Lebanon - A Christian Nation

The Maronite expatriates from Lebanon were quite active in the Detroit area of the United States. I recall hearing about their strong anti-Moslem stand and the cooperation that developed between them and the Revisionist Party in he US.

Here is from a memo of A. Richards, General Director, "Friends of Lebanon", Detroit/New Mexio, June 1955, that Eri Jabotinsky was involved in and recently upload by the Israel State Archives:

The file contains much additional material for background.

The idea that Israel could cooperate with these elements was not new to Menachem Begin when the First Lebanese War began later in 1981.

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Israel's Cinema Industry Wages War

Israel fought a war in Lebanon between 1982 until the embarrassing fleeing in 2000.

Last year, in 2008,

"Beaufort," an Israeli film describing events at an army post in the run-up to Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

This year, 2009,

"Waltz with Bashir" will be one of the five finalists competing for the Best Foreign Language Film award at the Oscars on February 22, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced yesterday.

And this coming year, 2010, what is the theme of the Israeli film to be submitted to the Oscar Committee?

You guessed it: Lebanon.

"Lebanon".is a film whose story about a tank that gets stuck in June 1982 in a village while a Syrian commando force closes in. Shmulik Maoz is the director.

Three years in a row, the cultural elite of Israel's cinema industry seems to be fixated on smacking Israel around on one of the most prestigious film stages of the world: Hollywood.

Two years in a row, Israel lost.

Does anyone think a third film on the subject of Lebanon will be nominated - forget about winning?

Why are they doing this?

40: That Magic Number

I heard it first on television and couldn't sign off before searching for a readable source.

Here it is:

According to 'special situation' orders given by the Homefront Command, schools have suspended their activities in all communities located within 40 km of the Gaza Strip until further notice.

Now, back in 1982, Menachem Begin went to war in Lebanon to assure that a strip of territory surrounding Israel's northern border would be cleared of Fatah terrorists firing Katyushas.

That strip was to be...yes, it was to be 40 kilometers from Israel's border.

Welcome to the Middle East.

Let's refresh your memories:

On 3 June 1982, the Abu Nidal Organization attempted to assassinate Israeli ambassador Shlomo Argov in London...Ariel Sharon and Menachem Begin, ordered a retaliatory aerial attack on PLO and PFLP targets in West Beirut that led to over 100 casualties.

The PLO responded by launching a counterattack from Lebanon with rockets and artillery, which also constituted a clear violation of the cease-fire. This was the immediate cause of Israel's subsequent decision to invade...Israel launched Operation Peace for Galilee on June 6, 1982, attacking PLO bases in Lebanon. Israeli forces quickly drove 25 miles (40 km) into Lebanon, moving into East Beirut with the tacit support of Maronite leaders and militia. When the Israeli cabinet convened to authorize the invasion, Sharon described it as a plan to advance 40 kilometers into Lebanon, demolish PLO strongholds, and establish an expanded security zone that would put northern Israel out of range of PLO rockets.

Does history repeat itself or just approximates itself?


P.S.

By midnight, Israel had over 350 incomings.