Fateful Triangle

Peace for Galilee406entered their buses, screaming hysterically at the bound prisoners,hitting them and spitting at them while the guards stood by andlaughed. They were then driven to an Israeli camp where they weregreeted by soldiers who again beat them with clubs. They were givendinner—a piece of bread and a tomato. Then soldiers came with fourlarge shepherd dogs on chains, who were set upon the prisoners, bitingthem, while those who tried to defend themselves were beaten bysoldiers. “Particularly the young boys, aged I5 and 16, began to cryfrom fear,” leading to further beatings.“Each day brought with it new torture.” Many were beaten with ironbars, on the genitals, on the hands, on the soles of the feet. One hadfour fingers broken. This man was hung by his feet “and they used meas a punching bag.” When prisoners begged for water they were givenurine, provided by the liberators. One day they were taken to the sportsstadium of a nearby village where the inhabitants came to throw bottlesand other objects at them. Prisoners were forced to run like cattle,beaten with clubs. Once they were made to sit for a solid week, most ofthe time with hands on their heads. The worst times were Friday nightand Saturday, when the guards celebrated the Sabbath by getting drunk,selecting some prisoners for special punishment “to the accompanimentof laughter, full of hate.”After the war ended this man was taken back to Lebanon, to theAnsar concentration camp, where there were then about 10,000prisoners. There the terror continued. One day they saw many Lebanesewomen outside the camp. They waved to them and shouted. To stop theturmoil, the guards shot in the direction of the women, and theprisoners, angered, threw stones, and were fired on directly with 28wounded, eight seriously. One night, at 1 AM, he was told that he wasfree; 225 men were freed, all Lebanese. He was sent to Nabatiye, wherean officer told him: “We wish you all the best. We had to mete outClassics in Politics: The Fateful TriangleNoam Chomsky