NationMaster - Encyclopedia: May 17 Agreement

The 1983 May 17 Agreement was a failed U.S.-backed attempt to create peace between Lebanon and Israel during the Lebanese Civil War, after Israel invaded Lebanon and besieged Beirut in 1982. The country was under both Israeli and Syrian military occupations during its negotiation. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Combatants Lebanese Front Syria LNM PLO Commanders Bachir Gemayel Dany Chamoun Kamal Jumblatt Yasser Arafat The multi-sided Lebanese Civil War (1975â€“1990) had its origin in the conflicts and political compromises after the end of Lebanons administration by the Ottoman Empire and was exacerbated by the nations... Combatants Israel Phalange South Lebanon Army Amal PLO Syria Commanders Menachem Begin (Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon, (Ministry of Defence) Rafael Eitan, (CoS) Yasser Arafat Strength 76,000 37,000 Casualties 670 9,800 The 1982 Lebanon War (Hebrew: , Milkhemet Levanon, Milkhemet Levanon, Arabic: â€Ž), called by Israel the Operation Peace of... Combatants Israel Defense Forces Palestinian Liberation Organization Commanders Ariel Sharon Yasir Arafat Strength 30,000 15,000 Casualties 368 soldiers killed, 2,383 wounded 1000 PLO guerillas killed, 6000 captured. ...

Political background

The agreement was signed by representatives of the United States, Israel and Lebanon on May 17, 1983. Lebanese President Amin Gemayel had recently been elected after the assassination of his brother President Bachir Gemayel, a long time ally of Israel, by Syrian^{[citation needed]} proxies. Many Lebanese backed President Amin Gemayel, arguing that its close relations to the US could help create peace and restore Lebanese sovereignty, which they saw as threatened not only by the Israeli occupation but also by Syrian occupation of much of the north of the country and the Bekaa. May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page lists presidents of Lebanon. ... Amine Gemayel (born 1942) was President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988. ... Bachir Gemayel Bachir Gemayel, first name also spelt Bashir (Arabic: Ø¨Ø´ÙŠØ± Ø§Ù„Ø¬Ù…ÙŠÙ„), (November 10, 1947 â€“ September 14, 1982) was a Lebanese military commander, politician and president elect. ... Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... The Syrian occupation of Lebanon has continued for about three decades, until the present day. ... The Beqaa Beqaa is a governorate in Lebanon with a population of 750,000 inhabitants. ...

Terms of the agreement

The agreement terminated the state of war between Israel and Lebanon that had lasted since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and provided for a staged withdrawal of Israeli forces, on the condition of the establishment of a Lebanese Army "security zone" in South Lebanon along the border area. It contained numerous clauses detailing security cooperation between Lebanon and Israel designed to prevent the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and other groups from infiltrating the border areas. Combatants Egypt Syria Transjordan Lebanon Saudi Arabia Iraq Holy War Army Arab Liberation Army Israel Commanders Glubb Pasha Abd al-Qadir al-Husayniâ€ Hasan Salamaâ€ Fawzi al-Qawuqji Yaakov Dori Yigael Yadin Strength Egypt: 10,000 initially rising to 20,000 Iraq: 5,000 initially rising to 15,000â€“18... The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic Munazzamat al-Tahrir Filastiniyyah منظمة تحرير فلسطينية ) is a political and paramilitary organization of Palestinian Arabs dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to consist of the...

Reasons for the collapse of the agreement

The agreement called for the Lebanese Army to take over Israeli positions. Because the army collapsed in February 1984, Lebanon could not keep their side of the agreement. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) consists of three branches: Lebanese Army Lebanese Air Force Lebanese Navy // General overview The Lebanese Armed Forces primary missions include maintaining security and stability in the country, guarding the countrys borders, port security, relief operations, rescue operations, fire fighting, and fighting drug smuggling. ... For other uses, see February (disambiguation). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The agreement met strong opposition from Lebanese Muslims and in the Arab world, and it was portrayed as an imposed surrender. The conclusion of separate peace with Israel was (and is) a taboo subject in the Arab world, and Egypt's peace agreement at Camp David had left the country ostracized and temporarily expelled from the Arab League. Syria's opposition to the agreement was vocal, and by refusing to move its troops from Lebanese soil, Damascus effectively torpedoed its implementation, since Israeli withdrawal was contingent on Syria doing the same. Map of Arab League states in dark green with non-Arab areas in light green and Somalia and Djibouti in striped green due to their Arab League membership but non-Arab population. ... Taboo, or people that are considered undesirable by a group, culture, or society. ... Celebrating the signing of the Camp David Accords in the White House Rose Garden: Menachem Begin (right), Jimmy Carter (center), Anwar Sadat (left) The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations... The Arab League or League of Arab States (Arabic: â€Ž), is an organization of predominately Arab states (compare Arab world). ... Damascus at sunset Damascus ( translit: Also commonly: Ø§Ù„Ø´Ø§Ù… ash-ShÄm) is the largest city of Syria and is also the capital. ...

Israel insisted on the treaty's implementation, and threatened that it would impose its terms with or without Lebanese consent, but Lebanese public opinion protested - and more importantly, the fragile civil war peace process started to unravel.

The Lebanese Parliament ratified the agreement, but President Gemayel dragged his feet.^{[citation needed]} He eventually decided in 1984 not to sign the accord,^{[citation needed]} and it collapsed. ...

The situation today

In 2000, the Shi'a Islamist organization Hezbollah, after a long insurgency, forced an early withdrawal of Israel from its foothold in South Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak had pledged to pull out of Southern Lebanon as part of his election campaign, though it is widely believed that he did so due to a belief that he would be able to make peace with Syria before the evacuation, thereby removing the main obstacle to Israeli-Lebanese peace. 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... Islamism is a political ideology derived from the conservative religious views of Muslim fundamentalism. ... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew: ×¨××© ×”×ž×ž×©×œ×”, Rosh HaMemshala, lit. ... Ehud Barak (Hebrew: ×Öµ×”×•Ö¼×“ ×‘Ö¸Ö¼×¨Ö¸×§) (born Ehud Brog on February 12, 1942, in Mishmar HaSharon kibbutz,[1] then British Mandate of Palestine) is an Israeli politician and was the 10th Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. ...

When peace talks between Israel and Syria broke down over the nature of a withdrawal on the Golan Heights, Barak decided to pull-out without an agreement, causing many, especially in the Arab world, to view this as a victory for the Shi'a Islamist Hezbollah resistance, which had been waging a long guerrilla campaign against Israeli forces. As a result, Lebanon and Israel formally remain at war, and Lebanon officially refuses to recognize Israel as a state. Sites on the Golan in blue are Israeli settlement communities. ... Map of Arab League states in dark green with non-Arab areas in light green and Somalia and Djibouti in striped green due to their Arab League membership but non-Arab population. ... Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... Islamism is a political ideology derived from the conservative religious views of Muslim fundamentalism. ... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Shebaa farms

Whereas a cease-fire is in effect along most of the border, which is mostly calm except for continual Israeli aerial overflights and infrequent skirmishes, Lebanon considers the Shebaa Farms area, adjacent to the Golan Heights, to be under continued Israeli occupation. Hezbollah refers to this as a reason for continued armed resistance, and occasionally stages raids into this area; Israel responds with shelling and counter-raids in the Shebaa Farms or on other points along the border. These exchanges occasionally produces a flare-up in fighting. An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. ... Map of the Shebaa Farms. ... Sites on the Golan in blue are Israeli settlement communities. ... Belligerent military occupation occurs when one nations military occupies all or part of the territory of another nation or recognized belligerent. ...

The United Nations has recognized Israel as having fully disengaged from Lebanon, thus opposing the Lebanese demands for the Shebaa. The U.N., like Israel, instead considers the Shebaa Farms to be part of Syria's Golan Heights, currently under Israeli occupation, pending a future peace deal. The Syrian position on this remains somewhat complicated: the Assad government backs the Lebanese demands for the Shebaa, but refuses to provide maps documenting Lebanese ownership of the area. The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Sites on the Golan in blue are Israeli settlement communities. ... Bashar al-Assad (Arabic: â€Ž, ) (born September 11, 1965) is the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Regional Secretary of the Baath Party, and the son of former President Hafez al-Assad. ...

In 2005, the Syrian government reportedly considered formally ceding the Shebaa Farms to Lebanon, but no such action was taken. In early 2006, after the so-called Cedar Revolution, parts of the Lebanese anti-Syrian block - such as Druze leader Walid Jumblatt - started officially questioning Lebanon's demands for the Shebaa. He argued that the area is in fact Syrian, and that this issue is used by Syria and Hezbollah as a pretext for the latter to maintain its status as an armed resistance organization outside the Lebanese army. This led to heated debate, with Jumblatt opposed by Hezbollah, Amal and other Lebanese groups, while other parties tried to find a middle ground. Cedar Revolution has become the most commonly used name for the chain of demonstrations and popular civic action in Lebanon (mainly Beirut) triggered by the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005. ... Druze star The Druze or Druz (also known as Druse; Arabic: derzÄ« or durzÄ« Ø¯Ø±Ø²ÙŠ, pl. ... Picture of Walid Jumblatt Walid Jumblatt (Arabic: ÙˆÙ„ÙŠØ¯ Ø¬Ù†Ø¨Ù„Ø§Ø·â€Ž) (born August 7, 1949) is the current leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon and the most prominent leader of the Druze community. ... For other uses of Amal, see the disambiguation page. ...

External links

Lebanese Forces (LF) (Arabic: Ø§Ù„Ù‚ÙˆØ§Øª Ø§Ù„Ù„Ø¨Ù†Ø§Ù†ÙŠØ© al-quwÄt al-lubnÄniyya) is a Lebanese political party and a former militia , which fought on the Christian side during the civil war that ravaged Lebanon from 1975 to 1990. ...

Categories: NPOV disputes | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Lebanese Civil War | History of Israel | Israel-Lebanon conflict | History of the foreign relations of the United States Combatants Hezbollah Amal LCP Israel Commanders Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General of Hezbollah) Imad Mughniyeh (Commander of Hezbollahs armed wing)[5] Dan Halutz (CoS) Moshe Kaplinsky[12] Udi Adam (Regional) Strength 600-1,000 active fighters 3,000-10,000 reservists[6] 30,000 ground troops (plus IAF & ISC)[13... See also: 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict See also: Timeline of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict This is intended to list information about the military operations related to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. ... Aftermath of an attack on residential area, Beirut. ... This is a timeline of events related to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. ... There have been many casualties in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. ... The flag of Lebanon. ... The international reactions to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict have been mixed, with most leaders condemning both Hezbollah and Israel. ... The front page of The Independent on 29 July 2006, illustrating the difference of opinion regarding a ceasefire, with Israel, United States and United Kingdom requiring a sustainable ceasefire while most other countries called for an immediate ceasefire. ... now. ... Main article: 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict The supply of military aid to combatants during the course of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict has been an important aspect of both the hostilities and the diplomatic wrangling surrounding them, including figuring prominently into UN Security Council resolutions on the topic. ... Aftermath of IDF airstrike on UN patrol base Khiam, Lebanon, 2006. ... The 2006 Qana airstrike was an attack by the Israel Air Force (IAF) on a building in the small community of al-Khuraybah near the South Lebanese village of Qana on July 30, 2006, during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. ... New York City: Union Square protest of Israeli bombing of Lebanon, August 3, 2006 International reactions to the 2006 Qana airstrike, which as of August 1, 2006, has been the greatest loss of civilian life in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, twenty eight people, largely involved the condemnation of Israel... United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. ... The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict photographs controversies refers to allegations that some instances of photojournalism from the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict misrepresented scenes of death and destruction in Lebanon caused by Israeli air attacks. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Israel_(bordered). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Lebanon. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hezbollah. ... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Nations. ... A Sisu XA-180 used by Swedish UNIFIL forces in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution 425 and 426 on March 19, 1978, to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and...

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