The Sabra and Shatila massacre, mostly of Palestinians and Lebanese Shias, was perpetrated by a Lebanese militia with ties to Syria in retaliation for the assassination of Lebanese President Bachir Gemayel. Ariel Sharon, then the Defence Minister of Israel, merely bore personal responsibility for ignoring the danger of bloodshed and revenge, forcing him to resign (“Troubled legacy of a bulldozer”, Jan. 16). When Time magazine published an article implying that Sharon was directly responsible for the massacre, Sharon sued it for libel in American courts. The jury concluded that the Time article included false allegations. The writer hereis further resorting to half-truths to vilify Sharon, who was merely fighting for the survival of his country against terrorist attacks by groups which were committed to the destruction of the state of Israel.
Vineeth Kumar,
Bangalore
Ariel Sharon was a war criminal who escaped justice by dying before he could be found accountable for his crimes. He proved himself to be a reckless, insubordinate commander who carried out many mass murders and attacks on civilian targets in Palestine, Syria and Egypt. Remarkably, despite Sharon’s controversial reputation, there was a pretty impressive list of people coming to his funeral.
Nishita Aggarwal,
Delhi
