>1983- Lebanese Phalange Massacre at Sabra and Shatila
Palestinian Refugees
On September 16th, Phalangist forces killed hundreds of Palestinians in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. While Israel wasn't directly involved, its proximity and tactical control led to domestic and international criticism. An Israeli inquiry found several officials, including Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, indirectly responsible for not preventing the massacre, resulting in Sharon's resignation in 1983.
On September 16th, Lebanese Christian militia forces, specifically members of the Phalangist group, entered the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in Beirut. They unleashed a horrific assault on Palestinian civilians, with the death toll reaching into the hundreds.
While the Israelis did not directly participate in these atrocities, their proximity and their tactical control of the area led to widespread criticism both domestically and internationally. The role of the Israeli military in allowing the Phalangist militia access to the camps, and their failure to intervene or anticipate the violence, was questioned and scrutinized.
In the aftermath of these tragic events, an Israeli commission of inquiry, the Kahan Commission, was established to investigate. The commission concluded that several Israeli officials, including the Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, bore indirect but "personal responsibility" for the massacre. Sharon was criticized for not taking appropriate measures to prevent or limit the Phalangist atrocities, leading to his eventual resignation from his defense minister post in 1983.