Beirut court sentences collaborators

A military court in Beirut has sentenced 42 people to prison terms of up to 15 years for having worked with “Israel” during its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon.

Some 1,000 people have now been tried in the last two months following “Israel’s” troop withdrawal.

The defendants have been variously charged with being members of the “Israeli”-proxy militia or working in civil administration or simply travelling to “Israel”.

With their heads shaved, defendants are brought before a judge in groups of two or three for a trial lasting less than 10 minutes.

Those who entered “Israel” to work face several months in prison.

Militiamen who fought alongside the “Israeli” army received terms of up to 15 years.

When “Israel” pulled its troops out in May, residents of the south had just minutes to decide whether to remain and face the government or flee into exile.

Of those who stayed, more than 2,000 have been taken to Beirut for trial, but three times that number fled across the border, leaving everything behind.

Initially welcomed in “Israel” with gifts and praise, many have become disillusioned.

Some complain they are being treated like prisoners, requiring special permission to leave their temporary accommodation.

“Israel” is asking western countries to offer a permanent home, but among the exiles are a number of former militiamen suspected of war crimes.

Western governments are privately saying that they are reluctant to take unnamed groups with no idea of the individual backgrounds.

Facing such uncertainty, several hundred exiles have walked back across the border into Lebanon.

The men are arrested and taken for trial, the families allowed to return to their homes.

 BBC News, 13-8-2000.