WINDOW TO THE BACKYARD: THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL-LEBANON RELATIONS – FACTS & ILLUSIONS

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INCLUDING REFLECTIONS ON CURRENT AFFAIRS IN THE MIDDLE EAST ANDTHE MUSLIM WORLDAn obligatory read for those who wish to understand why and how the state of Israel got entangled in Lebanon. This book was written by a member of the Israeli Intelligence Service and former Mossad agent, Yair Ravid (Ravitch), who was in charge of establishing Israel’s connections with South Lebanon and the Christian Phalanges in Beirut in 1976. It describes and analyzes the thought patterns that governed those who initiated contacts and the relationship with South Lebanon, as well as the reasons leading them to deviate from the original intentions, thus sinking Israel in the Lebanese swamp. The author describes things as they were, without embellishing or beautifying reality. The second part of the book comprises a variety of stories about the experiences of an Israeli Intelligence officer, told with wit and humor.(Yossi Melman, journalist and commentator on security and intelligence affairs)Yair Ravid, known in the intelligence community and in Lebanon as “Abu Daoud,” sets out before us in his personal and authentic story, a turbulent and fascinating period in Israel’s relations with the Christians in Lebanon. A relationship that began in the 1970s with the Christian villages in South Lebanon designed to counterbalance the presence of the Palestinian military forces, continuing with an alliance with the Christians in the north formed before and during the First Lebanon War, ending with the hasty withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon under pressure of Hezbollah attacks.The book reveals once again – this time from someone of esteemed authority who is well versed in the Lebanese language and mentality – Israel’s political and military folly, led by Defense Minister Sharon, in an attempt to impose a new order in Lebanon, without understanding and internalizing the fragile ethnic tapestry in the country, and the fact that the Christians were a broken reed.