So Sharon became Minister of Defense.
I think I've already spoken about how he wanted to conquer Iran
and give it to the Americans.
In 1981,
I chose Ariel Sharon as Man of the Year
for the second time
and asked to interview him, and he willingly complied, of course.
I sat with him for a few hours and then a few hours more.
Then he said: 'I'll tell you what I want to do
but under no circumstances, not even by implication,
may it come from me.
It should be what you think that I would want.
Then he gave me − nine months before the Lebanon war −
the entire war plan in detail:
'We'll attack Lebanon,
it'll take 48 hours,
we'll appoint one of the Maronite Christian officers
and we'll expel the Palestinians'.
Where could they be expelled to? Syria.
'Syria doesn't want them'. 'So they'll be driven south to Jordan.
The Palestinians will arrive in Jordan, will make a coup
to bring down the King, and then they'll turn Jordan into a Palestinian state'.
I told him: 'It's an interesting idea, but what about the West Bank?'
Then he said: 'This is not a problem.
Once Jordan is a Palestinian state, we'll enter into negotiations with them
and will find some kind of common solution –
either there'll be partition of the West Bank or there'll be a functional division –
some of the positions will be in their hands, some in ours, and we'll manage,
and we'll manage, it's not a problem'.
I published an article about the Man of the Year
with an entire page devoted to Sharon's plan,
And the entire plan of that war was published in 'HaOlam HaZeh'
nine months before the war broke out,
so when the war did break out, I was entirely unsurprised.
Begin returned to power,
Ariel Sharon was Minister of Defense,
and hovering in the air was Ariel Sharon's plan
to establish a Christian, pro-Israel dictatorship in Lebanon
with which to make peace, expel the Palestinians to Jordan,
and live in harmony with the Palestinians – that, in brief, was the plan.
As mentioned above, I published it but no one took it seriously.
'How come Uri Avnery is able to read the thoughts of Arik Sharon?
Especially such a crazy, world-encompassing plan?'
No one took it seriously; it simply did not arouse any attention.
Then came the bitter and fateful day
when Ariel Sharon went to war.
Israel could not go to war without the Americans,
had never gone to war without the Americans,
ever since the Suez Campaign.