Washington Report, February 21, 1983, Page 3

West Bank: Direct Culpability

Almost eclipsed by the news of Israel's "indirect responsibility" for the Beirut massacre was an admission in early February by Israel's Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan that he bore direct responsibility for ordering the harassment and collective punishment of Palestinians in the West Bank.

Testifying at a trial of Israeli soldiers who were accused of mistreating Palestinians during demonstrations last spring, and who argued that the mistreatment was official policy, General Eitan acknowledged that he had issued official directives specifically urging "harassment" of Palestinian civilians. The harassment called for by his directives included:

• Imprisonment of teen-age "troublemakers" without formal charges, to be followed by release for a few days and then re-imprisonment—with this sequence to be repeated.

• The building of a "detention -exile" camp where "suspects" would be interrogated.

• Punishment of the parents of students who participated in demonstrations.

• Denial to whole villages of the right to purchase certain commodities.

• Encouragement of Jewish settlers to carry arms and open fire when attacked with stones—a policy which "should be made clear and publicized among the Arab residents."

The soldiers on trial were accused of beating, clubbing and kicking student demonstrators, many of whom were hospitalized with broken limbs. One of the defendants was accused of hanging some students by their arms from the cross bar of a soccer goal post and then kicking and punching them.