For the first time in the chronicles of the wars which the State of Israel fought during its 76 years of existence, a cease-fire agreement has been signed which is different and unique from all of its predecessors. In all of the previous wars, actions and confrontations, the senior State officials and heads of the security system dealt with the subject among themselves to arrive at an agreement which was correct and viable, coming to a decision involving which terms to accept. Only afterwards would they 'sell' the public whatever they wished to 'sell', assuring it that this was the best possible settlement which would guarantee peace for generations to come.
Never had they required the public's O.K. On the eve of Israel's first entering Lebanon during the tenure of Menachem Begin, he quoted the verse which "promised forty years of tranquility for the land." Indeed, he promised that a war would restore quiet to the country for dozens of upcoming years.
In actuality, the country was not peaceful for even forty days, and the war up North continues on ever since. But to spin tales to the public doesn't cost money, and that is precisely what the various Israeli governments did each time they signed a pact with the enemy.
This time, the situation is completely different. The agreement which was signed still requires convincing tens of thousands of people that it is good, and that their physical security is being taken care of. The North lies in ruins, and tens of thousands of citizens find themselves far removed from their homes after having been evacuated from their homes at the beginning of the war. At this point, the agreement arrived at between Israel-Lebanon-U.S. still needs to be 'sold' to the residents to convince them to return and that there will be war no more.
This agreement, convincing or not, may perhaps arrest the war but it is doubtful if it will entice the citizens homeward, and the North will remain devastated and desolate. Such a reality has never existed, and the Prime Minister will have to activate a team of special advisors and perhaps also talented public relation experts who are capable of selling ice to Eskimos.
A critical question must be dealt with: how to convince tens of thousands of citizens that they can return to their homes with no fear for the future security of days and years to come, and not live under the threat of murderers from the North.
Here, for example, is a small clause of the peace agreement, allowing Lebanese citizens to return and rebuild their ruined settlements on the border. This includes all the villages and towns which for years constituted Hizbullah strongholds until they were destroyed in this war and which will now be reconstructed. Israeli residents from the North will be asked to return to their homes and live alongside Lebanese citizens whose homes will be rebuilt a mere meters away.
So go and convince the Israelis that those selfsame homes will not again become such terrorist strangleholds, amply supplied with threatening weaponry, dangerous tunnels and preparations for the next military action. Rebuilding the settlements anew will take a few years, but who can assure that Hezbollah fighters will not return under the mask of innocent residents to rebuild those homes, in direct eye contact of Israeli homes? Who can guarantee that those Lebanese homes will not be well stocked with arms?
And if so, can the Israeli government launch an attack each time arms are brought to Lebanese border homes? In short, Netanyahu has a big problem which has no precedent.
So he has arrived at an agreement with the Americans, with the Lebanese and whoever else seeks to be a partner here, but contrary to all previous contracts, he still needs the good will of the Northern homesteaders to make them return home when the future leaves the Lebanese terrorists sitting in their homes, mere meters away from them.
