The [[Sabra and Shatila massacres]] occurred on September 16 and 17, 1982, in the [[Sabra and Shatila refugee camps]] in [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]. The massacres were carried out by [[Lebanese Christian militias]] (Phalangists) while the camps were surrounded by [[Israel|Israeli]] troops. ### Sharon's Lebanon Invasion Plan [[Ariel Sharon]]'s plan for the invasion of [[Lebanon]] involved the [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] serving as an anti-Syrian blocking force while its Lebanese Christian allies, the Phalangists, cleaned out the city of [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]] followers. However, the Phalangists failed to move, and the Israeli Air Force was called upon to begin the bombing of [[Beirut]]. Instead of victory, there was impasse, as five hundred Israeli soldiers were killed along with more than ten thousand Palestinians and Lebanese, some in the shocking massacre at the Palestinian refugee camps in Sabra and Shatila.[^2] ### Advance Warning and Israeli Knowledge According to [[Ari Ben-Menashe]], [[Ariel Sharon]], then [[Israel|Israeli]] Defense Minister, was aware in advance that the massacres were likely to happen. A letter from [[Pierre Gemayel]], leader of the Christian forces, to Sharon indicated an intention to seek revenge for the assassination of his son, [[Bashir Gemayel]], and that many Palestinians would die. This letter was delivered to Sharon's office and read by [[Moshe Hebroni]] and [[Yehoshua Sagi|Sagi]].[^1] ### Israeli Military Role Despite this foreknowledge, [[Israel|Israeli]] troops allowed the Phalangist forces into the camps and sealed off the area, preventing Palestinians from escaping. A commission of inquiry, headed by Supreme Court Justice [[Yitzhak Kahan]], found that while the [[Israel|Israeli]] government was not directly involved, it was warned and took no action to prevent the tragedy. The full report of the commission, though highly classified, indicated that Sharon had seen the warning letter.[^1] ### Political Consequences As a result of the inquiry, [[Yehoshua Sagi|Maj. Gen. Sagi]] was removed from his position, and [[Ariel Sharon]] was forced to resign as Defense Minister, replaced by [[Moshe Arens]]. [[Moshe Hebroni]] was allowed a three-month period as head of branch in the External Relations Department, during which he could remove any incriminating documentation.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. _Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network_. TrineDay, 1992. (Hereafter, "Profits of War") [^2]: Hersh, Seymour M. _The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy_. Random House, 1991. Chapter 21.