The destructive energy of a dozen or more Middle Eastern conflicts was concentrated in these few square miles. At the heart was the battle between Palestinians and Jews for control of Israel, to the south. In 1982, Israeli forces had invaded Lebanon to push out the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which had been carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli targets across the world. Although the PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, and his closest associates had left Beirut, the Israelis had remained, allying themselves with armed Lebanese Christians. Iran and Syria, both ardently anti-Israeli,
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