government. That was a
mistake from our side — not
anticipating that something
like that could happen. That
was a very dangerous de-
velopment."
"And then of course the
major mistakes were done by
the Lebanese themselves.
They did not understand
that they had an opportunity
— an opportunity that might
not come back in 50 years
time. I told them: With all
the difficulties, there was a
possibility then to create a
triangle connected with the
free world: Jerusalem,
Cairo, Beirut. It was a possi-
bility; not an easy thing, but
a possibility."
And the Americans, he
says were responsible for
"not letting Israel finish
what had to be done. The
cost was very high."
Despite these failures, he
still maintains that the war
was a limited success.
"You have to judge it from
various aspects. The war
was about eliminating the
independent kingdom of
terror. The expulsion of the
terrorists from Beirut was a
tremendous achievement, a
tremendous achievement.
Now the terrorists are en-
trenched in Tunisia,
Algeria, Syria, Jordan, Iraq,
Egypt and Libya. When the
terrorism issue is addressed,
pressure will have to be put
on these countries to
dismantle these terrorist
organizations , because as
long as they exist, there will
never be peace in the Middle
East."
And then there was the
slaughter at Sabra and
Shatilla.
The Kahane Commission,
the official Israeli panel that
investigated the events in
the refugee camps, placed
direct blame for the
massacre at the doorstep of
the Phalangists, who were
itching for revenge after the
assassination of their newly
elected president, Bashir
Gemayel.
But Sharon, the report
said, should have an-
ticipated the consequences of
allowing Phalangist troops
to participate in the mop-up
operation.
"In my public life, the time
after the Kahane commis-
sion was very hard," Sharon
says now. "The commission
found fault in me not an-
ticipating that this terrible
event would happen. Not
more than that. And they
found it in hindsight;
neither myself nor any other
Israeli was involved in these
atrocities — not a soldier, not
an officer, not a politician."
He continues to argue that
the Israeli government was
"hiding behind my
shoulders and running away
from responsibility."
Begin eventually complied
with the commission's rec-
ommendations and removed
Sharon from his post.
Allegations published in
Time magazine that Sharon
had urged the Phalangists to
seek revenge for Gemayel's
assassination only added to
his fury. "This may have
been the turning point," he
says. "I decided you have to
stand up or turn back."
Sharon sued Time. After a
contentious trial that stret-
ched out for a year and a
half, the jury ruled that the
Time article was both false
and defamatory, although
they refused to assess
punitive damages against
the publication.
Not surprisingly, when
pressed for his view of how
peace might be brought to
the Middle East, he rejects
any independent Palestinian
state.
"I see Jordan; Jordan is
Palestine, with the capital of
Aman. I see the Jewish
state, Israel, with Jerusalem
the capital. In between there
is an area, Judea and
Samaria, which is the cradle
of the Jewish people, and
there what we offer is
autonomy to the in-
habitants, where Israel will
be keeping the security,
which is for us a question of
life and death. With Jordan,
which is the Palestinian
state, we have to discuss how
the inhabitants of Judea and
Samaria are going to par-
ticipate in elections. We
have to discuss the issue of
taxes, maybe the use of
ports. We have to discuss the
development of Dead Sea
resources, development of a
Middle Eastern common
market.
"But I don't see the possi-
bility in the future of any
foreign sovereignty in Judea
and Samaria, and I don't see
a second Palestinian state
west of the River Jordan.
There isa Palestinian part to
the Land of Israel; 78 per-
cent of the Land of Israel is
now the Palestinian state of
Jordan."
To get to that point, he
says, Israel needs to restore
the "daring" spirit that
galvanized its early leaders.
"Now there is a certain
weakness," he said, talking
about Israel's leadership.
"There should be daring; I
go back to what Prime Min-
ister Ben Gurion said: to
dare is to win. Daring is
winning. I've made mistakes
all along my way. "
❑
Get All the Sofa
Your Money
Can Buy.
A Newton Custom Sofa means you choose the style, size, fabric and length for the sofa that
perfectly fits your home. In chairs, sectionals, and sleep-sofas, too.
1,200 designer fabrics. 457 styles.
Exclusive wear-tested fabric warranty.
- Lifetime guarantee on the frame, springs, and cushions.
Special order delivery in 30 working days.
Discover the
Newton Extras.
Newton custom sofas are now
discount-priced from $595 to $1,695.
We're more than custom sofas.
All lamps, tables, accessories,
stereo cabinets and TV centers
are now at superb discount
prices. Come in today.
See for yourself what makes
us so different.
Livonia
On Middlebelt,
Between 5 & 6 Mile
525-0030
01989. NevAon Fumihre
Furniture So Good,
It's Guaranteed.
Sterling Heights
On Van Dyke,
Between 16 & 17 Mile
264-3400
Novi
Ann Arbor
On the 12 Oaks Mall
Service Drive,
Next to Comerica lank
349-4600
On Eisenhower and
Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.,
in the Colonnade Plaza
662-3445
• Mon-Sat 10-9 • Sunday 12-5 • MasterCard, Visa, or Convenient Terms •
$ WANTED $
Herman Miller
and
Knoll-Furniture
1940s - 1970s
(w) 398-0646
(h) 661-4236
Ask for Les
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
Singles Break the Fast Dance
Live Music
by
Lee Pantely and New Romance
TOP CASH PAID
HEALTHY OPTIONS, INC.
• Weight Control
• Individual
Counseling
• Eating Disorder
Specialty
Monday, October 9,
9:00 p.m.
Maple/Drake Building
647.5540
DEA FARRAH
MSW, ACSW
BINGHAM CENTER, BIRMINGHAM
CLASSIFIEDS
GET RESULTS!
Call The Jewish News
354.6060
•Dancing
•Refreshments
'Cash Bar
$7.00 admission
For Further Information Call
Leanie Gunsberg at 661-1000 ext. 347
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
27