We turn our heads around and take a look, at the border, at the mother's
eyes, the children, the fresh graves and with courage, at the questions.
The war doesn't take place with just machine guns, missiles, booby-traps
and weary bombers. It takes place every day deep in our hearts.
A moral
war. Psychological and almost psychiatric in its political definitions..
The dead are truly dead. Those that remain are fighting to justify
the
essence of these deaths. It must be admitted - the war justifying
the war
is no less important than the war itself, nor less than "defending
the
settlements in the north".
So turn your head around, look back and decide. Turn your head
back with
the knowledge that the hearts of the entire nation are behind you in
order
to fight together.
The decision is made to fight from the border. Al l the forces
in the
security zone are spread along the international border; army strongholds,
fences, mines and early warning systems, tanks, helicopters and everything
necessary for a strong defense line. All of this so visible that
the
mothers are aware of it every day as well as the travelers coming from
the
center of the country...
Later, the security zone is declared as a "border zone." From
the moment
the decision is made to leave Lebanon, the rules can be made with or
without compliance.
The date of withdrawal and the agreement are declared. If the
agreement is
made with Lebanese or Syrian approval, all the better, if not, conditions
are stated regarding the border area.
It is prohibited for any force to deploy in the border zone to be in
order
to attack Israel.
The Israeli army will fight any show of force if there is movement in
the
identified border zone.
Any military activity is considered an act of war and will not be
considered a terrorist act. Declarations are made as to who is
responsible
for absorbing responsibility should there be attacks in the north within
the "border zone". The governments of Lebanon and
Syria are to be held
responsible.
It will be declared that from now on the Golan Heights are the Golan
Heights, the Litani River is the Litani River, Mt. Hermon is Mt. Hermon
and
Gezine is Gezine. Every area and its solution.
Statements and declarations will be made in Hebrew and Arabic in a concise
manner with no room for misinterpretation. This will be
the manner for
all further negotiations.
Leaving, at a designated date - leaving with courage and confidence
that
after withdrawing, approval and willingness to fight a justified war
will
be clear to all..
And now the situation is evaluated according to the position at the
time -
fighting in order to reach a peace agreement.
If the worst should happen and fighting renews - because Katyusha rockets
fall or terrorists infiltrate or explosives were left on security roads,
no
one will rush to return the forces to Lebanon.
Lebanon is not an extension of the Upper Galilee. We are fighting
on the
border for our homes. This does not prevent us from flooding
the area
with special forces and carrying out special tasks every evening.
Our
fighting helicopters can cross the skies over the international border,
over the cities and capitol of Lebanese government as well as the bridges
and the roads of Beirut-Damascus. We will guard over the main
roads and
therefore the money of the President of Syria, on the main arteries
whose
cut-off would be harmful financially and would clearly define the limits
of
our war.
And now war is war, cease-fire is cease-fire. The agreement to
separate
forces is connected with peace as true peace.
The Army of our Southern Lebanese neighbors is not ignored, neither
it's
leaders, nor its citizens. Shelter is found for those who need
it and the
skills to cope for those who remain. Courage is also needed to
tell our
neighbors we cannot remain indefinitely for them. They must learn
how to
live with their new conditions.
We leave. We turn our heads around and with our backs and our
bodies, we
load our heavy burdens; our fixations, and our fears, the opinions
of our
experts, the magical prophecies and we cope with the new reality.
We
extricate ourselves from the reality we have also created for ourselves.
Army and political speculators have nothing to lose by gambling on "what
will happen if we get out" when they lose, they don't pay the price
anyway.
Etai Landsberg - Reserve Officer - IDF (Israel
Defense Forces)