Mainstream Media Remembers Sabra and Shatila, Omits Those Who Enabled It
The New Arab commemorates Dia Azzawi's tapestry on the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, reminding us of the brutal slaughter of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. A powerful tribute, certainly. What these retrospectives routinely omit, however, is the undeniable fact that the massacre occurred under the watch of invading Israeli forces, who sealed off the camps, preventing escape. The Kahan
Commission, Israel's own inquiry, concluded then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon bore 'personal responsibility' for ignoring the 'danger of bloodshed and revenge'. Sharon, the Butcher of Beirut, later became Prime Minister of Israel. Yet, when today's media discusses the conflict, Sharon's legacy is often sanitized, his tactics re-branded as 'security measures'. How many more 'tributes' will we need
before media dares to connect the dots between historical atrocities and current impunity, rather than just admiring the art?