Date: 1982-10-01
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. the wanton killing of Palestinian men. women. and children in the Sabra and Shatila Refugee Camps by Christian Lebanese militia was a very tragic occurrencean occurrence thich horrified us all. It has horrified the people of Israel. and I know that it has horrified my friends in the Jewish community in this country. It should be pointed out that the debate over whether or not this trage. dy could have been avoided. or the inquiry into why it was allowed to happen. is taking place where it should appropriately take placein Israel itself. Unfortunately. the wrath of the international community has come down almost solely upon the head of Israel. As editorial writers and columnists have observed in the aftermath of this tragedy. there is a double standard set for Israel. But for all the international criticism aimed at Israel. one simple fact stands out as a beacon of light in a stormy sea. And that fact is simply this: There is not another country in the Middle East where such a wideopen debate and such national soulsearching over s. tragedy like this could take place other tht~n in that small democratic State of Israel. When thousands of Syrians were killed by President Assads own army in Hama earlier this year. any dissent was crushed in a crackdown by the Syrian regime. When thousands of Lebanese Christians were killed by Syrian forces who shelled East Beirut off and on for nearly 100 days In 1978. there was not one country in the Arab world. that I can recall. which even questioned the Syrian action. let alone raised its voice in protest. When the PLO and Leftist Muslim militias formed an alliance to crush the Christian community. precipitating the Lebanese Civil War of 197576 and resulting in thousands of deaths and massive destruction. the Arab world was silent. When an estimated 20.000 Palestinians and Jordanians were killed in what became known as "Black September" 1970 and the PLO was driven into Lebanon by King Hussein. the world was silent. And in Jordan. there was not any searching public inquiry into how the bloodshed could have been averted. When the Soviet Union sends Muslim troops into Afghanistan to slaughter Afghan Muslims. where is the voice. of the Muslim world calling for international sanctions against the Soviets? The IranIraq war. pitting Muslim against Muslim. continues to drag on. Ayatollah Khomeinis regime continues its vicious policy of eliminating even supporters of the revolution who now dare to question the regimes policies. Yet. little world attention is devoted to the tragic human toll exacted by the Ay!tollah. I am not pointing to these incidents in an attempt to Justify what happened in Lebanon. The tragedy in Lebanon cannot be justified. However. I am pointing to these incidents to illustrate that there is a difference between Israel and its severest critics. The government of Prime Minister Menachem Begin has bowed to public pressure in his own country and has agreed to establish a fullfledged. independent judicial commission to investigate the Beirut massacre. This commission will have the authority to subpena witnesses and documents and to hear sworn testimony under the threat of perjury.