ae and Wafa_ Hassan al- i dn’t make it to Canada. * ae a combination of luck the eS determined resistance of Palestinian and Lebanese Peoples, the two landed immi- Poe managed to be among those 8 OSes the bombing and € of West Beirut that follow- Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. § Their Story, related by Hamid to ee Meeting last Saturday, and the Tribune in an intei iew : rae ves a ground-eye view the holocaust inflicted on the People of West Beirut. a eg a Palestinian of Leban- mth, decided to emigrate to i <3 while working as a main- ais ae engineer in Libya. As there ink Canadian embassy in that rs rae the Hassans had to return vis anon to obtain the required a8 from the embassy in Beirut. tothe ‘uid second day there I went ince anadian embassy to pick up RE ask At 3:15 that day the inva- ing Started and they began bomb- pees et Ore ve Re a eee, ae Israeli bombs fell on the Pal- Iman Tefugee camp Bougel Bar- ah landing as close as 200 metres aA ; Hassans’ house. On the sec- ‘eae ay of the invasion the bomb- 7} ;8 itensified, forcing the resi- “ts to seek shelter in the nearby oo area of the same name. 1,,© thought that it was safer ete,”’ said Hassan. ‘But they bombed the Lebanese ©a too,”’ Hassan related as he de- Be the effects of the cluster, |Phosphorous and vacuum bombs 3 pped by planes or fired from the g=UNs of Israeli warships stationed the nearby Mediterranean. 7, the Hassans stayed in the Leb- }, “area for one month, before } "ng on to stay another month Stian church in central Bei- a ig that period until their Parture they witnessed and ex- ae horrors that they will re- a Per all their lives, said Hamid. Saw, with my own eyes, peo- Pp without legs, without arms. I no oulldren walking around with Saw - to take care of them. And I I the ate bombs — I don’t know, Were — of all the types — that € size of this sofa,”’ said Ga REE HAMID HASSAN . . . saw hor- rors of invasion. Hassan, indicating the large couch on which he was sitting. “‘There was no water, no food and garbage was piled up in the streets because the Israelis had cut off the supply of gas. So there was no fuel for the trucks to haul away the garbage, and people were afraid typhoid might break out.” And there was, in Hassan’s words, a ‘‘psychological’’ side to the warfare. ‘People would hear broadcasts from Israeli and Phalangist (fas- cist) radio telling them that this area had fallen, that troops were in the next building, that (Palestine Lib- eration Organization leader Yas- ser) Arafat was dead, and so on. The Israelis would fly their Phan- tom jets, their F-18s over the city, breaking the sound barrier, when they weren’t bombing. “They usually attacked at night, when people were asleep.” Cluster bombs and psychologi- cal warfare were not all the people of West Beirut had to face. A par- ticularly insidious device Hassan mentioned, and one which has been documented in other reports, found victims among the commun- ity’s children — exploding dolls. “Children had to be warned not to pick up anything they found in the street,’ said Hassan, who also told of another device used to at- tract small children — bits of brightly colored string which burn- ed on contact. Yet in spite of the savagery and persistence of the Israeli and fascist attacks, and the frequent panic and JOIN THE GREAT GE Why With GLOBE TOURS For any of your travel ‘needs, big or small. Let Globe Tours find the best way for you! Hawaii @ Mexico ®@ Fiji Las Vegas @ Reno @ Calgary Montreal @ Paris @ London GLOBE TOURS 2679 East Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C. V5K1Z5 lsraeli invasion recalled by former Beirut resident despair sown by two months of bombings, the Palestinian and Lebanese people maintained their dignity and courage, said Hassan. He pointed proudly to the fact that hostile forces never succeeded in penetrating West Beirut, even though the main bulk of the Pales- tinian fighting forces were outside the city. ‘‘There were no PLO guerrillas inside West Beirut, other than those who joined with members of the community to form security pa- trols. They guarded against thiev- ery, burned garbage and travelled with doctors,”’ Hassan said. Hassan stressed that he was not a “politician” but offered a few in- sights into the nature of the inva- sion and the general situation in Lebanon. For instance, he said, there is no doubt in his mind that the United States knew of the invasion long before it happened. Educated in the U.S., Hassan related the testi- mony of an American friend mar- ried to a Lebanese of U.S. citizen- ship. Both were in Beirut prior to the invasion. “The U.S. embassy told them, one week before the invasion, that they had better leave,”’ said Has- san. And he denies emphatically the falsehood that the internal conflict in Lebanon is between ‘‘Christians and Moslems.” “There are many Christians in the Lebanese National Movement, in the Communist Party and in the PLO? Hanna Kawas, president of Vancouver’s Canada-Palestine As- sociation, is providing a home for the Hassans until they can find one of their own. Well-versed in the struggle of his people for a home- land, he offered a political over- view and update on the Lebanon situation. “tn the first place, the PLO is not dispersed,”’ he said in reference to the evacuation.’’ The families re- main in West Beirut, and many guerrillas remain behind Israeli lines, in Tripoli and the Bekaa Val- ley, along with the progressive Leb- anese forces. “There are eight or nine pro- gressive Lebanese groups who are now the main defense force in West Beirut. There are‘now two possi- bilities: the Phalangists may attack, and the Israelis may yet try to enter the area,’’ said Kawas. ; Despite the carnage wrought by the invasion, said Kawas, ‘‘there are two positive things about it. ‘‘Number one, it has solidified Palestinian unity, both within the Middle East and around the world. “Second, lots of things will change in the Arab world. The re- actionary regimes showed their in- eptness and-inaction during this cri- sis, and their people know of this, and of the steadfastness of the Pal- estinians in facing Israel. There will -be.a volcano as a result of this ” war. s Local campaign aids Chile flood victims Volunteers from the Latin American Women’s Committee work- ed for most of the day Aug. 25 packing nearly 500 kg of clothing collected during the two-week campaign earlier this month to assist the thousands of families left homeless in Santiago, Chile following major floods. The campaign for aid, which aiso sought donations of medicine and money, was organized through the trade union movement and various church groups. ( Classified Advertising ) COMING EVENTS WANTED SEPT. 6 — Celebrate the Labor Day holiday at the annual Fraser Valley YCL mixed doubles badmin- ton tournament. Starts 12 noon, continues through afternoon. Free admission, minimal entry fee for tourney. Barbecued food and re- freshments available all day. Bring the whole family (and your lawn chairs). to 12715-66 Ave. Surrey. For directions, ph. 585-9935. > SEPT. 11 — Harvest sale. Fresh fruit, vegs., canning, baking plus good new and used _ household goods. 1035 E. 29th, North Van.’ Donations ph. 988-2501. sored by Van. Region, CPC. Spon- SEPT. 11 — Commemorate the 9th anniversary of the military coup in Chile. Templeton Poo! Community Hall, 727 Templeton, Van., 8 p.m. Films, music, speaker, refresh- ments. Adm. by donation. Spons. ay. Gonauens for Democracy in ile. FOR SALE DESPERATELY NEED 1 bdrm. ste. by Oct. 1. Max. rent $250 mo. Call Verna 669-2291. COMMERCIAL CONDOR'S PAINTING & build- ing maintenance. Free estimate. Phone 433-1145. A progressive firm . owned and operated by Chilean Canadians. Reasonable rates. GRAMMA PUBLICATIONS. Complete printing services. Bro- chures, menus, leaflets, etc. Spe- cial rates for the progressive move- ment. A union shop. 1595 W. 3rd Ave., Van. 733-6822. ROOF REPAIRS — New roofs. _ Reasonable. Ph. 277-3352. ELECTRICAL, plumbing, appii- ance repairs. Don Berg. 255-7287. . LEGAL SERVICES RANKIN, McMURRAY & BOND; © Barristers and Solicitors. 157 Alexander St., 2nd Floor,-Van- couver. 682-3621. MOVING. Five tables, 2-antique, 1 walnut, 1 red arborite, 1 util.; 3 card tables; 2 pr. short drapes, new camp stove, stand; good used clothing; % hp motor, 2 carpets; air cond; 2 chairs. Ph. 874-9686. @ Real Estate and Conveyancing e Divorce and Family Law RANKIN & COMPANY Barristers & Solicitors 4th Floor, 195 Alexander St., Vancouver, B.C: V6A 1N8 682-2781 Offers a broad range of legal services including: @ Personal Injury and Insurance Claims @ Labour Law @ Criminal Law @ Estates and Wills “DIRECTORY COMMUNIST PARTY OF CAN- ADA offices located at 102-2747 E. Hastings St., Van. Ph. 254-9836. For information on political issues . OF assistance in political activity. HALLS FOR RENT - RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME — Available -for rentals. For reserva- tions phone 254-3430. WEBSTERS CORNERS HALL — Available for. banquets, meetings, etc. For rates: Ozzie, 325-4171 or 462-7783. UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CUL- TURAL CENTRE — Pender St., Vancouver. Available for banquets, weddings, meetings. Ph. 254-3436. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 3, 1982—Page 7 805 East