2pac Shakur
07-16-2006, 07:07 PM
During the 1982 Lebanon War, while Ariel Sharon was Defense minister, the Sabra and Shatila massacre took place, in which between 460 and 3,500 Palestinian civilians in the refugee camps were killed by the Phalanges- Lebanese Maronite miltias. The Security Chief of the Phalange militia, Elie Hobeika, was the ground commander of the militiamen who entered the Palestinian camps and killed the Palestinians. The Phalange had been sent into the camps to clear out PLO fighters, and Israeli forces had been sent to the camps at Sharon's command to provide them with logistical support and to guard camp exits. The incident led some of Sharon's critics to refer to him as "the Butcher of Beirut".[6]
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."[7]
An AP report on 15 September 1982 stated :
Defense 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.
In 1987, Time published a story implying Sharon was directly responsible for the massacres. Sharon sued Time for libel in American and Israeli courts. Time won the suit in the U.S. court because although the jury found the article false and defamatory, Sharon could not establish that Time had "acted out of malice", as required under the U.S. law.[8]
On June 18, 2001, relatives of the victims of the Sabra massacre began proceedings in Belgium to have Ariel Sharon indicted on war crimes charges.[9] In June 2002, a Brussels Appeals Court rejected the lawsuit because the law was subsequently changed under heavy U.S. pressure to disallow such lawsuits unless a Belgian citizen is involved.[10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Sharon#Sabra_and_Shatila_massacre
The people of Lebanon are probably overjoyed to have Israel invading again.
When you read about Sharon's history, and see that he was elected PM, does that indicate Israelis have any interest in peace? Or do we only criticise the Pals for electing Hamas?
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."[7]
An AP report on 15 September 1982 stated :
Defense 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.
In 1987, Time published a story implying Sharon was directly responsible for the massacres. Sharon sued Time for libel in American and Israeli courts. Time won the suit in the U.S. court because although the jury found the article false and defamatory, Sharon could not establish that Time had "acted out of malice", as required under the U.S. law.[8]
On June 18, 2001, relatives of the victims of the Sabra massacre began proceedings in Belgium to have Ariel Sharon indicted on war crimes charges.[9] In June 2002, a Brussels Appeals Court rejected the lawsuit because the law was subsequently changed under heavy U.S. pressure to disallow such lawsuits unless a Belgian citizen is involved.[10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Sharon#Sabra_and_Shatila_massacre
The people of Lebanon are probably overjoyed to have Israel invading again.
When you read about Sharon's history, and see that he was elected PM, does that indicate Israelis have any interest in peace? Or do we only criticise the Pals for electing Hamas?