Lebanon had been the most tolerant and free Arab country in the world before the invasion by the PLO in September 1970. Christians and Muslims had lived in harmony and even the Sunni and Shiites had left each other alone. The 10,000 Lebanese Jews had gotten along with all the country's religious denominations and sects. Lebanon had been the only Arab country from which there had been no mass flight of Jews after the founding of Israel in 1948. In fact, Lebanon's Jewish population may have temporarily doubled as Jews driven out from other Middle Eastern countries sought short-term refuge in Lebanon. After the PLO was kicked out of Jordan in 1970, the influx of tens of thousands of Palestinians upset the balance of power in Lebanon and caused many. many years of bloody conflict that turned Lebanon into hell on Earth. As a university student in my early 20s, I had the good fortune to visit Lebanon in January, 1970, about nine months before the PLO invasion. At that time, Beirut truly deserved its nickname, "The Paris of the Middle East." I was amazed at the beauty of the city and the extremely friendly and open people, both Christians and Muslims. Beirut had a very active nightlife scene and it was possible to meet Lebanese girls in bars and discos just like you'd meet girls in the West. I had been astounded that could happen in an Arab country. The PLO quickly changed all of that, pitting Christians against Muslims and Sunnis against Shiites. The PLO set up dozens of bases in southern Lebanon from which it launched attacks on Israel, forcing the IDF to take countermeasures. Israel didn't invade Lebanon to seize land but to protect Israeli lives. Once Hezbollah is destroyed, the IDF will have no reason to occupy Lebanon.
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