Report of the [Kahan] Commission of Inquiry Into the Events at the Refugee Camps in Beirut (February 8, 1983)

This chapter shows that the atrocities in the refugee camps were perpetrated by members of the Phalangists, and that absolutely no direct responsibility devolves upon Israel or upon those who acted in its behalf. It discusses the issue of the responsibility for the massacre from two standpoints: first from the standpoint of direct responsibility – i.e., who actually perpetrated the massacre – and examines the problem of indirect responsibility, to the extent that this applies to Israel or those who acted on its behalf. In the witnesses’ testimony and in various documents, stress is laid on the difference between the usual battle ethics of the Israel Defence Forces and the battle ethics of the bloody clashes and combat actions among the various ethnic groups, militias, and fighting forces in Lebanon. Among the responses to the commission from the public, there were those who expressed dissatisfaction with the holding of an inquiry on a subject not directly related to Israel’s responsibility.