Galilee Divided: The Israel-Lebanon Frontier, 1916-1984

From the Foreword: The threat of conflict in the Middle East remains a critical issue affecting U.S. interests. In recent years, the Israel/Lebanon border has been one of the hot spots across which such hostilities have occasionally erupted The Israelis have entered Lebanon on a number of occasions, the most dramatic instance being in 1982. The border area remains of critical concern to the peoples of the region and continues to be an unresolved problem capable of recreating additional crises in the future. LTC Hof's book treats the Israel/Lebanon border in both its historical and current perspectives and amply illustrates the fragility of the current situation by shedding light on past disputes and on the potential for future differences. What emerges is a clear demonstration of the need for a process that deals with the larger issues in order to avoid disturbances that can arise from particular situations. Here, the larger issue of the search for peace in the face of the long-standing Arab/Israeli conflict remains paramount. The problems along the Israel/Lebanon border are magnified by the failure to meet the needs of the overriding problem, and hostilities in the border region are a direct consequence of the inability to come to grips with the longer-term issues. This creates the dismal prospect that we have not seen the last of the crises along and across the demarcation line. To the extent that such crises arise, they draw attention away from the larger problem and interfere with the revitalization of the peace process. In the final analysis, that is the most important consequence of instability in this border area. The background for our understanding of this larger problem is immeasurably increased by the careful research and thoughtful analysis contained in this book. --Philip C. Habib