A Statement By Time

In its Feb. 21, 1983, cover story, "The Verdict Is Guilty," TIME reported that Israel's official commission of inquiry found that Ariel Sharon, then Defense Minister, and several other military officials shared an "indirect" responsibility for the massacre by Lebanese Phalangist soldiers of hundreds of civilians in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila that began two days after the assassination of Lebanese President-elect Bashir Gemayel. In one paragraph of its article, TIME reported that a secret appendix to the commission's published report--known as Appendix B--contained "further details about Sharon's visit to the Gemayel family on the day after Bashir Gemayel's assassination."

Almost two years after Minister Sharon began litigation against TIME over this paragraph, the Israeli government has permitted an Israeli attorney representing TIME to examine this secret appendix. Based upon this examination last week, TIME now issues a correction: Appendix B does not contain further details about Sharon's visit to the Gemayel family. TIME regrets that error.

TIME stands by the substance of the paragraph in question: that "Sharon also reportedly discussed with the Gemayels the need for the Phalangists to take revenge for the assassination of Bashir, but the details of the conversation are not known." TIME did not say, and has never said, that Sharon intended that the Phalangists commit a massacre, or encouraged such a massacre.

The Israeli government continues to deny TIME the right to inspect other specific testimony relevant to this case that is known to exist as part of the record of the commission inquiry.