| A major promise made by PM Barak during his election campaign was to remove the IDF from Lebanon within a year. On 5 March, the cabinet unanimously adopted his proposal and decided to pull the IDF out of Lebanon, even without a prior agreement with Syria. A week later, the IDF presented the Prime Minister with a withdrawal plan. Text of the cabinet's decision follows: In accordance with the government's commitment on the basis of its guidelines and the announcement by the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense: a. The Israel Defense Forces will deploy on the border with Lebanon by July 2000, and from there will secure the safety of the northern towns and villages. b. The government will act to ensure that this deployment will be carried out in the framework of an agreement. c.In the event that conditions will not be conducive to IDF deployment in the framework of an agreement, the government will convene, at an appropriate time, to discuss the method of implementation of the above-mentioned decision. d. Israel will honor its commitment toward the South Lebanese Army and the civil aid forces in Southern Lebanon. e. The government will act to strengthen the frontline towns and villages in both the security and the socio-economic aspects. |