The Lebanese Rescue Committee is divided... and Sheikh Bashir clings to the exit of Abu Ammar.
The second invasion of Lebanon began on June 6, 1982, and by the 13th of the same month, the Israeli army managed to encircle the capital, Beirut. After solidifying their grip, the Israeli forces began military and economic pressure to force the city to surrender and raise the white flag.
The declared objective of the invasion was to expel the Palestinian fighters from Lebanon. From the very first day, Israel announced that it did not intend to fight either the Syrian army or the Lebanese state. The Syrians, however, had a completely different stance; despite the lack of warmth and trust between Yasser Arafat and President Hafez Assad, the Syrian forces were placed on full alert to confront the Israeli invasion.
From left, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, head of the Shiite Amal Movement Nabih Berri, and head of the Communist Action Organization Mohsen Ibrahim during a meeting in Beirut, August 30, 1982.
Yasser Arafat walking, and to his left, Palestinian leader Saad Sayel walking with Palestinian fighters in Beirut, June 26, 1982.
The U.S. State Department report stated that the Lebanese army should contribute to the exit of the Palestinians with 7 to 8 military battalions, each consisting of 2,500 to 3,500 men, in cooperation with the Lebanese internal security forces. The International Red Cross Committee was to provide assistance to the Lebanese government in various ways, including organizing and managing the evacuation of wounded and sick Syrian and Palestinian personnel. The Lebanese army would serve as the main point of contact with the “Palestine Liberation Organization,” and the withdrawal should occur during the day, not at night, while the convoys move by land from Beirut to Syria without stopping along the way. The Israeli army was required to clear the route during the temporary period when the convoy passed, to avoid any clashes.
The U.S. administration allowed “Palestine Liberation Organization” personnel to carry personal weapons during their departure (pistol, rifle, or submachine gun, along with ammunition). They were required to hand over heavy weapons to the Lebanese army as “gifts.” The Lebanese army had the right to enlist personnel from the multinational force to carry out the process of receiving weapons and military equipment. Additionally, the “Palestine Liberation Organization” was to provide complete and detailed information regarding the location and status of remaining military equipment and mines before their departure.
The departure of the first group of Palestinian fighters was scheduled for 5 a.m. on August 21, 1982, from the port of Beirut. This first group consisted of the wounded and sick, heading to Jordan and Iraq. The following day, the second group would sail to Tunisia, and then on August 24 to South Yemen, and on the 25th to North Yemen. The group heading to Syria would begin departing by land on August 21, with gradual departures continuing until the 28th of the same month, and the exit process was to be completed by September 4, 1982.
The siege of Beirut began on June 14 and lasted until August, concluding only with the withdrawal of 14,000 Palestinian fighters, who were distributed among Syria, Jordan, and Yemen, while their leadership headed to Tunisia as guests of President Habib Bourguiba. On September 29, 1982, Israel ended its presence in the Lebanese capital, which was marred by the Sabra and Shatila massacre and the assassination of President Bashir Gemayel on the 14th of the same month. International radio stations paid little attention to this news, as they were occupied with the death of Princess Grace of Monaco and Hollywood starlet Grace Kelly, who died in a tragic accident on September 14, 1982.