kpozin.net Projects & Musings by Konstantin Pozin

From Camera.org's article about Samir Kuntar, and identical to synopses in other sources:

On April 22, 1979, Kuntar and three other terrorists traveled from Lebanon to Israel by sea, coming ashore in the Northern Israeli coastal city of Nahariya. According to Israeli sources and the personal account of Smadar Haran, the following events took place:

Having shot dead police officer Eliyahu Shahar, Kuntar and his accomplices headed for a nearby apartment block. Hearing the commotion outside, Danny and Smadar Haran scrambled to protect their daughters, Einat (age 4) and Yael (age 2), by hiding them from the terrorists. Smadar, Yael and one of their neighbors climbed into the small attic of the apartment, while Danny and Einat rushed to the front door in an attempt to reach safety in an underground shelter.

At that moment, Kuntar and his accomplices stormed the apartment and grabbed Danny and Einat. Upon hearing police approaching, the terrorists gave up searching the apartment for Smadar, Yael and their neighbor. Kuntar and the other terrorists then dragged Danny and Einat to the beach, where they shot Danny in front of 4-year-old Einat, so that it would be the last thing that she would see before being slaughtered herself.

After shooting Danny in the back, Kuntar dragged him into the sea and drowned him to make sure that he was dead. Kuntar then turned his attention to the young child. He repeatedly slammed his rifle butt into Einat's skull, smashing her head against a rock. 1

This is the man who returned to Lebanon today a national hero, greeted with a red carpet and welcomed by Lebanese PM Fouad Saniora and Pres. Michel Suleiman (and of course, by Hassan Nasrallah). This is the man whose release was marked by PA President Mahmoud Abbas with congratulations to his family and a Fatah rally in Ramallah.

And this is the man whose own relevance fades as we consider what today's events reveal about the others. It is not any new idea, but an existing fact that gets reinforced: the "moderates" in Israel's neighborhood, the Abbases and Sanioras celebrate the release of a ruthless murderer of civilians and children, and lavish him with praise. It is bewildering that these are the kinds of leaders with whom Israel maintains political relations. It is terrifying that these are the only kind of leaders that are left.

We can only hope that those in the region with remaining shreds of humanity (and they are still, I would hope, a plurality) will not continue to let their voices be extinguished, and perhaps one day will even emerge at the forefront of the political scene. It's a long shot.

1. 1. Myer-Smith, Maxine. Samir Kuntar: Profiles in Terror. Camera.org. 15 July 2008.