Following the assassination of Bashir Gemayel, the Lebanese Christian Phalangist party leader, the party retaliated by murdering Palestinian refuges in Beirut at the Sabra and Shatila refuge camps. Based on the discussion in class, the film "Waltz with Bashir" itself and my own research, there is the question of what exactly Israel's invovlement was. Undeniably, they were at least enablers to an extent by allowing the Phalangists into the camps and setting off flares in the dark so the Phalangists could carry out their "work". Although the intent of the Phalangists was supposedly just to find the PLO terrorists allegedly responsible for Bashir's death, they murdered for sure several hundred people and possibly up to three thousand. Why they decided to kill children, for instance, is beyond comprehension. Perhaps it could be argued that they were just following orders, but my question is, who gave these orders, or did they somehow misunderstand their orders?
And the Israeli involvement is hugely disturbing as well. The fact that Ariel Sharon is considered at least indirectly responsible for the massacre and then managed to make such a successful political career comeback is bizarre and unsettling. I guess I just don't understand how all of this was allowed to happen; I'm not blaming any one person in particular because I don't pretend to have all the facts. Apparently no one does. It reminds me of the Holocaust - how that happened boggles my mind as well. As was brought up in class discussion, there is the claim that people involved were just following orders. I think that's a ridiculous excuse for murdering innocent human beings. The entire situation with the massacre is disgusting and upsetting. It could easily happen again to anyone, anywhere.
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