Very good point

A neighbor of mine responded to It should be obvious! by writing:

The destruction of Yamit was the spring of '82 and the war in Lebanon began
the summer of '82. Did anyone speak about the correlation of the two back then
the way it seems obvious to us now that the war this summer was the direct
result of Gush Katif?
Shabbat Shalom,

Having lived through it all, for whatever reason, I don't remember looking at it that way, but it's really a very good point.

What my neighbor refers to as "The destruction of Yamit" was the high/low point of Israel's withdrawal from Sinai, the linchpin of Menachem Begin's Camp David Accords. Begin rationalized/defended his 180 degree about face concerning settling the Land of Israel, by claiming that the agreement would guarantee that Israel could hold onto the Biblical Judea and Samaria. In addition, a number of communities were established in Gush Katif as substitutes, as compensation for the destroyed ones in the Sinai. As I remember very clearly, they were supposed to be fully-internationally recognized and guaranteed. Among them the rebuilt Atzmona Yeshiva and Neve Dekalim, named after the destroyed Moshav Dikla.

As we all know, this was a sham. The Israeli official who so efficiently destroyed the beautiful young city of Yamit was Ariel Sharon, who as Prime Minister, bull-dozed the peaceful Jewish communities of Gush Katif and the Northern Shomron.

And what about what is now referred to as the "First" Israel-Lebanese War? It very quickly became an unpopular war. The Israeli government official most involved was, again, Ariel Sharon who bull-dozed plans past the then Prime Minister Begin, who seemed to be totally out of control of things. Officially the war was started by Israel in response to the assassination attempt against Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov by the Abu Nidal Organization.

It brought much awaited quiet to the Kiryat Shmoneh area, which for years had been suffering from Ketyusha attacks. They were the only ones who fully supported the war. The "Tel Aviv elite" quickly began to demonstrate against the war, making life hell for Begin, who began to suffer from a state of depression, according to many.

Menachem Begin probably saw what my neighbor sees, the connection between the destruction of Yamit and the subsequent War in Lebanon, where most of our casualties, dead and wounded, weren't from fighting. They were from the roadside bombs and similar terror tactics. The IDF changed roles; it no longer was a proud fighting force to defend its Land. It was used for destroying innocent Jewish homes, farms and businesses. Then our soldiers were killed and wounded, shot at like targets in a carnival.

Since then, things have gotten worse. We must stop this cycle.

Chodesh Tov and Shavua Tov