Dean Barnett over at Townhall is reviewing Ariel Sharon’s autobiography “Warrior.” Barnett notes, “Sharon writes in some detail of how Israel’s Labor Party actively undermined Israel’s war in Lebanon to rout the PLO. At the time Likud was in power. It was Likud’s fourth year in power; up until 1977, Labor had always run Israel. Labor was aghast that the war was succeeding. Although Labor was ostensibly Israel’s peace party, Likud had already signed a peace treaty with Egypt and was about to sign one with Lebanon after expelling the PLO. That would make two more peace treaties in the region than Labor had gotten done in almost 30 yerars. In an emergency meeting of Labor Party players, party chief Shimon Peres described the crisis:
‘Contrary to our previous suspicions, the war is a big success. It is about to reach its most important objectives. In a few days – and one cannot escape the facts – an Israeli-Lebanese peace will be signed. This will be their second peace treaty. They will also succeed in sending Arafat and his terrorists to hell as well as in breaking the PLO.’
The ‘their’ and ‘they’ refer to Labor’s domestic political opponents. Labor organized massive peace protests. They prepared to demand Sharon’s resignation over bogus charges related to the Sabra and Shatilla massacres. These things gave the PLO hope. They let Arafat know that if held out, Israeli domestic politics could ride to his rescue.”