With Ariel Sharon and his failing health being a hot topic on the evening news at present, his implication of indirect involvement in the Sabra and Shatila Massacre of September 1982 makes this an interesting photo article to open 2006 with at Polo’s Bastards. The number of people killed in the massacre ranges from 460 – 3500 depending on who you talk to, but one thing seems clear – The mission was authorized by the Israeli IDF, under the command of Defense Minister Ariel Sharon. A quarter of a century has passed since then, but some people have long memories and wish Sharon nothing less than a swift demise. Arya Kazemi presents us with a series of photographs from the Sabra and Shatila sites in Beirut. – Editor.
A street in the camp with a banner featuring the late PLO leader Arafat flying above.
A mural remembering the bloodshed of 1982.
Palestinian men unwinding at a camp coffee shop. Notice the flier of the late Hamas leader Sheikh Yasin in the foreground.
A United Nations-funded clinic inside the camp.
Painting of an imaginary Palestinian liberation boat.
Mural of a Palestinian child breaking through Israeli barriers.
A flier featuring the late Yasser Arafat and the pro-Syrian Lebanese President, Emile Lahoud.
A mural depicting the famous Palestinian victory sign and a dove of peace.
A building in the camp, still suffering the scars of the Lebanese civil war.
Not quite an accurate depiction of the Stars and Stripes!
Wall painting titled “Palestine 1948-67”, depicting the blood spilled from the War of Independence in 1948, right through to the Six-day War of 1967.
A mural of a soldier carrying a banner with the traditional Islamic chant “there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger”.
Symbolic painting of a limbless man using two keys instead of crutches to limp through the West Bank and Gaza.
Flier announcing a traditional Islamic ceremony, marking the 40th day after a Muslim individual’s passing. In this case the ceremony commemorates those who’ve died fighting the Israelis.