Israeli inquiry warns leaders

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 1

Israeli inquiry warns leaders

NZPA-Reuter Jerusalem

The Israeli inquiry into the massacre of Palestinians in Beirut has told the Prime Minister, Mr Begin, and eight of his closest associates that they could be harmed by its findings. In a surprise move that rocked Israel the judicial commission gave nine of the country’s leading political and military figures — including the Defence Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, the Foreign Minister, Mr Yitzhak Shamir, and the Chief of Staff, Lieu-tenant-General Rafael Eitan — 15 days to present evidence in their defence. The six other men were the unnamed head of Mossad, Israel’s secret service; the head of Military Intelligence, Major-General Yehoshua Saguy; Major-General Amir Drori, commander of Israeli forces around Beirut; Briga-dier-General Amos Yaron, commander in the area where the massacre occurred; and Mr Avi Dodai,

personal aide to Mr Sharon

The three-man commission has for five weeks been probing the massacre, by Lebanese Falangists who, witnesses said, were sent into Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Israel, with orders to hunt down Palestinian guerrillas. Its public sessions have shown that Israel helped prepare the action, monitored it, and eventually pulled the Falangists out of the camps. Israeli Intelligence now estimates that up to 800 people were killed. The commission said Mr Begin “might be harmed” if it decided he did not properlv consider the role to be played by the Falangists and “ignored the danger of acts of bloodshed.”

Mr Begin has testified that he did not know Mr Sharon had authorised Israel’s allies to enter the refugee camps until several hours after they began the action.

Shamir’s evidence, page 8