ABSTRACT
The endgame refers to the time in the Lebanon conflict when the end of war was in sight and the antagonists perceived that they were relatively balanced in overall influence. Although Jerusalem’s objectives and strategies were relatively coherent during the endgame, those of Washington were confused by bureaucratic politics. In the stages of the endgame, the prime minister of Israel and the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) shared a common interest in delaying an assault by the Israel Defense Forces on West Beirut. Progress toward the endgame was slow, in part, because PLO commitments lacked credibility: Its leadership had signed worthless agreements with the government of Lebanon during 1969, 1973, and 1977. These accords ostensibly were designed to restrict PLO activities, for example, by controlling the use of heavy weapons and preventing military personnel from using refugee camps as training facilities.
