Following reports that Lebanese terrorist Samir Al-Quntar has been killed in alleged Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and Syria, MEMRI has compiled a number of his statements, from his interviews and addresses.
In 1979, Samir Al-Quntar participated in a terror attack in the Israeli city of Nahariya, kidnapping a four-year-old girl and her father from their home and killing them on a nearby beach. He was arrested and sentenced to five life sentences plus 47 years for his role in the attack; on July 16, 2008, he was released along with four other prisoners as part of an Israel-Hizbullah deal, in return for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hizbullah two years earlier.
After his release, Al-Quntar was given a hero's welcome in Lebanon, and was decorated by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Al-Jazeera TV reported his release as news and held an on-air birthday party for him, complete with cake, fireworks, and orchestra.
Following are excerpts from statements made by Al-Quntar in interviews and addresses following his release in 2008.
Al-Quntar Interviews
After his release, on July 16, 2008, Samir Al-Quntar spoke at a mass rally and was interviewed by several Lebanese TV channels (view the MEMRI TV clip here). Following are excerpts from the interview:
Al-Quntar: We Will Force The Enemy To Long For 'Imad Mughniya
Al-Manar TV, July 16, 2008:
Samir Al-Quntar (speaking at mass rally): "The weapon of a position that has been turned into a culture builds the homeland of the resistance. It has become the culture of the generations that will realize the dream of annihilating that plundering entity. Allow me to commemorate a great legendary commander, the martyred hero and mujahid 'Imad Mughniya. I would like to say just one thing: Hajj 'Imad, we will only be worthy of the blood you sacrificed when we force this enemy to long for your times." [...]
Al-Manar TV, July 17, 2008:
Samir Al-Quntar: "At this time yesterday, I was in the hands of the enemies. This time yesterday, I was still in their hands. But right now, there is nothing I'd like more than to face them again. I ask Allah to make this happen very soon. Whoever thinks that the liberation of the Shaba' Farms of the Lebanese lands can bring an end to this conflict is deluded. Take my word for it. Even if we let them be, they will not let us be." [...]
We Need To Put An End To The "Disease" Of The "Plundering Entity" Israel
Al-Jadid/New TV, July 18, 2008:
Samir Al-Quntar (in TV interview): "There is a disease in this region called 'the state of Israel,' which we refer to as 'the plundering entity.' If we do not put an end to this disease, it will follow us, even if we flee to the end of the world. So it's better to get rid of it." [...]
Al-Manar TV, July 17, 2008:
Samir Al-Quntar (in TV interview): "If we consider the history of the conflict... When you read books written by the Zionists about the wars of 1967, 1948, and 1973, you feel that no value was attributed to the lives of the Arabs. Arab soldiers would fall, others would go missing in action... There was a kind of disdain for their lives. This was evident in the lack of seriousness in dealing with cases of Egyptians, Lebanese, and others who went missing in action in the conflict with the plundering entity.
"Hizbullah, however, has been searching for missing people - martyred or alive. They had no reason to carry out a capturing operation for my sake other than their belief in the value of human life. I remember that Secretary-General [Nasrallah] once said: 'If Samir Al-Quntar is in prison, it means Lebanon in its entirety is in prison.' This reflects the value of human life... Today, everybody talks about human rights, democracy, and modern development... Human rights begin here - in caring for the individual in society. The individual is everything. To be honest, we used to envy our enemy - how it would go to the end of the world in order to retrieve a body, and how it was ready to go all the way to free one of its captured soldiers. Today, Allah be praised, we have the resistance, which retrieves the bodies of the martyrs, and every single prisoner. It does not leave prisoners in jail or bodies in the hands of the enemies." [...]
Al-Quntar Vows That His Gun Will Avenge The Blood Of The Martyrs
Al-Jadid TV, July 21, 2008:
Sheikh 'Atallah Hamoud, head of the Lebanese Society for Prisoners and Released Prisoners, presents Al-Quntar with a rifle:
Sheikh 'Atallah Hamoud: "This is a gift from the Islamic resistance to the liberated hero, Lieutenant-Colonel Samir Al-Quntar. Mujahideen like Samir Al-Quntar and his brothers do not care about themselves, because they have dedicated themselves to the resistance, the cause, and the homeland."
Narrator: "The special gift by the resistance merged with the words of Al-Quntar, who vowed that his gun would play a role in avenging the blood of the martyrs."
Samir Al-Quntar: "This is the most beautiful gift, except for freedom itself. I'd like to salute the Islamic resistance and Secretary-General Nasrallah for their trust. First, this is the Islamic resistance's way of reaffirming their faith in me as a fighter. Second, this gun will play a role, Allah willing, in avenging the blood of 'Imad Mughaniya." [...]
Al-Quntar: I Will Do A Master's Degree In Military Resistance
Future TV, July 22, 2008:
Samir Al-Quntar: "If you are asking whether I killed Israelis - I did, Allah be praised."
Interviewer: "Including children?"
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Samir Al-Quntar: "No. I am proud of this, and Allah willing, I will get the chance to kill more Israelis. As for the children, that's another story. A girl was killed during the operation, in the crossfire. In all the operations that involved capturing Israeli hostages, the hostages were killed by the bullets of the Israeli forces. In the operation of Dalal Al-Maghrabi, the [Israelis] fired like crazy on the bus, and killed a large number of Jewish hostages. In the Ma'alot operation, hostages were taken at a high school. [The Israelis] used anti-tank missiles to storm the school, killing many. The same thing happened in my operation. When we fired at them, in response to their fire, they began shooting in our direction like crazy. They are the ones who killed the hostages." [...]
Interviewer: "What did you study [while in prison]?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "Social studies and humanities."
Interviewer: "Did you complete your master's degree?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "No. I tried and took six courses, but they stopped it, saying it was forbidden. Other brothers completed their master's degree, but they prevented me personally from doing so, for reasons unknown to me."
Interviewer: "Are you considering completing your master's?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "No. Allah willing, I will do a different one."
Interviewer: "In what?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "A master's degree in resistance."
Interviewer: "What form will it take?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "Military..."
Interviewer: "So Samir Al-Quntar is declaring tonight that..."
Samir Al-Quntar: "I've already declared this."
Interviewer: "You declared that you would be a member of the resistance, but today you are declaring that you will be a resistance fighter, and that you will carry out military missions for the resistance."
Samir Al-Quntar: "Without the slightest doubt."
Interviewer: "The Islamic resistance?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "Yes."
Interviewer: "Is that a done deal?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. I say it three times." [...]
Sadat's Assassination Was "A Most Wonderful Operation"
View this MEMRI TV clip here. Following are excerpts:
Al-Jazeera TV, July 26, 2008:
Samir Al-Quntar: "To be honest, our operation had both civilian and military targets. Today, tomorrow, and the next day - our targets are always... There are no civilian targets - it's 'civilian' in quotation marks. The Zionists themselves define the Israeli as a soldier who is on leave for 11 months every year." [...]
Interviewer: "How did you and your fellow prisoners view the Sadat assassination?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "That was a most wonderful operation - to the point that all the prisoners cheered together when Sadat was assassinated. This man symbolized treason and apostasy. Ever since Camp David... Look at the history - Camp David, the 1982 invasion, and then the strike against Iraq... All the catastrophes that befell the Arab world began with Camp David. It was a wonderful historical moment, which I hope will recur in similar cases." [...]
"No Entry [To Lebanon] For Stray Dogs And The U.S. Administration"
Al-Jadid/New TV, July 26, 2008:
Samir Al-Quntar: "A country that has sacrificed such a long convoy of martyrs cannot stop at the gates of the Shab'a Farms, and say: The conflict is over." [...]
"This country will never be a playing ground for that ugly woman, the U.S. ambassador. One day, it will be written on the gates of this country: 'No entry for stray dogs and the people of the American administration'"
Al-Jazeera Throws A Party For Al-Quntar
On July 19, 2008, three days after Al-Quntar's release, the Al-Jazeera network broadcast a program that held a "birthday celebration" for him (view the MEMRI TV clip here). Following are excerpts from the interview and celebration:
Samir Al-Quntar: "At 02:00, they asked us to prepare for departure. When we left, the Israeli media filled the corridor, taking pictures of us. They wanted us to wear clothes that they brought over. These clothes were so ridiculous that anybody seeing us wearing them would burst into laughter, no matter what."
Interviewer: "What kind of clothes?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "Long underwear..."
Interviewer: "Do you mean pajamas?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "If only they were pajamas... I asked the brothers to wait. I called the man in charge over and said to him: We will not go out in these clothes. I gave them back to him. He said it was not his decision, and I said: So call off the deal. I said: Call off the deal. We are returning to our cells. He said to me: You've waited 30 years, and now you want to call off the deal over this? I said to him: Yes. They started making calls, and then the warden came. I said to him: I want you to call of the deal immediately. We are returning to our cells. He had told me there was a decision that we must wear these clothes. I told him that we have maintained our honor for 30 years, and we refuse to be humiliated in the last half hour. When they realized we were serious about this, they started making calls, and eventually, they backed down. Then we left in a long convoy..."
Interviewer: "So you defeated them even at the last minute."
Samir Al-Quntar: "Yes." [...]
Interviewer: "To the best of your knowledge, who made the decision to assassinate you?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "The decision was made by a senior officer, who was the head of the research division of military intelligence. His name is Amos Gilad. Today he is a very influential advisor, and his decisions are passed easily in the Defense Ministry - the Zionist Ministry of War. He made the decision, and I think it has political backing. As for me, I vow to make them pay the price for my martyrdom in advance." [...]
Interviewer: "Brother Samir, we would like to celebrate your birthday with you. You deserve even more than this. I think that 11,000 prisoners - if they can see this program now - are celebrating your birthday with you. Happy birthday, brother Samir."
Samir Al-Quntar: "Thank you."
Interviewer: "Go ahead... There is a picture here... If the camera can show this... Let's cut it... Does the camera show this clearly or not? We have a picture here... This is the sword of the Arabs, Samir. Don't cut the picture, cut on the side."
Samir Al-Quntar: "Here's Abu Qassam [Marwan Barghouti]."
Interviewer: "Marwan is here."
Samir Al-Quntar: "Abu Qassam is here with Ahmad Sa'dat. That's our prison warden..."
Interviewer: "This one?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "Yes."
Interviewer: "What is the warden's name?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "His name is... Never mind."
Interviewer: "This is when you were released. Here you are with Wafiq Safa."
Samir Al-Quntar: "Yes, this is Wafiq Safa. This is the most beautiful picture - with Hassan Nasrallah. This is the most beautiful picture. There cannot be anything more beautiful. Me and the secretary-general - the most beautiful picture of me ever taken." [...]
"Me and Hassan Nasrallah... the most beautiful picture of me ever taken"
Bashar Al-Assad Awards Al-Quntar Highest Decoration
On November 24, 2008, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad awarded Al-Quntar the Syrian Order of Merit (view the MEMRI TV clip here). Following is an excerpt from the report that aired on the official Syrian TV channel:
TV Anchor: "President Bashar Al-Assad awarded released Lebanese prisoner Samir Al-Quntar the Syrian decoration of the highest degree, out of appreciation for his record in the struggle, for his steadfastness, and for his patriotic and pan-Arab positions. President Al-Assad, who met with Samir Al-Quntar and his brother Bassam, said that Al-Quntar was not only the leader of the prisoners, but was also the leader among honorable free men, and that his adherence to Arab rights, despite all that he has been through, has made him a symbol of the struggle and freedom in Arab countries and throughout the world.
"Al-Quntar said he was happy and honored to meet the president and to be decorated by him. He added that the brave positions of Syria, under the leadership of President Al-Assad, and Al-Assad's constant support for the honorable resistance and his rejection of any unjust settlement constitutes a pillar of support for the people of the resistance and free men. This helps the prisoners to remain steadfast, despite their plight in the prisons of the Israeli occupation." [...]
Syrian President Al-Assad awards medal to Al-Quntar.
