Sabra & Shatila Massacres
QUOTE
In 1982
Israel
invaded
Lebanon. Hobeika was appointed as chief liaison officer between LF/Phalange and
their Israeli allies. On
15 September the
Israeli army occupied west
Beirut
. The
Israelis let the Phalange militia into the Palestinian refugee camps of
Sabra and Shatila
, allegedly to remove Palestinian fighters. Hobeika was in
command of this operation. Over the following three days the Phalange massacred
the inhabitants of the camps.
UNQUOTE
This is reasonably factual but suppressing some facts is a
good way of giving a misleading impression. The really expert liar will feed in
a few hints and really confuse the issue.
Sabra
and Shatila Aftermath - the Pictures
You think that you are hardened to this sort of thing then you
see some pictures and know that you are not.
The children are the most upsetting.
Elie Hobeika
QUOTE
In 1999, Hobeika's former bodyguard, Robert Hatem
(alias Cobra), published a book accusing his former boss of
masterminding numerous assassinations and crimes........ The most astonishing claim of the book was
that Hobeika allegedly cooperated with the Syrians in Lebanese Forces
leader and Lebanese President-elect
Bachir Gemayel's assassination in 1982 and that the massacre of
Sabra and Shatila massacre was (allegedly) decided by Hobeika and
Assad in order to embarrass Israel.
UNQUOTE
The Wikipedia gives us lots of
reasons to think that other men wanted Hobeika dead but Sharon was the one who
was going to be fingered.
Ariel Sharon
QUOTE
While Ariel Sharon was
Defence minister, the
Sabra and Shatila massacre took place, in which between 460 and 3,500
Palestinian civilians in the
refugee camps were killed by Lebanese Christian forces under the
command of Lebanese
Maronite
Falange
militia...... The Phalange had been
sent into the camps to clear out
PLO fighters [ especially those under five years old - Editor ], and Israeli forces had been sent to the camps at
Sharon's command to provide them with
logistical support [ ammo resupply - Editor ] and to guard camp exits
[ to stop women and children escaping - Editor ]. The incident led some of
Sharon's critics to refer to him as "the Butcher of
Beirut".
The Kahan Commission claimed that "absolutely no direct responsibility devolves upon Israel or upon those who acted in its behalf." Yet it did charge Sharon with "personal responsibility." It recommended in early 1983 the removal of Sharon from his post as Defense minister. In their recommendations and closing remarks, the commission stated:
-
We have found, as has been detailed in this report, that the Minister of Defense [Ariel Sharon] bears personal responsibility. In our opinion, it is fitting that the Minister of Defense draw the appropriate personal conclusions arising out of the defects revealed with regard to the manner in which he discharged the duties of his office - and if necessary, that the Prime Minister consider whether he should exercise his authority under Section 21-A(a) of the Basic Law: the Government, according to which "the Prime Minister may, after informing the Cabinet of his intention to do so, remove a minister from office."[8]
An AP report on 15 September 1982 stated :
-
Defence Minister Ariel Sharon, in a statement, tied the killing [of the Phalangist leader Gemayel] to the PLO, saying: "It symbolises the terrorist murderousness of the PLO terrorist organisations and their supporters." Habib Chartouni, a Lebanese Christian from the Syrian Socialist National Party confessed to the murder of Gemayel, and no Palestinians were involved. Sharon had used this to instigate the entrance of the Lebanese militias into the camps.
Sharon was dismissed by Prime Minister
Menachem Begin but he remained in successive governments as a Minister.
UNQUOTE
A slap on the wrist and carry on as
usual. NB Begin
was a terrorist who got the Nobel Peace Prize with murder warrants
outstanding. There is no reason to think
that principle came anything but a bad second to expediency.
