Mother of dead soldier says Israel must leave Lebanon
Feb. 7, 1997
By DAFNA LINZER Associated Press Writer
HADERA, Israel -- Since she buried her son in June, she has wept for 21 of his
classmates and comrades -- all killed on their tours of duty in Lebanon as part of
Israel's compulsory military service.
"Nadav, Assaf, Rafi ... The list is endless," Sarah Shechter said Thursday as
she helped bury the latest victim from her son's army unit, one of 73 soldiers
killed in the crash of two helicopters en route to Lebanon.
"We have no other option. We have to get out of Lebanon," she said. "Our
soldiers have become cannon fodder."
Mrs. Shechter's story illustrates the steep price of Israel's involvement in
Lebanon. And while there is no mass movement, for the first time even
conservative politicians are endorsing a unilateral pullout.
But there is still much resistance, because of the price a pullback would exact.
A withdrawal might make northern Israel more vulnerable to attacks by
Lebanese guerrillas. Only a peace backed by Syria, the main power broker in
Lebanon, would be durable. But for this, Israel would have to return the Golan
Heights to Syria, which polls show most Israelis oppose.
Meanwhile, young Israelis continue to die.
Ishai Shechter, 21, was killed together with a close friend while fighting
Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas who are trying to force Israel out of its
so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon.
Mrs. Shechter also knew six of the soldiers killed fighting Hezbollah since then.
And on Tuesday, the remainder of Ishai's unit was wiped out when two
helicopters ferrying troops to Lebanon collided over northern Israel.
All were familiar to Mrs. Shechter, who in the past two days has attended three
funerals. The friends who came to her home to pay their respects after Ishai was
killed are "returning home in body bags one by one."
At Thursday's funeral for Shai Abucassis, Mrs. Shechter wiped tears from her
eyes. "Shai told me he would quit the army after this year because he couldn't
take Lebanon anymore. ... None of them wanted to fight this war."
Her husband, Yitzhak, was representing the family at the funeral of yet another
friend.
For Israelis, involvement in Lebanon has been a dark cloud for years.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the PLO controlled part of the
country, Lebanon was the staging ground for raids and rocket attacks on Israel.
Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978 and 1982. The second invasion succeeded in
driving out the PLO, but embroiled Israel in a three-year occupation of half the
country that cost hundreds of Israeli lives and turned many Lebanese into
enemies.
When Israel withdrew the bulk of its troops in 1985, it carved out a border buffer
zone to protect against attacks from remaining Palestinian guerrillas and
Lebanese groups like Hezbollah.
More than 200 soldiers have died there since then, most in clashes with
Hezbollah.
Hezbollah leaders say their group wants only to drive Israel from Lebanese soil.
That has led dovish Israelis for years to call for a unilateral pullout.
Earlier this week, they were joined by Public Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani,
a former general who oversees the police.
But Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai rejected the idea. He and others
believe that if Israel pulls out, Hezbollah renegades, Palestinian radicals and
others could mount more cross-border attacks.
Israel also worries that Hezbollah will not stop its attacks unless Syria -- which
has 35,000 troops in Lebanon -- tells it to. Syria is unlikely to cooperate with
Israel unless its own demand is satisfied -- a return of the Golan Heights, which
Israel occupied in 1967.
The result, for Israelis, is tension, and mourning.
Military service is compulsory in Israel, and thousands of male soldiers serve in
Lebanon during their three-year tours.
"We have tried everything in Lebanon and nothing works," Mrs. Shechter said. "I
call on (the) government to be strong enough to put an end to these wars."
Email: yona@netvision.net.il