20 Years After Sabra & Shatila Massacre, Palestinian Survivors Recall The
Horror
Slain bodies everywhere_ human parts dispersed on the narrow
streets_ badly injured women_ children and old men lying everywhere. It was
beyond description
By Iatidal Kenata, IOL Palestine Correspondent
WEST BANK, September 15 (IslamOnline) While the whole world is holding its
breath, waiting for an eventual U.S. massive strike against Iraq , Monday,
September 16, 2002 , marks the 20th anniversary of Sabra & Shatila massacre.
One of the survivors told IslamOnline Sunday, September 15, 2002 , how Israeli
forces committed their crime.
Sabra & Shatila are two refugee camps in Beirut the Palestinians resorted to
after being forced to flee their villages and towns in 1948. They went there
hoping that, one day, things will change and they will return to their homes in
Palestine.
"However, the then Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon (Currently Prime
Minister) did not like the idea of Palestinians living so near to their
homeland. Actually, it seems that he did not like the idea of their being
alive. So, he decided to change that," one of the survivors said.
Another survivor told IslamOnline the story of what really happened then.
Member of the Palestinian National Council, Waleed al-Awad, said, "The Israeli
Defense Ministry (led by Sharon ) decided to force us out of Lebanon , disperse
us into other Arabic countries.
"Committed to his bloody tactics, Sharon decided to kill any hope of our
return to our homes by committing a big scale massacre, to kill as many
Palestinians as possible, on one hand. On the other, to intimidate the others
into giving up any hope of ever returning home," al-Awad added.
Those who committed those crimes were enjoying the killing and mutilation
of the innocent Palestinian civilians
Sharon started his aggression on Lebanon in early June, 1982, occupied South
Lebanon , and imposed a siege on Beirut . However, the Palestinian fighters put
up a heroic resistance and stopped him from taking over the Lebanese capital
for about 88 days.
"The Palestinian resistance inflicted heavy losses on the Israelis then.
Commander of the Zionist battalion besieging Beirut was killed. Sharon was
forced to resort to diplomatic maneuvers to achieve his vicious tactics," added
al-Awad.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) then agreed to leave Lebanon on
some conditions, foremost among which was taking along all their weapons, the
deployment of international forces to protect the Palestinian civilians in the
refugee camps, and a U.S. guarantee that Israel will not occupy Beirut .
"As usual, the Palestinian leadership bought the bait and left Beirut waving
the V sign (Victory). They did not know what Sharon had in mind. The
2500-strong international force then evacuated the refugee camp, at the orders
of the Israeli army. On the night of September 14, 1982 , the Israeli forces
besieged Sabra & Shatila camps, controlled their entrances and exits.
"Then hell broke open. Israeli tanks, armored vehicles, and military
bulldozers started a well-concerted process of flattening everything and
everyone. Body parts, human flesh and bones were mixed with ruble from the
destroyed houses," al-Awad said through his tears. Judging from the look on his
face, the man was going through a real nightmare, just recalling the horror of
those black days in the history of all mankind.
Twenty-three Palestinians filed a suit against Sharon to have him tried in
Belgium for his role in the September 1982 massacres of up to 2,000
Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, perpetrated by Israel with
the help of the Israeli-allied Christian phalangist militia during Israels
invasion of Lebanon.
Al-Awad then recalled some of the most horrible things any sane person may
imagine. However, it was clear that those who committed those crimes were
enjoying the killing and mutilation of the innocent Palestinian civilians.
Sharon decided to kill as many Palestinians as possible
"I saw a 17-year-old girl called Ibtisam (Her name means Smiling in Arabic).
She was naked, her hands tied behind her back, her legs spread and also tied.
Her sensitive body parts were cut off. The Israeli soldiers raped her first,
then cut off her body, while joking and kidding. I do not think any human being
can do that, they are animals," al-Awad continued through his tears.
However, we disagree with him on calling those soldiers animals, this way he
insulted animals.
"When we sneaked into the camp on the night of September 16,1982 , we
witnessed even more horrible scenes. Slain bodies everywhere, human parts
dispersed on the narrow streets, badly injured women, children and old men
lying everywhere. It was beyond description.
"We kept moving in the narrow streets, stepping on bodies and wounded people.
It was dark, we did our best to help. Then, I reached the home of my best
friend
" he stopped. We had to respect his silence, it was obvious how painful
such memories are.
"I found him slain while holding his three children (Shadi, Shadia, and
Bassam). He was trying to protect his children, the Zionists killed them all,"
he said. Those words brought to our memories the scene of Muhammad al-Dorrah
holding his father, who kept calling out on Israeli soldiers to stop firing,
trying to save his terrified child. The Israeli soldiers killed the child.
History repeats itself.
Al-Awad concluded with urging the Palestinians not to trust Israeli or
American promises any more. "Their promises are meant only to make us abandon
our legal right to resist occupation".
Further news
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2002-09/15/article75.shtml
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