Siege of Beirut

“Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand” – Yasser Arafat in 1974 speech to the UN General Assembly.

Given Israel’s bombing of Beirut this week and the last time Israel placed Beirut under siege in 2006, we revisit the siege of 1982. This was the time of revolutionary politics, the growth of the rejectionist front (anti-diplomacy) within Palestinian and Arab communities. To help us understand this period we take an episode from The Dig podcasts featuring historian Abdel Razzaq Takriti, on Arab radicalism in the 20th century.

We encourage people to check out the The Dig Thawra (arabic for revolution) podcast series for a better understanding of the Palestinian resistance and Arab nationalism. This episode traces a massive defeat for the Palestinian Revolution: Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon and brutal siege of Beirut.

Under severe pressure and isolated in the wake of Egypt’s peace deal with Israel, the Palestine Liberation Organisation PLO evacuated its headquarters in Beirut. What followed was the brutal massacre of Palestinians at Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps. The PLO was in exile leading up to Yasser Arafat signing the disastrous Oslo Accords in 1993 which sacrificed 78% of Palestinian lands to Israel and installed Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

In 1982 Lebanon was experiencing ‘the development of underdevelopment‘ implemented using plans by the Chicago school of economics. The head of this school was the winner of Nobel Prize in Economics in 1976, Milton Friedman. Ironically Friedman said that by managing the amount of money sloshing through a financial system, central banks could control inflation without making costly mistakes. With its hyperinflation, Lebanon is proof positive of the failure of Friedmanism and his school’s monetary policies. – Ian Curr 2 August 2024

This podcast discusses Palestinian struggle, focusing on the PLO’s program shift towards accepting a sovereign state in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Dissents from the Palestinian left and Fatah’s leftist wing are highlighted. The significance of Yasser Arafat’s 1974 UN speech is discussed, as well as the consequences of the Camp David Accords for the Middle East and the Palestinian struggle. The importance of developing a political program that reflects the regional balance of power while addressing the Palestinian statehood issue is emphasized. Speakers also discuss the internal dynamics of the Lebanese Civil War, including the development of Lebanese capitalism, sectarian dimensions, and the marginalization of Palestinians. Syrian intervention in Lebanon and the PLO’s role in the country are also discussed.

Outline of Siege of Beirut 1982