Today Marks 36th Anniversary of Massacre of Palestinians in Sabra, Shatila

Rasa - Thousands of Palestinian refugees were brutally massacred by a Lebanese militia group September 16th, 1982 immediately after the Israeli army under Ariel Sharon occupied the Lebanese capital, Beirut, where the camps were located.

News ID: 439570

Date: 16 September 2018 - 15:37

RNA - The Israeli army allowed the militias access to the camps and knew about the massacre that went on for three days but did nothing to stop it, according to an Israeli commission that investigated the events of those days. The massacre claimed the lives of at least 3,000 Palestinian refugees, WAFA reported.

Israeli troops surrounded the camps to prevent the refugees from leaving and allowed entry of the Phalange, a known enemy of the Palestinians. The Israelis fired flares throughout the night to light up the killing field - thus allowing the militiamen to see their way through the narrow alleys of the camps.

The massacre went on for two days. As the bloodbath concluded, Israel supplied the bulldozers to dig mass graves. In 1983, Israel's investigative Kahan Commission found that Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Defense Minister, bore "personal responsibility" for the slaughter.

The massacre at Sabra and Shatila was a direct consequence of Israel's violation of the American-brokered ceasefire and the impunity bestowed on Israel by the US and the international community.

This massacre, as well as other massacres against the Palestinian people, went unpunished by the international community.

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