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HARRY SLOAN surveys the facts behind last week's massacre of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon - and calls for a labour movement Israeli troops watched the slaughter through binoculars several theories as to who A suitable amount of rarrión it nut and for what exnlosives could easily response THE blood of the innocent thousands of men, women and children slaughtered in Sabra and Chatila camps in Beirut was spilled by Lebanese fascist militiamen -but the prime reponsibility is that of Israel's Zionist regime and its imperialist backers in Washington and the EEC.

Even while frantic efforts are made by Monachem Begin's government to concoct a stable cover-up story it is clear that the Israeli army, with express cabinet approval, decided on Thursday September 16 to unleash the fascist murder squads on the unsuspecting civilians in the camps.

This much has been officially admitted by spokesman BrigadierGeneral Ya'acov Even. Broadcasts by Israeli armed forces monitored that day by the BBC stated that Zionist troops controlled 'all the main crossroads and roads in the city' , and that 'only houses inside the various neighbourhoods remain to be purged.' Command The Zionist command remained in radio contact with the fascists as they set about this grisly work. By Thursday night, according to an Israeli television news reporter, shooting could be heard within the camps, and by Friday morning soldiers watching through binoculars from observation posts were able to watch the slaughter taking place and the piles of bodies.

By this time the news had been relayed to Israel itself. According to the Israeli daily paper Vediot Aharonot, the first accounts of the . killings reached ministers and army chiefs during Thursday night-Friday morning.

Friday

By Friday morning the military correspondent of the daily Ha'aretz had heard of the massacre. Mordechai Zipori, the Communications Minister, that morning informed Foreign Minister Shamir of the killings before he went with Defence Minister Sharon into talks with President Reagan's envoy Morris Draper.

Yet it was not until Friday afternoon that the Zionists took any action to limit the slaughter, eventually demanding the evacuation of the camp bythe fascists they had sent in — and not until Saturday that the news of the massacre was broken by foreign correspondents who went into the camp.

The Zionist government and army high command had therefore taken a cold and calculated decision to perpetrate the mass murders.

Indeed if the accounts of survivors of the massacre prove correct, and if unconfirmed reports from Beirut are based on fact, then it appears that the Israelis went further -and airlifted the known butchers of Major Saad Haddad's 6,000-strong motive. And from early on it became obvious that Palestinian and left wing forces could virtually be ruled out as suspects. They would not have had the necessary access to Lemayer s ugnuy guaraeu Naminalia dinbtle masanand headquarters, not a strong enough motive tor the killing. Indeed most of the forces of the established Tehanese left! had alreadu reached an accommodation with Gemayel: the Organisation OI communist Action even joined the mourners at his funeral, while leaders of the Muslim Murabitoun militia broadcast a eulogy to the dead Phalangist gunman!

Rival Maronite leader Suleiman Franjieh certainly had a motive to kill Gemayel, and may have had the necessary contacts for the oneration. But an eaually likely suspect for the assassination is the Israeli regime, which had obviously been perturbed that the man whom they had effectively instated in the Lebanese Presidency at a cost of a £l billion invasion was acting increasingly independently of his puppet-masters in Jerusalem.

Direct

Instead of implementing Begin's plan of a Lebanese/Israeli peace treaty and buckling down to a career as a stooge, Gemayel had taken advantage of the crippling of the forces of the PLO and left wing in order to cobble together a political base and strategy of his own, and form a direct relationship with US imperialism. remove Gemayel. But for varanvar -the Zionists to prevent his successor moving in a similar direction required a fundamental disruption of the relationship of political forces Gemayel had begun tn sotahlich The enalescence of Muslim and Christian political leaders had to be forestalled - and the most obvious and advantageous means to this end was a massive and unforgettable provocation tadhn Mualimo This is certainly the way it is being seen by the Lebanese left, who increasingly blamd Haddad and exonerate the Phalangists for the slaughter in the camps.

But the response from the Left wing has been an opportunist and reactionary accommodation on the level of Lebanese nationalism to the forces of the PhalanVLYVU gist right. This has produced support on almost all sides for the election of Bashir Gemayel's older brother Amin to the Presidency.

Whatever the details of the process by which it nas 41 L -been reached, the possible result is the consolidation of a wide bloc of forces that can offer some stable rontral anvernment. in TO TATTO Lebanon. Isn't this the objective. which both the Zionists ana ine impenaiists have been pursuing so ruthlessly in the heavy-handed military interventions that have taken place?

However we assess the motives of the Zionists, there is no doubt that the slaughter was deliberately permitted and planned at the highest level. Responsibility for this must rest not only on the rangster Begin regime, whose very rule rests on generations of terrorism against the Palestinian people, but on the warmongerers in the Pentagon, the White House, and the EEC, who even now nave not broken in the slightest from their massive economic and military support for the Zionist regime.

For the imnerialiate the state of Israel has been ruthlessiy used as 8 tool to intimidate the Arab masses of the Middle East. Despite diplomatic hogwash about concern for the Palestinians, the imperialists have no intention of supporting the right of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland - which is incompatible with the Zionist state. going to do le to US."

BEGIN Despite the label peac keeping' the new bil power. force due to t despatched to Lebanon c Reagan's proposal will t no defence for Lebane: working people against ti Israeli war machine or ti sectarian Maronite militia:

It is un to the internatio al working class to chan pion the struggle of the Pa estinian and Lebaner masses - by the metho of struggle open to labour movement. Th means: fighting with transport and other unio for a full-scale boycott trade to and from tl bloody Begin regim demanding the immedia withdrawal of Zioni troops from Lebanon.

Already the demand bi been taken up by ti Scottish TUC, Greek ar Australian dockers. must be implemented now