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ISRAEL'S LONG RECORD
OF DESTRUCTION, MASSACRES AND LIES IN LEBANON
.
"I don't want to get involved
in a Lebanese affair."
Brig. Gen Oded Ben Ami Chief Israeli
Army spokesman, 8/18/97
.
MER - Washington - 8/23/97:
.
As the innocent civilians of southern Lebanon
suffer once again, bury their dead, and prepare more martyrs for the struggle,
the historical list of Israeli lies and bloodshed grows still further.
Israel's long list of lies, deception, and destruction is rather overwhelming
just in the past 20 years. In brief:
1 9 7 8
After Camp David Israel reneged on the promise
to stop settlements and accept Palestinian Statehood, and instead used
the new peace with Egypt to invade Lebanon. Jimmy Carter forced Israel
to abort plans for wider war at that time.
.
1 9 8 2
Israeli invaded again, this time with Reagan
President, and Alexander Haig Secretary of State, using the pretext of
terrorism against an Israeli diplomat in London by the PLO. However, even
Margaret Thatcher, British PM at the time, explicitly told the world the
perpetrator was a Palestinian opposed to the PLO. No matter the Israelis
responded. Israel claimed its actions would be limited to the area below
the Litani River, then marched on Beirut while threatening Syria. American
intervention followed, along with a joint Israeli/American attempt to install
a "client regime" government which failed when Gemayal was killed.
American Marine and Naval forces intervened on behalf of Israel, U.S. hostages
began to be taken, the American Embassy and Marine barracks were blown
up, the rise of the Hizballah began. While these developments played out
another historic massacre toke place, this one at the Sabra and Shatilla
refugee camps near Beirut where over a thousand civilians were literally
butchered. Israeli denied any responsibility, but investigations revealed
the Israeli army watched and directed the massacre which was actually perpetrated
by Lebanese allies of Israel. Ariel Sharon -- Minister of "Defense"
-- was held personally responsible by an official Israeli investigating
commission and much of the world condemned Sharon as war criminal. Today
Sharon is again a leading member of the Israeli government.
.
1 9 9 6
Israel claimed its massacre of more than a hundred
civilians (with far more casualties) who were under protection of the U.N.
at "Qana" was a "mistake" and that the shelling was
"accidental". However the British INDEPENDENT uncovered evidence
that an Israeli drone plane was actually flying over Qana at the time and
that the shelling was direct, repeated, and purposeful. Subsequent U.N.
and Amnesty International investigations reached the same conclusions.
Great pressure was brought on U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Ghali by U.S.
representative Madeleine Albright not to allow the U.N. report to become
public -- literally including shouting matches and threats Ghali would
not have a second term. Ghali released a much watered-down report after
personally intervening four times to edit it with increasingly ambiguous
language (which in the end still condemned the Israelis). The Americans,
unsatisfied, let it be known they would veto Ghali for a second term --
unprecedented in U.N. history. The Israelis, a major influence in the Clinton
Administration, pushed Albright forward to become Secretary of State.
1 9 9 7
Israel's South Lebanon militia shells Sidon killing
and injuring many in a clear violation of the 1996 agreement negotiated
by Americans. The Israelis deny responsibility, but the head of Israel's
northern command states, "Obviously Lahd must have felt an obligation
to protect his civilians and I can understand what he did" (the shelling
of Sidon). And once again, the Arab regimes, the U.N., and the United States,
do nothing -- well, correction, the U.S. in a variety of ways actually
supports the Israelis and provides them most of the weapons they use, even
while rhetorically urging "restraint". As this is written the
toll of death and destruction in Lebanon is on the rise again. And with
such a historical record, no wonder the Israelis believe they can do whatever
they want, lie however much they want, kill and massacre as many as they
want, and the worst that will ever happen is a toothless U.N. resolution
that the Americans will veto anyway. Israeli conduct is shameful. But American
complicity, U.N. impotence, and Arab weakness...these are even more shameful.
.
M I D - E A S T R E
A L I T I E S
(202) 362-5266, Ext 638 Fax:
(202) 362-6965 MER@MiddleEast.Org
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