Fateful Triangle

Aftermath634forced “to reiterate his crime, ‘I am a Palestinian’,” before beingkilled. 101 Villagers in the south in Haddad areas reported that “trucksand jeeps marked with Haddad’s militia’s insignias began pouring into [avillage], to turn down an Israeli Army-controlled road that leads to Israelimilitary positions” near the airport. 102 As noted, Israel denied thatHaddad troops participated, claiming that none were “in the area ofBeirut,” while the Israeli TV military correspondent reported that thePhalange killers wore Haddad uniforms to conceal their identity. Chief ofStaff Eitan also denied that these forces were involved. 103 We return tothe Commission of Inquiry interpretation of the evidence of participationof Haddad forces, of which the above is a small sample.The exact truth will probably never be known. What is clear is thatthe atrocities were carried out by militiamen brought in by Israel who,furthermore, had “a well-documented history of atrocities against Palestiniancivilians”—a fact which raises a “question,” as Israeli commanderMaj. Gen. Amir Drori conceded. 104The exact constitution of the forces is hardly of crucial significance.As David Bernstein comments in the Jerusalem Post, “In the final analysis,the question is largely irrelevant, as both Haddad and the Phalangeare Israel’s creatures, having been armed and trained over the past eightyears by the IDF.” 105 That they were under IDF control as they wereorganized to enter the camps, and under its observation as the operationwas carried out, is hardly in serious doubt.Not everyone is convinced. Parts of the Israeli press have suggested arather different version of what took place. The Labor party press, Davar,ran a story in early November under this headline: “The Massacre in theRefugee Camps was Organized by the KGB in order to Persuade theWorld of Israel’s Guilt.” The story is by the Davar Paris correspondent,Gidon Kutz, and is based on an exciting new book that had justappeared in Paris and his interview with the author, “a well-knownClassics in Politics: The Fateful TriangleNoam Chomsky