On 'Sabra and Shatila massacre'

The Sabra and Shatila massacre occurred between September 16 and 18, 1982, during the Lebanese Civil War, in the Sabra neighborhood and the adjacent Shatila refugee camp in West Beirut, Lebanon. The massacre was carried out by a Lebanese Christian militia known as the Phalange, who were allied with Israel during this period of the conflict. The massacre resulted in the killing of a large number of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, estimates ranging from several hundred to several thousand.

Context:

The massacre took place during the broader Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), which was a multifaceted conflict involving various factions: Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Palestinian groups, as well as foreign interventions by Israel and Syria.

In June 1982, Israel had invaded southern Lebanon in what was called Operation Peace for Galilee. This invasion was aimed at driving out the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which was using Lebanon as a base for attacks on Israel.

By September 1982, Israeli forces had encircled West Beirut, where many PLO fighters and Palestinian refugees were located. The PLO had negotiated a withdrawal from Beirut under the supervision of international peacekeeping forces.

After the assassination of Bashir Gemayel, the leader of the Phalange militia and president-elect of Lebanon, Israeli forces allowed the Phalangist militia to enter the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps to root out remaining PLO fighters.

The Massacre:

On the night of September 16, 1982, Phalangist fighters, with Israeli oversight, entered the camps, ostensibly to eliminate PLO combatants. However, over the next two days, the militia systematically murdered civilians, including men, women, children, and elderly people.

Although the exact number of victims is disputed, estimates suggest that between 700 and 3,500 civilians were killed. Many of the dead were Palestinian refugees, as well as some Lebanese Shi'ites.

Israel’s Role:

Israeli forces surrounded the camps, manned checkpoints, and illuminated the area with flares at night, facilitating the actions of the Phalangists. While Israeli troops did not directly participate in the killings, their role in allowing the Phalangists into the camps and failing to stop the massacre has been heavily criticized.

In Israel, public outrage and international condemnation led to the establishment of the Kahan Commission in 1983 to investigate Israel's involvement. The commission found that Israeli officials, including then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, bore "indirect responsibility" for the massacre, as they did not prevent or stop the killings once they were aware of them.

As a result, Sharon was forced to resign as defense minister, though he remained influential in Israeli politics and later became prime minister.

Aftermath and Legacy:

The massacre had a profound impact on Lebanese society, exacerbating sectarian tensions and deepening the trauma of the civil war.

It also intensified the hostility between Palestinians and Israelis, reinforcing Palestinian grievances and further damaging Israel's international image.

The Sabra and Shatila massacre remains a symbol of the atrocities committed during the Lebanese Civil War and of the deep and unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The massacre has been the subject of numerous investigations, human rights reports, and legal proceedings, though justice for the victims has remained elusive. It is remembered as one of the darkest moments in the history of the Middle East conflict.