BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Salim Hoss, recalling the Sabra and Shatila massacres 30 years on, called on the Lebanese Wednesday to resolve their problems peacefully.

“The modern history of Lebanon is full of tragic events. The Lebanese have shown that they are capable of committing atrocities if [disputes] break out between them. This is what should motivate us not to repeat the same behavior and to emulate civilized societies by solving our problems without resorting to violence,” Hoss said in a statement.

“Dialogue is the best way in times of democracy,” he added.

Christian militiamen allied with Israel massacred between 800 and 3,500 Palestinian civilians from Sept. 16-22, 1982 in the two adjacent refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in Beirut.

Hoss criticized the increase in kidnap-for-ransom incidents across Lebanon.

“Humans have become like a commodity that is bought and sold in exchange for a so-called ransom,” Hoss said. “Kidnappings occur as though they are normal incidents. We don’t hear of trials or punishments. This fact is encouraging kidnappers,” he said.

Hoss called on authorities to be “strict about tracking down the kidnappers.”