> Published on Sunday, October 8, 2000 in The Oregonian
>
> Sharon Deliberately Provoked Palestinians' Reaction by Zaha Hassan
>
> I do not know whom Ariel Sharon thinks he is fooling.
>
> Sharon is no pious, peace-loving Israeli citizen simply wanting to
> visit an area in Jerusalem. Many people may have forgotten who
> Ariel Sharon is -- but I have not and no Palestinian ever could.
> The Palestinian blood on Sharon's hands has not even begun to dry.
>
> Ironically, Sharon's visit to Arab East Jerusalem's Haram
> Al-Sharif came shortly after the 18th anniversary of the Sabra and
> Shatila massacre. Sharon should have been all too aware of the
> anniversary as the massacre's chief architect. The two-day
> massacre of more than 3,000 Palestinian men, women and children in
> refugee camps located in southern Lebanon is one of the most
> horrific atrocities in modern times.
>
> Sharon's role in the massacre is well documented and undisputed. I
> unfortunately remember all too well the TV news footage of what
> happened at Sharon's direction. I was 11 years old when on
> September 16-17, 1982, completely defenseless and unarmed
> Palestinians were literally butchered to death by Lebanese
> Phalangists. Israel, under the leadership of Sharon, gave money,
> arms and the green light to commit the atrocities. At the time,
> Israel was occupying southern Lebanon and was supposed to be
> guaranteeing the safety of the refugees there.
>
> In December 1982, the United Nations declared the massacre an act
> of genocide. Even an Israeli commission of inquiry, the Kahan
> Commission, found Sharon (along with Menachem Begin and Yitzhak
> Shamir, who both would later become prime ministers of Israel)
> "indirectly responsible."
>
> Sharon was forced to leave the Israeli political scene as a result
> of the fallout from his involvement in the massacre. Sharon,
> however, has been trying to slither his way back into Israeli
> politics for a number of years.
>
> So when Sharon says with feigned innocence that he (and more than
> 1,000 Israeli troops) entered Haram Al-Sharif, a sacred place of
> worship for Muslims from all over the world, without any intention
> to provoke unrest, I have a hard time believing his sincerity.
>
> The very fact that Sharon lives in Israel without ever having been
> brought to justice for the atrocities he has committed is an
> indescribable blow to the Palestinian psyche and cuts each
> Palestinian to the core.
>
> His move to visit Haram Al-Sharif was calculated and was intended
> to promote himself as the next hard-line Israeli prime minister to
> make no compromise when it comes to Jerusalem, in the mold of
> Begin and Shamir.
>
> Mr. Sharon, make no mistake: So long as Palestinians live and
> breathe, we will honor the lives of those Palestinian refugees who
> lie at your feet -- we will never forget Sabra and Shatila, and we
> will not be passive victims of your hate and intolerance any
> longer. Never again!
>
> Zaha Hassan is an attorney who lives in Lake Oswego and is active
> in the Portland area's Palestinian-American community.