Word: assad
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...take over the country or to launch a surprise attack against Israel. But last spring, after Syria gave private assurances to the U.S. that its intervention in Lebanon was not aimed at Israel, Jerusalem relaxed and began to enjoy the situation. Israeli officials now quietly applaud Syrian President Hafez Assad's aims in Lebanon as modest and constructive; a year ago he was routinely described in Israel as a fanatical...
...Finally, Syria's victory in Lebanon could make Assad more moderate, yet strong enough among his Arab critics to agree to a settlement with Israel...
...this may be wishful thinking on the part of Jerusalem and Washington. Certainly much could happen that would suddenly bring greater dangers to the region. Assad could be deposed, and the Palestinians could begin winning, though both events seem unlikely now. In the Middle East, the unexpected-like Syrians fighting Palestinians-is routine. By that somber measure, the region has never been more normal...
Both Israel and Syria seem to be doing nothing to block the Christian plan to end the conflict by "cantonizing" Lebanon into religious zones. Last week, as a Palestinian peace mission set out to negotiate a cease-fire in Damascus, Syrian President Hafez Assad launched into a three-hour speech that flayed Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian Liberation Organization boss, for carrying on the war. Said Assad: "Those who declare that they wish to liberate Jounieh do not aspire to liberate Palestine." Peace, he made clear, would come only on Syrian terms...
...P.L.O. subsequently became the idol of the Arab world; indeed, two years ago, Assad helped maneuver a P.L.O. presence at the United Nations and an Arafat appearance before the General Assembly. But the P.L.O.'s Arab support, even when it appeared broad, was always thin, because most Arab regimes fear the disruptive presence of the scattered Palestinian refugees within their borders. When Assad's support of the Palestinians waned after the fighting between his forces and the P.L.O., for instance, Egypt sprang to the Palestinian defense. But that Arafat ignored Cairo's support was not so much...