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Efforts to resolve the political chaos in Lebanon continued but all attempts, including those of George Shultz, US Secretary of State, failed. In July 1983, the Israeli forces, suffering an increasing number of casualties inflicted on them by various hostile Lebanese factions, withdrew to south of Beirut. Lebanon was now in effect partitioned, with Israel controlling southern Lebanon (directly with its troops and indirectly through the mainly Christian militias in the area) and Beirut itself split into Muslim-controlled west Beirut and Christian-controlled east Beirut sectors.
In the first six months of 1985, Israel withdrew its forces from Lebanon. In the course of the staged withdrawal, Israel responded to attacks by Shi’ites in south Lebanon with the notorious “Iron Fist” policy which involved attacking Shi’ite villages, killing many men, women and children and detaining others on suspicion.
The Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon was widely welcomed in Lebanon but sadly taken as an opportunity to pursue factional disputes with renewed vigor. Conflict between Christian and Muslim groups continued and conflict between one Muslim group and another increased.
Following yet another outburst of fighting between Muslim and Christian groups in May 1989, an emergency summit meeting of Arab leaders was convened in Casablanca, Morocco. At this summit a Tripartite Arab Committee was set up, with King Fahd, King Hassan of Morocco and President Chadli of Algeria as its members. This high-powered Committee was tasked with finding a way to enforce a ceasefire in Lebanon and bringing about conditions in which political reform and the creation of stable government could be achieved.