THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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Friday, February 11, 1983 3
Israeli Public Opinion Is Firm on Implementing Inquiry's Report
Rafael Ben-Natan, the
(Continued from Page 1)
Deputy Premier Simha behind-the-scenes strong-
Ehrlich, who is recovering man of the National Reli-
from heart surgery he gious Party, said his party
underwent in the United was demanding that the
States last month, recom- government honor the
mended in a telephone call recommendation of the in-
to the Cabinet that the quiry panel, especially since
commission's recom- it was established by the
mendations be adopted in government.
Meanwhile, Sharon's
its entirety. This view was
reportedly accepted by a supporters in the Likud
rallied to prevent his res-
large number of ministers.
ignation. One of his key violated in that the panel cal leadership for Israel's
Labor Party chairman
supporters, David Ma- members were influenced lack of preparedness at the Shimon Peres daid, The
gen, urged the Cabinet to by a - lynch - atmosphere time.
recommendations of the
ignore the - recom- created by the mass media However, other coalition commission are un-
mendations of the in- against the government. He partners, such as the Lib- equivocal and serious. We
quiry panel and to allow also accused the commis-- eral Party wing of Likud, shall wait for the govern-
Sharon to continue to sion of having suffered from the NRP and Tami, de- ment to draw the full con-
serve as Defense Minis- the "complex of the Agranat manded that Sharon resign. clusions, both on the per-
ter.
report," a reference to the The NRP reportedly sonal and the functional
Magen argued that the inquiry commission that suggested as an alternative level." Peres added that any
work of the commission was was set up after the Yom that Sharon remain in the delay in drawing those con-
faulty. He contended the Kippur War which failed to Cabinet
but
as
a clusions would be "unac-
principle of sub judice was blame the country's poliit- Minister-Without-Portfolio. ceptable."
Beirut Massacre Panel Faults Eight Who Received Warnings
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JERUSALEM (JTA) — Christian militia of any in- paid no heed at the Cabinet
gists' entry into the honor. But this fear was out justify total inaction. This
camps. These blunders of place," the commission inaction constitutes a
The commission of inquiry volvement in the massacre. meeting to Deputy Premier
into the Sabra and Shatila It placed sole direct respon- David Levy's warning, near
constitute non-
declared. breach of the duty incum-
It concluded that bent on the Director of Mili-
refugee camps massacre sibility on the Christian the end of the session, that
fulfillment of duty with
called for the resignation of Phalangist units which car- there might be a massacre.
which the Defense Minis- Eitan's "conduct stem-
tary Intelligence."
med from his disregard of
But it is sharply critical of ter was charged."
Defense Minister Ariel ried out the killings but
The commission had
Sharon or his dismissal by found no evidence-that the Begin's "indifference" from
The commission found the suspicions that the mixed findings on the
Premier Menahem Begin Phalange leadership itself the time he learned of the that Foreign Minister
Phalangists were perpet- conduct of Gen. Drori,
for willfully ignoring the had ordered a massacre of Phalangists' entry into the -Shamir reacted with rep- rating acts of slaughter commander of the north-
camps until he first heard of rehensible "disdain" when and this disregard went ern command. It praised
obvious dangers of "yen- the camp inmates.
Last November, the the massacre on a BBC he received from Communi- so deep that even the in- his order to halt the
geance and bloodshed" •
against civilians when he commission warned nine broadcast Saturday after- cations Minister Mordechai formation that had ar- Phalangists' operations
allowed armed Christian top political and military noon, Sept. 18. "He showed Zipport on Friday morning rived meanwhile and in the camp when he first
Phalangists to enter the figures, including Begin, absolutely no interest," the (September 17) a report of reached the Chief of Staff heard of excesses on Fri-
west Beirut camps last Sept. Sharon and Shamir, and commission found, suggest- killings in the camps. He could not shake it ... He day morning.
But it found that his
16 to root out Palestinian Gens. Saguy and Eitan, ing that had he done so his failed to do anything effec- should have ordered the
terrorists suspected of hid- that they may be harmed interest might well have tive to check out the report, immediate removal of the "alertness declined" as soon
Phalangist forces from as Eitan arrived in Beirut
if it drew conclusions as a influenced his subordinates the commission said.
ing there.
It found Shamir guilty of the camps, admonished and was reduced to "total
The commission, in its re- result of their testimony. to greater alertness.
"The Prime Minister's an "error" in that regard. It the Phalangist comman- passivity ... . disengage-
port and recommendations Only one of the persons
ders about the aberrance ment from any treatment of
published this week, ac- warned, Avi Dudai, an failure to involve himself in was sharply critical of the
cepted Begin's testimony aide to Sharon, was com- the entire matter casts on state of relations within the of their actions and de- the subject" when he ac-
that he knew nothing of the pletely absolved by the him a certain degree of re- Cabinet that led Shamir to manded that they issue companied the Chief of Staff
massacres until he heard of report.
sponsibility," the report discount and disparage the immediate orders to their at his meeting with the
forces to refrain," the Phalangist leaders.
• telephone call from Zippori.
them from a foreign radio
The commission's report said.
With respect to Sharon,
The commission said it commission stated.
The panel found Brig.
broadcast after the fact. But took note of the advantages
it faulted the Premier for which Israeli political and the report acknowledged "tended to accept" Zippori's Instead, Eitan authorized Gen. Amos Yaron, the im-
his detachment from military leaders saw in hav- that the intelligence ex- evidence, implying that it the supply of an IDF tractor mediate commander of Is-
events, though it found ing the Phalangists enter perts had failed to warn rejected Shamir's testimony to the Phalangists in the raeli forces in Beirut, guilty
mitigating circumstances. the camps where it was be- adequately of a possible on whether or not his col- camps until the next morn- of breach of duty and
The commission's report lieved armed elements of massacre. But the De- league had used the word ing, the report noted. His recommended that he hold
was sharply critical of the Palestine Liberation fense Minister, given his "massacre." The commis- actions, it stated, constitute no command post for at least
vital role in the war and sion conceded, however, "a breach of duty and dere- three years. The commis-
Foreign Minister Yitzhak Organization were hiding.
Shamir for disregarding in- But, " the commission close ties with the that Shamir may "not have liction of duty . . . We have sion faulted Yaron for fail-
formation from a Cabinet stated in effect, Sharon and Phalangists, given the caught" the import of Zip- arrived at grave conclu- ure to act on Thursday
colleague that the mas- Eitan failed to weigh the "common knowledge" of pori's warning. sions. He (Eitan) is about to night, Sept. 16, when initial
The
commission complete his term of service reports of over 300 dead
sacres were occurring but possible disadvantages, their battle ethics and
long-standing categorically rejected in April, 1983. Taking into civilians filtered out of the
did not call for his resigna- such as innocent bloodshed, their
tion.
which if it transpired, would hatred of the Palesti- Eitan's testimony that account the fact that an ex- camps and reached him.
Apart from Sharon, the have outweighed the politi- nians —intensified by the "we never could have im- tension is not under consid- Moreover, he failed to pass
report dealt most harsly cal and military advantages assassination of Gemayel agined the danger" of the eration, there is no practical on those reports to his
with the chief of militar y of the move. — did not require massacre. The possibility significance to a recom- superiors, the report said.
intelligence, Gen.
Begin testified that the "prophetic powers to of a massacre should mendation regarding his Instead, Yaron made do
Yehoshua Seguy, whose massacre was "in the nature know that concrete dan- have arisen based on well continuing in office as Chief with "reiterating warnings
dismissal it recom- of a disaster which no one gers of gel- Q of slaught, r known facts and common of Staff and therefore we to the Phalange . . . officers
mended, and Chief of imagined and which no one existec when he Phala-i- sense assessments, it have resolved that it is suf- not to kill women and chil-
ficient to determine respon- dren. But beyond that he
Staff Gen. 'Rafael Eitan, could have foreseen." The ;ists were LW, ved into the\ said.
The Chief of Staff must be sibility without any further did nothing to stop the kil-
whose dismissal it would commission said it was "un- camps without the IDF
lings . . ." The report also
have asked for but for the able to accept the Prime being with them . . . and viewed as a partner to the recommendation."
The commission flatly re- accused Yaron of failure to
fact that Eitan's term of Minister's remark that he without the IDF being decision (to send the
office expires in April was absolutely unaware of able to maintain ongoing Phalangists into the camps) fused to accept the tes- convey the reports he re-
and an extension of his such a danger." It did not effective supervision," and as bearing responsibil- timony of military intelli- ceived from Drori to the
ity for its adoption and im- gence chief Gen.Saguy that Chief of Staff and of enabl-
command is not under fault him, however, for fail- the commission said.
It observed that "the ad- plementation," the commis- he knew nothing of the ing the Phalangists to re-
consideration.
ing to ask either Sharon or
Other ranking military Eitan during Tuesday and vantages to be gained (from sion said, noting that had he plans to send the Phalan- place their forces inside the
officers were severly casti- Wednesday, Sept. 14-15, the Phalangists' entry into objected, he could have chal- gists into the camps until camps "despite the fact that
gated. But the three- what if any role had been the camps) distracted him lenged Sharon and appealed Friday morning, Sept. 17. the order (by Drori) halting
member panel, while find- assigned to the Phalangists from the proper considera- to Begin. Saguy was present at sev- the operation was not resci-
The commission de- eral brief discussions be- nded."
ing grave faults with as- after the Israel Defanse tion in this instance."
The commission poin-
The report stated futher: scribed as "worthless" the tween Tuesday and Thurs-
pects of policy-making pro- Force moved into west Be-
cedures and communica- irut or for failing to object to "From the Defense Minister operation of IDF look-out day and must have heard tedly noted in its report
tions procedures within the the Phalangists' entry into himself we know that this and list -ening posts to something, the commission that it did not deal with
the question of whether
monitor Phalange radio stated.
Israel Defense Force and be- the camps when he learned consideration (the likeli
"In our opinion, it was the and to what extent the
tween the IDF and the gov- of it at. Tuesday's Cabinet hood of atrocities) did not communications in the
concern him in the least . . . camps but observed that the duty of the Director of Mili- Lebanese army and the
determined meeting.
ernment,
U.S. government repre-
categorically that no one in
With respect to the and that this matter was fact such measures, though tary Intelligence, as long as
a position of responsibility interim between the neither discussed nor exam- "worthless," were in fact he occupies this post, to sentatives might share
in Israel wanted or intended Sharon-Eitan decision fined at the meeting held . . . taken," therefore "is not evince alertness regarding with Israel some indirect
a massacre to take place or and the Cabinet meeting, by the Defense Minister . . . congruent with the claim the role of the Phalangists responsibility for the
any harm to come to the the commission observed It is ostansibly puzzling that such excesses were not in the entry into Beirut and massacre.
after Bashir's (Gemayel) as-
"We will only discuss the
civilian population of the that the Premier had that the Defense Minister foreseen at all."
Eitan was blasted for sassination, to demand an issue of Israel's indirect re-
camps.
"many and diverse tasks did not in any way make the
The report implied that and he was entitled to
Premier- privy to the deci- "naivete" in his behavior in appropriate deliberation sponsibility, knowning that
the Lebanese army and the rely on the optimistic and sion on having the Phalan- Beirut on Friday, Sept. 17, and to warn expressly and . . . it is not an exclusive re-
when he flew there, follow- explicitly all those con- sponsibility laid on Israel
United States representa- calming reports of the gists enter the camps.
tive in Beirut might' share Defense Minister that the
"In addition, responsi- ing reports of excesses from cerned of the report on Fri- alone," the report declared.
indirect responsibility for entire operation (in west bility is to be imputed to the commander of the north, day and certainly after re-
There are but two ways of
the events with Israel which Beirut) was proceeding the Minister of Defense Gen. Amir Drori, and met ceipt of the report," the
paying a debt; increase of
was in occupation of west without any hitches and for not ordering appro- with Phalangist leaders. He commission said.
It concluded that Suguy's industry in raising income,
Beirut at the time.
in the most satisfactory priate measures for pre- said nothing to them on the
It completely absolved Is- manner."
venting or reducing the matter of atrocities, accord- "fear that his words would or increase of thrift in lay-
rael's ally, Maj. Saad Had-
The commission accepted danger of massacre as a ing to his testimony, "for not receive sufficient atten- ing out.
—Carlyle
dad and members of his Bein's
testimony that he condition for the Phalan- fear of offending their tio and be rejected does not
g
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