Fateful Triangle

Aftermath620methodically slaughtering the inhabitants. * The massacre continued untilSaturday, under the observation of the Israeli military a few hundredyards away. Bulldozers were used to scoop up bodies and cart themaway or bury them under rubble. One “mass grave that has beenspecially bulldozed” was directly below an Israeli command center, witha view from an Israeli rooftop position “directly onto the grave and thecamp beyond.” IDF troops “stationed less than 100 yards away, had notresponded to the sound of constant gunfire or the sight of truckloads ofbodies being taken away from the camps,” and told Western journaliststhat “nothing unusual” was going on while mingling with Phalangistsresting between missions inside the camps. 65On Friday afternoon Chief of Staff Eitan and Generals Drori and Yaronmet with the Phalangist command. Eitan congratulated them on having“carried out good work,” offered them a bulldozer with IDF markingsremoved, and authorized them to remain in the camps for another 12hours. The killing continued. At 5AM Saturday morning the murderersbegan to leave the camps, and after 36 hours, the slaughter ended. OnSaturday morning, “reporters entered the camp long before any Israelisoldiers,” 66 and the full story began to reach the outside world. In fact,according to Defense Minister Sharon’s report to the Knesset, Israelisoldiers did not enter Sabra until Sunday, well after news of themassacre had reached the outside world, and did not enter Shatila atall, a fact that did not prevent the Israeli government from officially*Phalangists allege that apart from providing flares, Israeli artillery alsosupported them on Thursday night by softening up a “problematic area in thecamp” where there had been some resistance. They also claim that they wereaccompanied by Israelis in Phalangist uniforms. See “One Day in the life of aPhalangist,” Ha’aretz, Feb. 18, 1983; translated from Der Spiegel, Feb. 14,1983.Classics in Politics: The Fateful TriangleNoam Chomsky