The Invasion of Lebanon, 1982
1982 marks an early Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the start of a war on Palestinian refugee life in the country. Displaced by the ethnic cleansing of 1948 at the hands of Zionist militias and nascent Israeli forces (the Nakba), Palestinian refugees in Lebanon now found themselves in the middle of another colonial experiment in sectarianism — this time, a French-imposed confessional system that sorted seats in the Lebanese government by religion and installed Christians as the dominant ethno-religious group in the country.
Although the Lebanese state confined Palestinians to camps and restricted their movement, Palestinians nevertheless found space in these camps to continue building their national movement. They provided services and solidarity to one another. Yet it was precisely the presence of the Palestinian government-in-waiting in Lebanon — the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) — and the political-military threat it posed, that Israel sought to stomp out in 1982.
And so Israeli forces embarked on a total war, raining down fire from the air and scorching the earth of West Beirut. Israeli forces also boosted their Christian fascist allies in the raging Lebanese Civil War and fomented the massacre of Palestinians in the camps. Massacres of Palestinian civilians in the Sabra and Shatila camps were perpetrated even after Israel got what it wanted — the departure of the PLO from Lebanon.
The 1982 war on Lebanon is important because it was the testing ground for so many later Israeli wars on Palestinian life in crowded camps and urban neighborhoods.
Suggested Reading
The suggested reading in advance of this session is Chapter 4 of Prof. Khalidi’s book, The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine. For an interesting look into how Palestinians in refugee camps in exile reconstruct their home towns and villages through story-telling and memoir-writing, see Palestinian Village Histories by Rochelle Davis.
Quaker Testimony
Our Quaker Testimony for contemplation this week is Service. As pacifists and conscientious objectors, Quakers created the American Friends Service Committee as an alternative to military service. But Service is not just an alternative to war. It is a guiding principle for daily life. It is faith in action. After all, how can we claim to believe that there is that of God in every person, without also living our lives in ways that realize peace, equality, and social justice in our communities? As a common saying among Friends goes (paraphrasing Quaker founder George Fox): “Let your life speak.” So let our lives speak in our money and time given, labor and love shown, acts and activism performed — in these and whatever other ways we are led. And in the process, may we be fueled by spiritual connection. As Quaker mystic and educator Rufus Jones said: “Genuinely Quaker service, that is, intelligent, spiritual service, must be a method that is consistent with the way and spirit of love … Its way is deeply sacrificial and costly. It gives and shares, not merely goods and money, but life itself … One of the most important missions of a Society like ours is its prophetic service.”
What can we learn of Service from the example set by Palestinians in the rebuilding of community and provision of essential services in refugee camps in Lebanon, Gaza, and other places in the region? What does faithfulness to the Testimony of Service require of us in the face of the Israeli government’s ongoing forced displacement of Palestinians, restriction of humanitarian aid, and denial of fundamental human rights, from the right to life to that of self-determination?
Teach-In Slides
Feel free to pull up the slides for our session on your personal device. They will also be displayed on screen.
Films
Optional films you are invited to view in advance of our session include: