24 Friday, February 11, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Reagan: Removal of Foreign Troops Will Prevent Clashes
WASHINGTON (JTA) —
President Reagan said the
best way to prevent such in-
cidents as occurred between
a U.S. marine and Israeli
troops is „,"to expedite" the
withdrawal of all foreign
Party
CARICATURES
by
Chuck Borshanian
535-5340
forces from Lebanon.
Although Reagan said
the U.S. has "assurances"
from Israel that the incident
will not reoccur, he directly
blames the Israelis for try-
ing to penetrate the
marines lines. He said the
same Israeli commander
had tried to go through the
same line three times.
The marine officer who
brandished his revolver to
stop three Israeli tanks last
week did the "only thing he
could do," Reagan said.
He stressed that the
U.S. and other contin-
gents of the multinational
force are in Lebanon at
the request of the
Lebanese goyernment so
that that government can
"try to establish stabil-
ity." He added that he be-
lieved "our forces are be-
having very well."
Reagan repeated his often
stated position that he could
not "set any time" for how
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long the marines would
have to be in Lebanon.
In Jerusalem, Premier
Menahem Begin ordered his
ministers to tone down the
angry rhetoric between Is-
rael and the U.S. over last
Wednesday's incident. But
government sources
stressed that his would "de-
pend on the Americans"
allowing the tension over
the incident to die down.
Summing up an angry
Cabinet debate, Begin over-
ruled several ministers who
had suggested strong public
action by Israel to em-
phasize that it was in the
right in the tank incident.
Some of them urged Begin
to make an official state-
ment or send a public letter
to President Reagan. .
But Begin said such
steps would needlessly
exacerbate the tension
and would play into the
hands of those in the U.S.
Administration who
want to foment trouble
between Washington and
Jerusalem. According to
Begin, it was those ele-
ments who deliberately
exaggerated the,incident
for their ownf. pUrposes:.
Defense Ministe Ariel
Sharon reportedly sup-
ported Begin's "play it
ennl" approach.
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Foreign Minister Yitzhak
Shamir appeared conciliat-
ory when he told reporters,
before his departure on a
brief visit to West Germany,
Belgium and Luxembourg
that he hoped the incident
will not affect the friendly
relations between Israel
and the U.S.
He was referring to the
episode last week when a
marine officer, Capt.
Charles Johnson, halted a
column of three Israeli
tanks and, brandishing a
loaded pistol, warned that
they could advance only
over his dead body.
The incident occurred
near the Beirut airport. Is-
rael insists the tanks were
on a routine patrol in their
legitimate area of opera-
tions at the time and that
the Americans later con-
ceded this.
Begin and other minis-
ters expressed distaste
over reports in the Israeli
media citing Israeli
sources to the effect that
Johnson had been into-
xicated when he con-
fronted the tanks.. But
Cabinet sources said the
ministers, regardless of
their differences over
how to handle the inci-
dent, were united in their
anger and resentment
against the Administra-
tion for allegedly
exaggerating it.
Much of the blame was
heaped on Defense Secre-
tary Caspar Weinberger
who, it was felt here, delib-
erately over-reacted to the
affair in order "to besmirch
Israel."
Officials and military
officers assert that when
American and Israeli offi-
cers and diplomats in-
spected the demarcation
line shortly after the inci-
dent, it was confirmed that
the tanks'were in their own
territory and that the
marine captain had to leave
his forward post to confront
them. They said that
colored barrels erected since
then to define the demarca-
tion line proved this.
The officials appear dis-
turbed over what they per-
ceive to be a deliberate at-
tempt by Washington to
exaggerate a minor incident
which they admit was the
result of a "misunderstand-
ing."
The Israelis say that
despite the alleged
American admission that
there was no serious in-
cident or confrontation,
the "Americans tend to
blame Israel for what
could have happened or
what /night happen in the
future.
The tank incident has
drawn sardonic comment
from Israeli army officer
who say it "ranged from the
ridiculous to the unhappy to
the absurd." They seem to
take offense at the fact that
Johnson has become what
they call derisively Ameri-
can's new "folk hero" who
"single-handed repulsed
three Israeli tanks by bran-
dishing his pistol."
In an ironic twist, the Is-
raeli tank commander in-
volved in the incident, iden-
tified only as a Lt. Col. Rafi,
was slightly wounded Sun-
- day when two explosive
charges detonated near a
patrol he was leading in the
Shuafat area, in the vicinity
of the confrontation with
the marine.
Meanwhile, Maj. Saad
Haddad, commander of the
Christian militia in south
Lebanon and Israel's prin-
cipal ally, blasted the U.S.
at a press conference in
Metullah Friday. He
claimed the marines were
incapable of halting Pales-
tinian terrorist attacks on
Israeli troops in Lebanon
and charged that "the
marines are there for politi-
cal purposes" and "to pro-
, tect the PLO."
In Washington, State
Department spokesman
Alan Romberg, said it
was not useful to discuss
the past nor was the
problem a "legal issue."
He said the issue now is
one of "trying to prevent
incidents" in the future.
The spokesman also
would not comment on a re-
port in the Philadelphia In-
quirer by its reporter who
was 400 yards from the
scene of the alleged clash
and challenged the U.S.
version of the incident.
Be always employed
about some rational thing,
that the devil find thee not
idle.
—Jerome
We,