Militia boasts of role in Sabra massacre

It was one of the most shocking massacres to scar the Middle East, the slaying of more than 2,000 Palestinians by Christian militiamen in the wretched Lebanese refugee camps.

Now a film has returned to the story of Sabra and Shatila. But for the first time it has told the story of the slaughter through the voices of the killers. In Massaker, six former Christian Phalange militiamen tell of their training by Israeli allies and recount the events of 16-18 September, 1982, when hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children were killed in the Beirut camps.

Although the identities of the men are disguised in the 90-minute documentary, they make no attempt to hide the gruesome details of the massacre, with some boasting about their killing skills with AK-47 assault rifles and butchers' knives.

...

The camps had been sealed off by Israeli tanks. When the militiamen, who were worked into a frenzy after being told that the Palestinians were responsible for Gemayel's killing, entered on the evening of 16 September, the only resistance they encountered was from a few lightly armed young men.

For the next 38 hours, the militiamen raped, tortured, mutilated and massacred civilians. The exact number killed is still not known. On 22 September the International Red Cross gave a figure of 2,400, but Palestinians claim more died.

One of the most controversial revelations in the film is the alleged extent of Israeli involvement in the preparation and execution of the operation, down to providing body bags before the killings began. 'You'll be needing these,' one of the militiamen is told by an Israeli officer.
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Monkey see (genocide) monkey do (genocide)

those damn christians should be rounded up and gassed

The Maronite Christians killed the refugees out of anger at the assassinatioin of Bashir Gemayel. While horrid, their anger can at least be understood if not condoned. Israel, on the other hand, too part in the massacre for cold, calculating, political reasons. That cannot be understood. While the Maronites did the actual killing the blood is on Israel's hands.

While horrid, their anger can at least be understood if not condoned. The mass murder of innocent people can never be condoned. What kind of horrible person are you?

Read my post again. I said it could be understood. I didn't say it could be condoned.

Originally posted by Frogger
While the Maronites did the actual killing the blood is on Israel's hands.

That's too forgiving of the Maronites.

They have blood on their hands too but their killing was done in the white heat of anger at the assassination while Israel actions were coldly calculated political actions.

This is why we went into Beirut in the first place. We were there to protect the PLO and others from Israel and it turned out to prop up the Phlangist Government. But once again we went in to protect one group and an ally of that group attacked us.

I didn't say it could be condoned. You said "if not condoned. Which means you believe that it possibly could be.

If you interpreted it to mean that I was obviously not clear enough in my post. I in no way meant to imply that their actions should or could be condoned.