The three members of the judicial commission established to determine whether Israel had any culpability in the massacre of Palestinians in west Beirut last month, visited the scene of the killings today. The commission, headed by Chief Justice Yitzhak Kahan of the Supreme Court, consists of Supreme Court Justice Aharon Barak and Gen. (ret.) Yonah Efrat.
Escorted to Beirut by Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Moshe Levy and other senior officers they viewed the Sobra and Shatila refugee camps where the massacres occurred September 16-18 from the points where the Israeli army had observation posts at the time. The army has since evacuated Beirut.
The commission is expected to begin its formal hearings before the end of this week in a building provided for the purpose on the Hebrew University campus in west Jerusalem. A permanent staff of lawyers and investigators assigned to the panel by the Justice Ministry and the police, is already at work sifting through material made available from the army, government agencies and individuals.
Last week the commission called for all pertinent documents and on individuals with knowledge of the events to come forward. The panel has judicial powers to subpoena witnesses and documents. It is not yet known whether any of its sessions will be open to the press.
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