an incident frequently cited to demonize Ariel Sharon and Israel in general.
This terrible thing occured during the Lebanese Civil War, in which the PLO, having been evicted from Lebanon due to their having tried to murder King Hussein, which started a civil war that killed perhaps tens of thousands, played a major role, which included drawing Israel into the fray.
The incident in Jordan is known as "Black September in Jordan."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_September_in_JordanWhen the PLO got to Lebanon they started shooting at Israel, and also launching terrorist attacks - not only from Lebanon but from other locations. The following article will elaborate. This caused Israel to get into the war. They had had a relationship with the Maronite Christians of Lebanon, who alone had spoken up against the murder of Jews throughout the Middle East following the War of 1948.
The PLO was responsible for the deaths of many - some say as many as 100,000 - Christians in Lebanon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_Civil_WarThis war was truly terrible, involving several nations and the indirect participation of Great Powers, including the Soviets. It ostensibly broke out because of insufficient Muslim representation in the Christian-dominated government of Lebanon, and finally ended only after many years of conflict. The Syrian Army has only now departed, with the UN now calling for the disarming of Hezzbollah, a Shi'a militia, pro-Syrian, anti-Christian and anti-Israeli, thought to be funded and armed by the fundamentalist Shi'a government of Iran.
Setting the stage for Sabra/Shatilla:
In January 1976, the Saika (a Pro-Syrian Palestinian militia) attacked the Christian city of Damour. When the city fell on January 23rd, the inhabitants were subject to rape, mutilation and brutal assassination. The reported casualties amounted to 582 people. As a result of the massacre, most Christians began to see the Palestinian presence as a short-term threat to their survival. Moreover, the Lebanese left (that enjoyed some popularity in the Christian community and especially in the poorest classes) lost most of its legitimacy because of its support for the Palestinian cause.
The fighting eventually spread to most parts of the country, precipitating President Suleiman Franjieh's call for support from Syrian troops in June 1976, to which Syria responded by ending its prior affiliation with the Rejection Front and supporting the Maronites. This technically put Syria in the Israeli camp, as Israel had already begun to supply Maronite forces with arms, tanks, and military advisors in May 1976. (Smith, op. cit., 354.)
Meanwhile, Arafat's Fatah movement joined the war on the side of the National Movement.
In June, 1976, with fighting throughout the country and the Maronites on the verge of defeat, the President called for Syrian intervention. Damour's massacre made Frangieh fear further massacres and he thought that only Syria could save the christians from a slaughter. Syria had its own political and territorial interests in Lebanon, which harbored the fundamentalist anti-Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. Syrian troops subsequently entered Lebanon, occupying Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley, and imposed a ceasefire (Fisk, pp. 78-81) that ultimately failed to stop the conflict.
snip
In 1981, armed forces of the PLO occupied large areas of southern Lebanon and increased attacks on Israel with rockets and artillery while also engaging Lebanese forces and killing civilians. (Fifteen years later, in 1996, the World Lebanese Organization, the World Maronite Union, and human rights groups concerned with the Middle East accused the PLO of genocide in Lebanon, blaming them for the deaths of 100,000 Lebanese civilians).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabra_and_Shatila_massacreThe attack on the refugee camps at Sabra/Shatilla were, I think, straight up revenge - by the CHRISTIANS - not by the Israelis. The Lebanese Christian leader's murder was the direct cause.
Several hundred Palestinians were murdered. The Israeli army is said to have allowed the Christians access to the camps. The Christians said they were seeking terrorists. The Israeli army said, they didn't know any massacre had been planned. Some allege that Sharon, who wasn't THERE, should have known better than to allow access to the camps. Moreover, the Israeli army, it is alleged, could have stopped the massacre.
The above article elaborates, shows some of the complexity and violence of the overall situation, and also points out that Sharon's responsibility is disputed.
***
I suggest that a careful reading of the referenced articles will show that the events leading up to the Lebanese Civil War, the gruesome nature of the war itself, the MANY massacres and terrible events that occured and which were perpetrated by MANY players on the scene at the time, will show that Sabra/Shatilla should be studied not as a tool with which to demonize Sharon, but as an object lesson in the complexity of modern Middle Eastern politics.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(497 posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
