FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS

We at Dartboard were disappointed, if not surprised, by the New York Times and Associated Press coverage of Tuesday's tragic collision of two Israeli helicopters, which resulted in the deaths of 73 Israeli soldiers. In their subtle maneuvering from "news" to "news analysis," our colleagues were beginning to draw the wrong lessons from the tragedy even before the bodies of the victims were cold.

Both the Times and the AP suggested that the tragedy might prompt what they consider to be the inevitable "question" of Israel's presence in southern Lebanon. If this question is to be raised (which was doubtless one objective of the Times and AP articles), then the basis of their inquiry is misinformed. The Times, the AP, and others fall into the trap of drawing a parallel between this incident and Israel's defensive involvement in Lebanon where, in fact, no such connection inheres.

In truth, this tragedy could almost as easily have occurred in any number of other areas in the small Jewish state, where such disasters happen infrequently (which is, of course, still far too frequently) given the tremendous numbers of military maneuvers that must occur in Israel daily relative to those in nations in a state of peace with non-belligerent neighbors.

The Times and the AP echoed the silent and unsympathetic consensus among Arab officials which was enunciated best by Lebanese Foreign Minister Farez Buez, who said that Israel should learn a lesson from the helicopter crash, and realize that it is time to leave southern Lebanon. He said the occupation of southern Lebanon had cost Israel more than all the war with the Arabs. The head of Hizbullah, Sheikh Naim Kassem, said, "The crash was a success granted by God."

Obviously, the Israeli government is reluctant about its presence in Southern Lebanon, which only the will to survive necessitates. Tremendous hazards would befall Israeli civilian communities living in Northern Israel were Israeli troops to retreat from their positions. The doubts created by the Times, the AP, the foreign minister, the Sheikh and others raise the insidious moral question of the legitimacy of Israel's southern Lebanon positions, and hence, are an attack upon Israel's right to self-defense.

These news organizations, with all of their misinformed bias, deny Israel the same right which they freely grant all other states without limitations or preconditions. Unable to compete with Israel in conventional military terms, the Arabs are aided by the Times and the AP in the ideological sruggle instead. We at Dartboard are perturbed by the implicit suggestion of the moral superiority of other states' efforts at self-defense and are worried by the danger which this double standard poses to Israel's continued existence.