Adonis Diaries

In his newly published book “My Story” Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese prisoner in Israel jails for 28 years, described his resistance operation at Naharia for capturing Israeli soldiers and swapping them with Palestinian prisoners.  He wrote:

“Since I read of the “Khalessa” operation, the first Palestinian operation inside Israel, and I have been thinking of joining a Feddayin cell to crossing into Palestine and participating in Palestine National resistance.  I remember the names of this feddayin team of three:  Mounir Maghrebi, Ahmad Mahmudi, and Yassin Muzazi.  This team managed in April 1974 to enter what is now called “Kiryat Shmuna” colony and captured a building with over 30 people in.  The feddayins demanded the release of the Japanese Kuzu Okamotu, Aida Issa, and the release of all injured Palestinian prisoners since 1966.  Israel attacked.  As they ran out of their last bullets, the martyred feddayins blew up the building, killing 18 and injuring 15 Israelis.   Thus, I joined the Palestinian resistance faction of these martyrs and later switched on to another Palestinian faction carrying on operations inside Israel.

In 1978, I was heading to Israel via Jordan with my two companions Nasser Jary and Abu Shadi.  The Jordanian authority jailed us for 11 months. In the jail of Amman, I was told of the operation of Dalal Maghrebi in Tel Aviv in March 11, 1978.  The rubber boat of this feddayin team was swept away by the tides from the shores for three days.  The feddayins kidnapped a bus transporting Israeli soldiers and raised the Palestinian flag and headed on the highway toward Tel Aviv.  The government ordered the bus blasted without negotiations and everyone was killed.

Then I learned that Israel invaded Lebanon in March 14, 1978 in retaliation of Dalal’s bold operation.  Israel devastated 130 villages in south Lebanon, killed 1168 civilians, executed 29 at the village of Birkat Kunine, executed 76 elder people huddled in a Mosque in Tyr, and smashed the skulls of 17 babies in Adlun by the city of Saida.

Beirut, April 20, 1979

I called up my team of feddayins Majed, Abu Assad, and Mohammad Ali and told them that we are having another session of training exercises on our operation inside Israel.  They had no information as to the destination.  I was the youngest, barely 18 of age, and the shortest among my companions. I donned my best green vest, symbolizing the groom going to marry his betrothed Palestine, and met in Fakhani (Beirut) where most Palestinian faction had headquarters.

We headed south toward Tyr and passed Aysheheh that was devastated by Israel.  We walked to Borgholiya and met with Abu Abbas who told us that today was our D-Day and the code name of the operation is Gamal Abdel Nasser:  Sadat of Egypt had signed a peace treaty with Israel on March 26, 1979 (before Israel interrupted its invasion of Lebanon).

At 7:45, we were told that the rubber boat was ready to be launched.  It was a military English Salinger that could hold 6 people and was redesigned with a more powerful motor.  We got into the sea at 8 pm and within an hour the boat started acting out and we had to abort:  The cable linking the motor with the wheel was loose.  We postponed the operation for next evening as the Israeli navy was pretty active  and lighting the sky.  Nevertheless, we got “the go” by 10pm.  It took us two hours to pass Nakoura and then we watched the night lights in Haifa.  We coasted in Naharya, a large military base, our destination. Israeli navy came close to us but failed to detect our flat-boat since we were unable to navigate in shallow water.

We waited for a police car to taking hostages.  Fifteen minutes later, we decided to storm a building and we detonated hand grenades, starting from the third floor.  We grabbed a father who refused to relinquish his daughter and we carried them hostages.  By this time, every house in Naharya was firing shots to warn us that they are ready for us if we approach.  This confusion of frenzied firing disoriented the police to our location.  As we reached our boat we realized that we were encircled.  We returned fire till dawn.  I was hit three times and was badly injured.  Two of my comrades were killed.

The little girl had escaped the hold of her father and was killed in the shoot out by Israeli fire, along with her father.  Years later, Tsivka Sileh, an Israeli academics, visited me in prison for information.  He was carrying files of several operations within Israel; files in category A that were decided by the government for counter-attacks and those decided by the army.  My operation was in category B.  He asked what was the purpose of our operation.  I told him to capturing hostages to swap with Palestinian prisoners.  I asked Tsivka: “What this father, Dan Haran, was shouting to the Israelis in Hebrew?”  He replied: “He was demanding that these frenetic crazy Israelis cease fire.  He was afraid for his daughter who was badly hit in the shoot out.”

Yes, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) kill their babies and blame it on others: They have gotten the habit of disseminating falsehood for decades; they claimed that our operation was to killing children.