(5 of 11)
For Sharon, the commission reserved its strongest condemnation, declaring: "It was the duty of the Defense Minister to take into account all the reasonable considerations for and against having the Phalangists enter the camps, and not to disregard entirely the serious consideration mitigating against such an action, namely that the Phalangists were liable to commit atrocities and that it was necessary to forestall this possibility as a humanitarian obligation and also to prevent the political damage it would entail. From the Defense Minister himself, we know that this consideration did not concern him in the least." It should have, concluded the report: "In our view, the Defense Minister made a grave mistake when he ignored the danger of acts of revenge and bloodshed by the Phalangists against the population in the refugee camps. These blunders constitute nonfulfillment of a duty with which [he] was charged." In consequence, Sharon should "draw the appropriate personal conclusions," i.e., resign or be fired by the Prime Minister.
The commission was only marginally less harsh in dealing with three of the four senior military officers involved. It arrived at "grave conclusions" regarding "acts and omissions" by Chief of Staff Eitan, 54, a veteran of all the Israeli wars, who was known for his battlefield valor and coolness under fire. In its description of events, the commission noted that after the assassination of Gemayel, Eitan had predicted in a Cabinet session on Thursday, Sept. 16, that the Phalangists would engage in "an eruption [of revenge] . . . the likes of which has never been seen" and that he had added, "I can already see in their eyes what they are waiting for." Nonetheless, said the commission, Eitan failed to advise Sharon strongly against sending the Phalangists into the camps and thus must be viewed as a "partner" to the decision. Later, it noted, Eitan failed to raise the subject of the Phalangists' behavior at the meeting with Phalangist leaders, and allowed the operation to continue a day longer. His behavior added up to "dereliction of duty," the commission concluded. But since Eitan is due to retire as Chief of Staff in April, the commission recommended no punitive action against him.
Another key figure in the case was General Yaron, 42, the divisional commander, who had a position on the roof of the forward command post during the Phalangists' operation. At about 7 p.m. Thursday, only an hour after the Phalangists had entered the area, one of Yaron's aides, a Lieut. Elul, overheard a conversation on the Phalangists' radio. He heard a Phalangist officer inside the camp report that he had a group of 50 women and children in his charge, and ask what he should do with them. According to Elul, the Phalangist officer in charge of the operation, Hobeika, replied: "This is the last time you're going to ask me a question like that. You know exactly what to do." At that, said the report, "raucous laughter broke out among the Phalangist personnel on the roof."