September 16, 1982, marked the start of a horrific 43-hour massacre, killing an estimated more than 3,000 Palestinian refugees in Sabra and Shatila Refugee Camps in Southern Lebanon. Sabra and Shatila were home to Palestinian refugees who had been displaced from their homeland, primarily from the village of Balad Al-Sheikh. Within Lebanon, there are 12 UNRWA Palestinian refugee camps, including Shatila. Shatila was established in 1949, following the 1948 Nakba.
On the 40th anniversary of the massacre, The Jerusalem Fund had the honor to interview some of the survivors. Dawood Mohammed Nasser, recounted his harrowing journey, a story that mirrors countless others’ experiences – of being expelled from Palestine, of temporary refugeehood, and of the looming shadows of pain and trauma.
Palestinians faced numerous challenges on their journey to reach Lebanon following the Nakba. Above all that, these refugees had endured the agony of losing their houses and having to relocate several times within Lebanon as well. Many of them, including Sharifi Saleh Al Ahmad, whose family sold straw mats in multiple villages in Palestine, had either found a job or been settled in the Shatila Camp by the UNRWA, which was an event quickly overshadowed by the horrific events of the massacre.
The events of the massacre were preceded in June when Israel began a military invasion of Lebanon, targeting Palestinian and Lebanese citizens. However, by September 1, 1982, the PLO had left Lebanon and Palestinian refugees without protection, in spite of the valiant resistance they put up for months. The survivor Amneh Saleh tells us thinking back to the events, how the United States and a multinational force were supposed to guarantee the protection of the Palestinian refugees and civilians. Two weeks later, following the news of President Bachir Gemayel’s assassination, Israeli warplanes began dropping flares over Lebanon. With the former Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and Lebanese prime minister, Elie Hobeika, present, Phalangist forces were carrying out a brutal assault on the camps. Jamila Saleh Dawood, a refugee from Majd Al Kroom raised in the Shatila, painted a harrowing scene: “We were bombarded from every direction — land, air and sea.“
Many individuals were taken out of the village and to Madinah Al-Riyadiya, where they managed to escape through a landmine. Palestinians were killed attempting to negotiate with the Lebanese forces to return the Palestinians taken. However, the Palestinians were soon cornered by the Phalangists, Lebanese forces, and Israelis. “Throughout history, no massacre in the Arab and Islamic world has happened like this one,” Dawood states, discussing the cruelty of the event.
For two days, unfathomable cruelty ensued. In the interview, Dawood tells us how the Palestinians tried to resist the attacks from the entrance of Sabra; unfortunately, the violence spread from Rehab to Sabra, with even infants thrown from ledges as the violence continued. Taysir Salameh and Jamili Saleh Dawood, two other survivors, describe their perspective explaining to us how the sky was illuminated with Israeli warplanes for two to three days. The atrocity was carried out using firearms, knives, axes, and explosive devices. Women were not exempt, and the violence peaked when one was brutally slaughtered and cut open.
The sheer scale of the massacre is chilling. Numerous innocent Palestinian lives were sadly lost, numbering in the thousands. Dawood expressed it this way: “What they did to us, no human could be capable of doing so.” Survivors had to go through the horrifying task of finding the dead bodies of their family members scattered throughout the community, an indescribable scene of sorrow and despair. Additionally, as Taysir tells us his family’s story, many survivors were forced to flee from Lebanon for their safety, causing more separation after the Nakba.
Italian and American peacekeepers were sent, as a front, to the region after the slaughter, reportedly to safeguard the refugees. However, Dawood claims that their presence was largely ineffective. Stories of resilience surfaced in the middle of this tragedy. Palestinian organizations, including Fatah and the Popular Front, intervened to help secure the camp and safeguard the weak. Additionally, the Lebanese Army arrived intending to take guns from the Sabra’s residents. The refugees, however, were unwilling to give up anything and were determined to stand their ground.
The Sabra and Shatila camps remain prominent camps that include schools and healthcare facilities. Despite the turmoil following the massacre, these camps continue to offer support for Palestinian refugees. The scars left by the Sabra and Shatila Massacres are still vivid in the minds of Palestinians living in Lebanon decades later. Moreover, Palestinians regularly experience prejudice and marginalization. In Lebanon, Dawood notes, “An Israeli is preferred and gets treated better than us.” The massacres of Sabra and Shatila serve as a chilling reminder of the tragedies that Palestinians have endured over the past 75 years. It serves as an example to the Palestinian people’s resilience and a stark reminder that justice and peace remain unattainable ideals. As we honor those who were murdered and suffered in this catastrophe, we must work to create a society where such crimes never occur again. Those include solutions where those who have been displaced can go back to their homes, and where Palestinians suffering injustice are acknowledged and assisted.
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This article was written by Sara Elbrolosy, an intern at the Jerusalem Fund.
