opportunity to put
those pushy leaders into
their rightful place at the
back of the line. Remember
how much trouble they stir
red up with the Saudi
AWAC’s deal and who
knows what will happen
when the Jordan arms pro
mises are brought up for
Congress confirmation.
Likewise the media,
especially the T.V. net
works, lose no opportunity
of striking back at the feisty
Menachem Begin, who sur
vives and thrives, despite
their best undermining ef
forts. In his testimony
recently given to a Senate
Committee, Thomas A.
Dine, Executive Director of
AIPAC (American Israel
Public Affairs Committee),
included the following:
“A realistic American
policy is one that works with
Israel, not against her. The
administration must stop
conducting Guerilla Warfare
against Israel on the front
pages of our daily
newspapers. The United
States must strive to restore
the mutuality of the relation
ship and correct the harm
that has been done by past
pressures, not sink deeper
into the quagmire.”
I am sorry Mr. Dine omit
ted reference to prime time
T.V. news network broad
casts. I am constantly struck
by the unusual failure of the
interviewers to quote Israeli
sources in regard to the pat
tern of repeated confronta
tion with Marines in
Lebanon. Why only one
side —the complaining
generals? Perhaps the truth
of the lack of liaison, in a
cheek by jowl physical situa
tion, would demolish these
complaints; especially as
this deliberate non
communication with the
Israel forces, on the part of
the Marines, would be shown
up in an absurd light from a
daily practical point of view.
The strategy of the Ad
ministration is to pressurize
Jews in the United States (by
this continuous trade) in
order for them, in their turn,
to pressure Israel to agree
with the Reagan Peace Plan,
pull out of Lebanon and stop
building on the “West
Bank,” for this would suit
the State Department’s book
right now, and not because it
would be best for Israel.
Why can’t the stubborn
Israelis understand that the
Administration knows
what’s good for them?
The old argument of
substituting United States
guarantees as against Israel
occupation and control! This
will never be acceptable to
any government in Israel, in
the light of past experience
(1956 and 1%7) and because
of the realities of the situa
tion in the Middle East-
5000 miles away from
Washington D.C.—the first
war Israel loses would be its
last.
The Administration’s bit
terness was highlighted by
the “Captain Johnson” inci
dent, when a Marine officer
who was of the opinion that 3
Israeli tanks were heading
towards Marine territory,
decided to show those
Israelis who were in com
mand and to stop their pro
gress by brandishing a
pistol. This was right up the
Pentagon’s alley. A deluge of
headline articles appeared. I
summarize a few:
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Feb. 3: Washington Post -
“Marine Raises Gun to Stop
Advance of 3 Israeli Tanks. ’ ’
Part of content: Military
command in Tel Aviv said
the tanks were patroling 600
yards inside the Israeli zone.
Feb. 3: Washington Post -
“Incident Most Serious Bet
ween Two Forces”
- Part of content: Col.
Stokes, a U.S. Commander
of the Marine contingent,
“I’ve got some pretty cocky
Marines here who think that
no matter where they go,
nobody really is going to be
shooting at them and the
shooting is going to stop.”
He indicated that some
Marines were restless to go
to areas where fighting con
tinues in this war-torn na
tion. The attitude he said
was “come on Colonel, let
me get out and go stop this
crap.”
Feb. 4: Washington Post -
“U.S. Rhetoric Cools On In
cident In Mideast”
Part of content: The
Reagan Administration
yesterday cooled its
rhetoric as influential
lawmakers expressed deep
concern and raised the
possibility of an on-the-spot
Congressional investigation
in Beirut. Alan Romberg,
State Dept, spokesman: “We
thought the situation was
clear (operational areas for
U.S. and Israeli forces) ob
viously it wasn't.”
Feb. 4: Philadelphia
Enquirer (Associated Press)
- “Close Encounter”
Part of content: Col. Rafi,
the Israel tank Commander,
said the Marine officer had
panicked and that he had
been “rather amused” when
he pulled out a pistol after an
altercation he invited the of
ficer to “Bring me your
superior officer so that we
can talk” as they were in
disagreement about whose
territory they were in. He
refused. The Marine had
“grabbed my arm and told
me: Stop him, stop him” (A
second Israeli tank). He was
very panicky. He gave the
Marine a little push to free
his arm.
Feb. 5: The Sun - “Pact
Allows Israelis To Patrol
Conflict Site”
Part of content: The State
Dept, yesterday acknowledg
ed that under an agreement
reached with Israel, Israeli
forces will operate without
challenge in the area where a
U.S. - Israel armed confron
tation took place.
Feb. 5: Washington Post -
“Israelis Say They Were
Right In Confrontation”
Part of content: Defense
Secretary Weinberger was
blamed for “blowing this
completely out of propor
tion” and for suggesting a
commendation for the
Marine Captain. We find this
surprising that a soldier who
draws a gun on an ally
should be commended with a
medal. Asked for the reason
for the confrontation:
‘‘Maybe they (the
Americans) didn’t know the
facts or maybe they have
other reasons.”
Feb. 7: Los Angeles Times
- “Beirut Incident Refuses to
Die. Israelis Won’t Seek
Apology.”
Part of content: Israeli
military sources confirmed a
frontpage story in Tel Aviv
newspaper “Haaretz” that
the commander of the Israel
patrol. Col. Rafi, asserted
that the Marine officer
“smelled of alcohol” during
the mid-morning confronta
tion. He was not accused of
being drunk but that it is
clear he was drinking while
on duty.
At last a clearer picture!
Howard W. Squadron,
President of the American
Jewish Congress, had this
comment on Weinberger’s
congressional testimony:
(Washington Post)
“The anti-Israel theatrics
of our Secretary of Defense
over a minor incident in
Lebanon is dismaying
“Rushing to a Senate (sic)
Committee to escalate an in
significant happening on the
ground into an international
incident of major importance
makes us question his sense
of proportion as well as his
motives.
“There is every reason to
believe that the Secretary’s
account of the affair was in
accurate and distorted....this
behavior is inexcusable.”
Looking back at the series
of daily distortions • we
wonder “what ails Secretary
Weinberger and the Pen
tagon?” The answer lies in
the Mideast position. Begin
has come out of the commis
sion strong and firm. Saudi
Arabia is not the force they
had assessed. Recent OPEC
meetings have shown this
clearly. They will not be able
to buy Arafat nor Jordan’s
Hussein: Jordan’s arms pro
mises (by Weinberger) are
soon to be brought to Con
gress. Who will sponsor and
who will pay? Reagan’s
Peace Plan is drifting.
Scapegoat Sharon is gone.
They cannot fault Moshe
Arens. They even give him
faint praise.
The former Bechtel Boys
are in problems!
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