Sonallah Ibrahim - Beirut, Beirut

Al-Amal newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Phalangist Party: “The Phalangist delegation returns from Damascus with a new plan, one important enough to be kept secret.”

Beirut harbor. Phalangists loot the harbor and carry off its contents — cars, electrical equipment, rugs and different tools — to their storehouses.

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The stolen items were valued at 1 billion dollars. A merchant could then pay 6,000 dollars to a Phalangist in exchange for filling his truck with the looted goods he wanted. Then the Phalangists began to divide up the loot into different types and held a public auction in the Christian Brothers seminary in Gemmayzeh.

Masarif Street in Beriut.

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This street, lined with banks, changed hands several times before the collapse of the army. But the protection money, which bank owners generously paid, kept them from harm. For the time being. Men from the Phalangists and Tigers began to strip the National Bank of all the cash it had. The Sa’iqa organization looted the Banca di Roma. Gunmen from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine seized the contents of the vaults belonging to the British Bank of the Middle East, which were valued at more than 130 million dollars. As they left with their spoils, Sa’iqa gunmen blocked their way. Fighting broke out briefly between the two sides and was resolved in favor of the Democratic Front by heavy artillery guns that arrived loaded on top of military cars.

The incomplete frame of the Burj el-Murr skyscraper. Missiles are launched from its thirty-fourth floor and fall on the hotel district where Phalangist gunmen are dug in.

The front of the 27-story Holiday Inn. Hotel workers drape white sheets out of the second-floor windows. The hotel’s interior lobby. Expensive chandeliers hang from the ceiling. A crowd of young Palestinian gunmen are gathered in front of the camera in a souvenir photograph. In their left hands are Kalashnikovs. With their right hands, they are making the “V” sign for “Victory”.

The main headline of a Lebanese newspaper, in red. The headline takes up most of the top half of the front page: “Holiday Inn falls into the hands of Lebanese National Movement forces.”

The façade of the hotel again. On the sidewalk in front of it is a naked, swollen corpse. There are remnants of underwear on his waist. The same shot in a newspaper photo. Beneath the image are these words: “Phalangist Holiday Inn sniper. He fell like this from the 22nd floor.”

A fire blazes in the St George Hotel. In front of the hotel is a tank; the word “Allah” can be seen next to its artillery-gun. Behind it is an armored car carrying a photo of Gamal Abdel Nasser above the words “Arab Socialist Union”.

A gunman carries the Phalangist flag and stands behind a Dushka heavy machinegun. He throws down the flag and runs, abandoning the gun.

A newspaper headline: “Lebanese National Movement forces control the Hilton and Normandie Hotel enclosure, and drive the Phalangists back toward Martyrs’ Square.”

A newspaper headline: “Jumblatt says no ceasefire is forthcoming from the National Movement.”

A circle around a paragraph from Syria’s al-Baath newspaper: “The gravest issue is that the game may extend to some nationalist forces such that they become party to consolidating the de facto division of Lebanon, while the conspiracy reverts to having a group from the nationalist side get into a scheme to divide and isolate the country, while greedily pursuing merely short-term gains.”

A headline in a Lebanese newspaper: “Arafat works to close the gap in the viewpoints of Jumblatt and Damascus.”

A headline in another newspaper: “Jumblatt meets with Assad for nine hours.”

A headline in a third newspaper: “Frangieh flees to Jounieh.”

A headline in a fourth newspaper: “Jumblatt announces: ‘The other side is in a state of collapse.’”

Mount Lebanon. The latest and heaviest weapons amid piles of snow and ice. The beautiful summer retreat of Aley with its winding roads and one-story modern houses. Fighting takes place from one street to the next.

Tripoli. Fires blaze in the city.

Sidon. A burning car blocks the approach to the city.

The southern border. Massed crowds of Israeli troops.

A newspaper headline: “Nationalist forces are victorious.”

The newspaper of the Lebanese Baath Party, loyal to Syria: “Jumblatt is wrecking the Syrian initiative in favor of the American plan.”

A headline in another newspaper: “The American envoy, Brown, who was present at the massacre of Palestinians in Jordan in 1970, declares his country’s support for the Syrian initiative.”

The Washington Post . Brown to the newspaper’s correspondent in Beirut: “Jumblatt told me that the only solution to the Lebanese problem is to slaughter 12,000 Maronites.”

A press conference with Jumblatt following a meeting of the progressive and nationalist parties:

Jumblatt: There is no inclination for a ceasefire, in spite of Syrian pressure.

Journalist: Do you intend to continue fighting if the Palestinians agree to a ceasefire?

Jumblatt: We are a Lebanese movement with independent goals. Because we have aspirations to replace the constitution and change the political system… so that a true democratic system can take its place, one that removes the political categorization of citizens on the basis of religion and sect, and that has a separation between church and state… But it seems that Arab regimes fear the establishment of a secular democratic state in the Middle East, because there is no Arab political regime, with the exception of Tunisia, that is founded on the principle of secularism… We are not demanding a socialist state or nationalization… We are demanding that the political system be changed, a system in which the Lebanese elite can no longer fully dominate… We will not end the fighting until the president of the republic resigns.”

Kamal Jumblatt suddenly leaves the press conference, right after a phone call, and takes his car to Arafat’s headquarters. Jumblatt joins a meeting with Arafat (“Abu Ammar”), Nayef al-Hawatmeh, the Mufti Hasan Khalid, Abu Iyad, Inaam Raad and Bashir Ubayd.

A headline in al-Safeer : ‘‘After a meeting that went on for two and a half hours, Jumblatt says: ‘We went over the situation with Arafat and the extent of the pressure that weighs on the Palestinians. We regret that the Palestinian resistance is subject to any pressure on the level of supplies and weapons from any country.’ ’’

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The next day…

Newspaper headlines: “Arafat welcomes the ceasefire.” “The Lebanese National Movement agrees to a 10-day truce during which the members of parliament can meet to elect a new president.”

Hamra Street near the Byblos Bank. A crowd of people and cars. Different goods on display on the sidewalks. Two young women and a girl sit on the ground beside the marble wall of a jewelry shop. The two girls hold out their hands to passersby.

Washington. King Hussein climbs the White House steps. He pauses to make a statement to the reporters: “I support any likely Syrian involvement in Lebanon in order to counter attempts by extremists to change the ruling structure for their benefit.”

An American newspaper: ‘‘Kissinger characterizes Syria’s political role as ‘a check on the recalcitrance of the most extreme Lebanese elements’.”

An American newspaper, dated April 14: “Kissinger announces that the United States and Israel are in agreement that Syria’s involvement does not threaten Israel.”

The Damascus University amphitheater. President Hafez al-Assad delivers a speech: ‘‘We possess complete freedom of movement and we are able to take up positions as we see fit, without anyone being able to prevent us.’’ (Sustained, enthusiastic applause.) ‘‘We are opposed to those who insist on continuing the fight… I have been told: ‘We want to settle it militarily.’ I replied, ‘If you want an omelet, you’re going to have to break a few eggs.’ ” (Enthusiastic applause.)