July 16, 2008
Murderer Turned Hero - Arab Media Coverage
--By CNN's Octavia Nasr
With pomp and circumstance Lebanon welcomed Samir Kuntar. The man considered a symbol of evil in Israel, convicted of killing an Israeli father and bludgeoning to death the man's four year old daughter. The year was 1979; Kuntar was 16. He was sentenced to 542 years in prison. In Lebanon today, he is hailed as a hero. Speaking to a huge crowd, Kuntar said, “Today I came from Palestine, only to return to Palestine.” Promising that he will be back along with his “brothers the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance.” A reference to the Hezbollah militia who negotiated his release along with 4 others and the remains of nearly 200 of Arab and Lebanese militants. The day was portrayed as a great victory in promotional videos leading up to the release and extensive minute-by-minute coverage that lasted throughout the day on Hezbollah's TV station Al-Manar -- culminating in coverage of a massive celebration near the capital Beirut. Other local and regional TV stations treated the story with similar dedication. One station ran a dramatic video clip glorifying the first woman suicide bomber, Dalal al-Mughrabi, who perished in 1978 and whose remains were returned this day, causing more celebration. Others highlighted street banners in English that read "Pain in Israel and Joy in Lebanon" and "Freedom guaranteed by Nassrallah.. Humiliation guaranteed by Olmert." Comments aimed at twisting the knife in Israel's wound, making the point that the pain and defeat belong in Israel while joy and freedom reside in Lebanon. 19 Comments
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A great day for Lebanon all of its heroes are back to their homes.in Israel eyes they are terrorists, Just like in the eyes of Lebanese all the Israeli leaders are terrorists.what counts is that Israel finally realized that it was a big Mistake to attack Lebanon and murder over a thousand civilians and destroy bridges and whole blocks in Beirut and lose two hundred soldiers for the sake of two captured soldiers, Israel should have negotiated in the first place with dignity rather than face this humiliated Exchange.
Any nation that welcomes a cold-blooded murderer as a hero is simply sick. Her leaders who can't stand up to a facist, hateful dictator are ineffective and cowards and her population who are swept away by a frenzy reminiscent of Nazi Germany are fools and will only suffer in the future. Israel is a strong nation who prides in her moral and democratic values and open discussion and news-coverage, characteristics that are totally alien to her neighbours just as rejoicing over murder is alien to western nations.
I could go on and on about Israel and how they almost destroyed Lebanon, but i could also say the same thing about Hezbollah. Although i sidded with Hezbollah years ago when they were actually a resistence of maybe a defense for southern Lebanon, but now they have just grown into cocky, extremist punks. They caim they fight for Lebanon but all they do now is want to fight. They want more political ground and power and do not care if they destroy Lebanon in their doings. They truely are selfish and truely dont care about the Lebanese people and i wish that Hezbollah and IDF would wipe each other out.
I did not see the media trumpeting the funerals of the thousands of Lebanese civilians, massacred by the Israelis....this is sickening..Enough.
There are no victories in this conflict. However, one has to ask what kind of people would celebrate a vicious child murderer no matter what the cause may be? If a US citizen had acted in such a brutal manner he would be condemned by the US and likely imprisoned. The bigger issue is why the world's leaders do not openly and loudly criticize this celebration of violence or condemn those who celebrate or wish death to other people. If the situation were reversed and the Israelis honored murderers you can bet there would be world criticism and outrage. And therein lies the sad but true hypocrisy of the world.
How lowly are a people that can call a murderer of a 4 year old girl a hero? Its shocking that the Prime Minister and General welcome this calculated cold blooded murderer as if he did something heroic, something worth honoring. On the farthest other end of the humanity and morality spectrum are the Israeli people. They are willing to free a convicted killer, 4 terrorists bent on their destruction plus the bodies of 199 terrorists who where killed trying to kill them, all for the bodies of just 2 soldiers. How committed to eachother are the Israelis that they give all this so that two families can have closure and begin to move on.
night vs day. completely inhumane vs defining humanity at its best. valuing death vs valuing life. celebrating murderers vs mourning the victims. night vs day.
To the Anonymous poster...
Do you consider the intentional murderer of a 4 year old girl a hero ? It is true that in wars, many victims are just that, victims, and no war is clean or nice. However, it is one thing to hit civilians who are present on the battlefield (intentionally or not) while combating armed adversaries, it is another to target civilians intentionally and not on any battlefield. How blind can you be to basic human values ? has hate and propaganda swayed your ability to see right from wrong ?
to 3.44 pm.you talk about Israel as an innocent country.you call Samir a cold blooded murderer,but Israelis who murdered Palestinian and Lebanese children are Innocent human being .the problem with Israel and its supporters is they do not consider these Lebanese and Palestinian children as Human as Israeli children.I need some Israelis to tell me is it OK to shoot a child in the arms of his father with the whole world watching?is it OK to kill an infant child sleeping peacefully in her bedroom? is it OK to murder a family of seven five of them children on a beech in Gaza? what do you call these Israeli cold blooded killers? when Israeli realize that a Palestinian or Lebanese child life is worth as much as an Israeli child life then there is a chance for peace.
when kuntar and his team went on a mission to capture an Israeli nuclear scientist to exchange him for Palestinian prisoners thirty years ago he was wounded and captured by the Israeli.thirty years latter kuntar was released by an exchange of prisoners.that should be a lesson for Israel that Palestinians and Lebanese will not forget their prisoners.11700 Palestinian most of them civilians are in Israeli jails .Israel should release these prisoners before their is another humiliating Exchange.
To the person who posted that Israel and its supporters do not consider Lebanese and Palestinian childrens' lives as valuable as Israeli children, here are some points. Before Israel went on raids in Lebanon the army dropped fliers to warn civilians to leave the area and get out of harm's way. Additionally, Hezbolla militants often hide out in areas with civilians on purpose, hoping that there will be civilian (including children) casualties so that they can use it for propoganda to portray Israel as a brutal killer. Unfortunately it is these extremists who don't value the lives of their own people, let alone other people, which explains why they are willing to sacrifice anyone, even children, for their own interests.
in answer to 8.31 am.if hizbollah did not value the lives of their people they would have left their prisoners in Israeli Jails. we all know that the Lebanese resistance target Israeli soldiers while Israel attacks civilian targets schools,UN compounds, bridges ,power stations water treatment plants.look at the picture of Ehud Barak and the dead body of Dalal 30 years ago and you will find how human the Israeli army is.
8:31 I remind you that when people where fleeing their homes holding white flags together with the red cross in result to the Israelis warning fliers, Israelis war planes attacked them.
Yes al Kuntar is a killer. what he did is not acceptable. No one has the right to take away other people's lives. But is Israel's Qana massacre where 60 civilians were killed out of which 37 children and the remaining women not a cold blooded killing? I remind you that in the July war out of the 1400 death toll 30% were children under the age of 13. In addition, every day in Lebanon children are being either dead or lose their limbs because of the 1 million cluster bombs Israel left in the Lebanese soil. So before playing the "martyr" and preaching on virtue and moral let Israel look first at its HORRIFIC crimes in Lebanon.
IN LEBANON KUNTAR IS CONSIDERED A HERO, BUT IN THE WORLDS AND GODS EYES KUNTAR IS SIMPLY A COLD-BLOODED MURDERER, WHO ONE DAY WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR HIS CRIMES BEFORE GOD
The point is Kuntar is a child killer and not a hero. In any human society it should be clear. He killed a 4 year old child by smashing her head against rocks with his rifle. Does that seem like a hero to anyone here? It does not matter if that child is Israeli palestinians or lebanese she was still just a child. Even in the muslim religion it is a sin declared by Mohammad to kill children and old people even in war. So this kuntar is claimed to be a hero by muslims in Lebanon? I think they better read up on their religion. Hizballah are terrorists funded by Iran and Lebanon is their pawn in their power play unfortunately. They are brainwashing the Lebanese people trying to make them believe they care. Where were they when the palestinians were shot and killed in the refugee camps in Lebanon by Lebanese. They dont care about anyone but themselves and power. Becareful they dont take over the government in a coup then Lebanon will be another islamic Iran and not the beautiful country it was before Hizballah existed.
Yes the beautiful Lebanon that Israel and the US once turned to ashes in the July 2006 war.
Hizbullah are LEBANESE citizens. When Israel withdrew from the Shebaa farms and stop attacking Lebanon then there will be no need for Hizbullah arms. Eliminate the cause first before thinking of eliminating the effect.
To 7:04,
You claim that if Israel leaves Shebba farms it will in effect 'remove the cause' of the tension between Lebanon and Israel. There is only one entity that feels Shebba Farms is Lebanese - its not Israel, Syria, the UN, the EU, the US nor even Lebanon. The only one who claims that Shebba farms is Lebanese is Hezbolla. So does this mean that if He3zbolla claimed that Tel Aviv, Haifa or any other Israeli area was Lebanese too, that Israel should capitulate in order to 'remove the cause' of tension between the two countries? Hezbolla sees one solitary value to Shebba Farms and that is the pretext with which to perpetually attack Israel. When you suggest 'removing the cause' of the tension, I suggest that cause is Hezbolla.
11:05 it seems that it has been ages since you've been following the news.
For your information SHEBAA FARMS is LEBANESE and should be returned to LEBANON. There are documents that prove this. Lebanon and Syria said so. We don't interfere in the US and EU border affairs, and therefore expect them to do the same when it comes to Lebanese affairs.
Kuntar committed a heinous crime, that is without question and should not be condoned,celebrated or rewarded under any circumstances,but equal condemnation should be directed at israels premeditated act of war in which nearly 2000 innocent lebanese men,women and children were killed and continue to die due to the millions of unexploded munitions cynically dropped by israel prior to the un backed ceasefire.Why is equal condemnation not attributed to the loss of innocent lebanese and palestinian life as it appears to be for the citizens of israel?
lance
I take it from your post that you codone the unprovoked attack by Nasralalh and his Iran led terrorists on Israel, shooting rockets into Israeli towns and kidnapping Israelis from Israeli soil and murdering them. Otherwise your words condemning Israel cannot be understood. You se, Israelis are not Christians, they do not turn the other cheek. Regarsding your numbers, check the "innocent". Most of those killed were Hizbullah shooting rockets out of schools and even living rooms of innocent Lebanese fanmilies. So first try and check your facts, then post, O.K.?? |
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