In honour of Udi Goldwasser, Eldad Regev – Am Yisrael Chai

Samir Kuntar, who bludgeoned a baby to death, just after he had forced her to watch her father’s murder, was released today from Israeli incarceration. In return for two coffins, the bodies of captured soldiers Eldad Regev & Udi Goldwasser, Israel released Kuntar along with several Hezbollah terrorists & approximately 200 bodies.

 Regev & Goldwasser, returned posthumously to a modest gathering of mourners; there were no calls for revenge, no mention of the unprovoked attack that took their lives; just two coffins surrounded by loved ones.

The man who bashed the head of a baby against a rock again and again returned a hero; a national holiday declared in his honour; a meeting with the nations highest officials; words of defiance, promises of violence marked the festivities; thousands of supporters, among them children the same age as his victims, waved flags, chanting his name, enthralled, in-love.

The contrasts between the prisoners, their treatment after capture, and their homecoming says everything one needs to know of the warring parties & the populations that support them. 

THE EVENT : Lebanon

Samir Kuntar entered Israel with a clear & definite intent: killing as many Israeli civilians as possible. He did not attempt to attack a military installation, nor did he confront any soldiers. Instead, Kuntar, hailed as one of the greatest heroes in the Arab World dismembered an entire family.

Kuntar & his youngest victims. He also killed their father.

Upon his capture, the Israeli soldiers did not execute or otherwise abuse him, they treated him as police would handle Israeli criminals. Israel made no secret of Kuntar’s detainment. At no time did Kuntar’s family have to deal with the anguish of not knowing his fate. Kuntar was afforded counsel and given a fair trial. At this trial he was sentenced to 4 life terms.Kuntar’s incarceration was anything but what one would associate with POW’s or Enemy Combatants. On the contrary, Kuntar recieved several meals a day. He could go to the washroom & shower. He recieved visits from government & independent authorities that would ensure his rights & needs were being looked after.

Kuntar was able to communicate with other prisoners and the outside world. He took advantage of opportunities to ”better himself” at the expense of the “Great Satan” (Israel), attaining a sociology degree from a Tel-Aviv college (while incarcerated). Kuntar even courted & married an Arab-Israeli woman while in ”prison”. Today, the baby-killer emerged healthy and fat after serving 2 decades in Israel.

THE EVENT : Israel

Like most able bodied Israeli men of fighting age, Eldad Regev & Udi Goldwasser probably dreaded the call to reserves in the IDF. Being ordered to reserve duty means leaving your family, your studies, your job – and Israelis are anything but ‘gung-ho’ about the callup to ‘Meeloo’im’. Still, Regev or Goldwasser were doing their duty during a period of relative calm. The grievance with Hezbollah was settled as Israel had withdrawn from all of Lebanon years prior.

The ambush was quick & brutal, it is doubtful the soldiers even had a chance. If the soldiers were alive at the time of their capture they would NOT be getting the state of the art care afforded to those captured by Israel. From the point of the attack until today, nobody outside of Hezbollah, not Israel, not the Regev or Goldwasser families knew what had happened to them. The mothers, fathers & wives would have to live out every minute, every second, not knowing. Not knowing if their loved ones were being tortured mercilessly, with hands & legs broken & amputated, as was the practice of Arab armies during past wars ; Not knowing if their sons, their husbands – were losing their mind due to forced isolation without food or water; they could not hope for their release, nor begin the process of mourning their death.

And all through this time, Nassrallah smiled & taunted the families in the press. As if the disappearance of their loved ones was not terror enough.

THE RETURN : Israel

Eldad & Regev’s bodies were handed over in an organized, systematic fashion. Because of Hezbollah’s sinister reputation, the coffins had to be checked for booby traps prior to being opened. When the coffins were opened those charged with the task of identifying them required several hours. Apparently the bodies were not treated with the respect afforded to Arab dead (see below), they were only refrigerated a little while before they were handed over. The bodies were brought to a base where a modest gathering of family, friends & Israeli government officials awaited them. There was no fan-fair, no bravado.

Ehud Olmert commented:

“My throat is dry, my eyes are tearing and my heart goes out to the families who struggled without a sign [of life], and didn’t lose hope until the very last moment. This is a day of removal of doubt. Certainly with regards to the fate of Udi [Ehud] and Eldad, may their memories be blessed, but also regarding the moral and ethical power of Israel.”“By virtue of this power we decided to return the boys, even with the heavy price of releasing a despicable murderer,” the prime minister said. “Nobody else will understand what every Israeli understands well: The concern over the fate of every one of our soldiers is the glue that binds us as a society, and it is this which allows us to survive in an region that is surrounded by enemies and terrorist organizations.”

The families, who had been travelling worldwide since the capture, meeting UN delegates & heads of state, pleading for even the smallest morsel of information (to no avail) were finally afforded some peace. The Regev’s and Goldwasser’s, a picture of composure and strength throughout this ordeal, were finally able to let go, to cry out. To feel.

THE RETURN : Lebanon

If These Are Your Heroes…

Samir Kuntar, who had stangled a father & bludgeoned a child has always been a hero in the Muslim World. He did not deny his acts and confirmed that he stayed true to “the cause” in a letter written to Hezbollah a few months back. This monster, who prayed upon the weakest in society, who had destroyed a family with his gang of AK47 wielding thugs was welcomed back to Lebanon, along with 4 other Hezbollah terrorists, as a NATIONAL HERO. He is called a “War Hero with 30 Medals of Honor” by Hezbollah’s Al Manar Broadcasting Corp.The Lebanese Government declared a nation holiday to celebrate the “liberation of prisoners from the jails of the Israeli enemy and the return of the remains of the martyrs”.

Thousands of people crowded the area near the Lebanese border & chanted praise for a child killer. From there, the prisoners would be welcomed at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport by Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, President Michel Suleiman, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. A child killer and 4 men who are part of an illegal terrorist organization that has brought nothing but mayhem, destruction and death – greeted by the Prime Minister, the President, the Speaker.

All throughout the Arab world they will celebrate this day. In the Gaza Strip, which has been 100% Jew free for several years now, the people celebrated in the streets and handed out sweets.

“Today is a great victory for the resistance movements and to Hezbollah, said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.

“It shows that the only successful way to free the prisoners is by kidnapping soldiers.”

For more information on Kuntar and events that lead us to this day, see our previous coverage:

It’s Happening – Israel Exhumes Hezbollah Remains in Prep…

Imminent: Hezbollah targets Jews; Olmert to release Child Killer

Some Information from: Lebanese Citizens, Jerusalem Post  The Lebanese Forces Official Website Monsters & Critics

Al Manar – if you want to be trully disgusted, go to their website, I won’t post their URL on my blog… Be forwarned, it is extremely upsetting.