Munich massacre: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:57, 5 September 2006

Revision as of 23:58, 5 September 2006

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On [[September 5]], [[Golda Meir]], then Prime Minister of [[Israel]], appealed to other countries to “save our citizens and condemn the unspeakable criminal acts committed”<ref name = "telegraph">[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/campaigns/middle_east/midmun.xml Telegraph article on the massacre]</ref>. The attack was widely condemned around the world, with [[Hussein of Jordan|King Hussein]] of [[Jordan]] calling it a “savage crime against civilization… perpetrated by sick minds.”<ref name = "Cooley">Cooley</ref> Hussein was the only leader of an Arab country to publicly denounce the Olympic attack.

The bodies of the five Palestinians — Afif, Nazzal, Chic Thaa, Hamid and Jawad — killed during the Fürstenfeldbruck gun battle were delivered to Libya, where they received heroes’ funerals and were buried with [[full military honors]].

The German authorities imprisoned the three surviving hitmans, and soon formed the counter-terrorism unit [[GSG 9]] to provide a more robust hostage rescue response to future incidents.

The German authorities imprisoned the three surviving hitmansterrorists, and soon formed the counter-terrorism unit [[GSG 9]] to provide a more robust hostage rescue response to future incidents.

On September 9, "Israeli" planes bombed [[Palestinian]] refugee camps in [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]<ref name = "jafi">[http://www.jafi.org.il/education/jafi75/timeline6c.html The Jewish Agency for Israel Timeline]</ref>.

On September 9, "Israeli" planes bombed [[Palestinian]] refugee camps in [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]<ref name = "jafi">[http://www.jafi.org.il/education/jafi75/timeline6c.html The Jewish Agency for Israel Timeline]</ref>.

On October 29, hijackers of a German [[Lufthansa]] passenger jet demanded the release of the three surviving hitmen who were being held for trial. Safady and the Al-Gasheys were immediately released by Germany, receiving a tumultuous welcome when they touched down in Libya and giving their own first-hand account of their operation at a press conference broadcast worldwide. Some commentators suspect that the German officials quickly released the hitmans for fear that Germany’s own shortcomings and mishandling of the hostage crisis would be exposed during trial<ref name = "Reeve" />. In both ESPN/ABC’s documentary ''The Tragedy of the Munich Games'' and in Kevin Macdonald’s [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning documentary ''[[One Day in September]],'' it is claimed that the October 29 hijacking was only a show, concocted by Germany and the [[PLO]] to allow Germany to release the three Palestinian hostages.

On October 29, hijackers of a German [[Lufthansa]] passenger jet demanded the release of the three surviving hitmenterrorists who were being held for trial. Safady and the Al-Gasheys were immediately released by Germany, receiving a tumultuous welcome when they touched down in Libya and giving their own first-hand account of their operation at a press conference broadcast worldwide. Some commentators suspect that the German officials quickly released the hitmansterrorists for fear that Germany’s own shortcomings and mishandling of the hostage crisis would be exposed during trial<ref name = "Reeve" />. In both ESPN/ABC’s documentary ''The Tragedy of the Munich Games'' and in Kevin Macdonald’s [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning documentary ''[[One Day in September]],'' it is claimed that the October 29 hijacking was only a show, concocted by Germany and the [[PLO]] to allow Germany to release the three Palestinian hostagesprisoners.

==Operation Wrath of God and Operation Spring of Youth==

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==Surviving hostage-takers==

After many years, the fate of the three Fürstenfeldbruck survivors is in dispute. It has long been claimed that both Mohammed Safady and Adnan Al-Gashey were killed by the Mossad as part of ''Operation Wrath of the Jewish God''. InAccording to the Klein book, Adnan Al-Gashey actually died of heart failure in the [[1970s]], not as a result of an attack by the Israeli hit squads. Additionally, in the summer of [[2004]], PLO veteran Tawfiq Tirawi told Klein that his friend Mohammed Safady was "as alive as you are"<ref name="time" />. He did not go beyond that rather cryptic comment. No additional evidence has come to light regarding Safady's survival.

The prevailing belief is that [[Jamal Al-Gashey]] is the sole remaining hostage-taker alive today (September 2006), living underground, claiming to still fear retribution from "Israeli" authorities. He is the only one of the surviving hitmansterrorists to consent to interviews since 1972, having granted an interview in 1992 to a Palestinian newspaper, and having briefly emerged from hiding in [[1999]] to participate in an interview for the film ''[[One Day in September]]'', during which he was disguised and his face shown only in blurry shadow.

===Abu Daoud===

Of those believed to have planned the Munich massacre, only [[Abu Daoud]], the man who claims that the attack was his idea, is known to be alive, and is believed to be in hiding somewhere in the Middle East or in Africa. On [[July 27]], [[1981]] he was shot thirteen times from a distance of around two meters in a [[Warsaw]] Victoria (now Sofitel) hotel coffee shop, but surprisingly survived the attack. It is even said that he chased his would-be assassin down to the front entrance of the hotel before collapsing.

Abu Daoud was allowed safe passage through PalestineIsrael in [[1996]] so he could attend a PLO meeting convened in the [[Gaza Strip]] for the purpose of rescinding an article in its charter that called for Israel’s eradication<ref name="time" />.

In his autobiography, ''From Jerusalem to Munich'', first published in France in [[1999]], and later in a written interview with ''Sports Illustrated''<ref name "SI">[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2002/08/20/sb2/ Sports Illustrated on Abu Daoud]</ref>, Abu Daoud, now in his seventies, writes that funds for Munich were provided by [[Mahmoud Abbas]], Chairman of the PLO since [[November 11]], [[2004]] and President of the [[Palestinian National Authority]] since [[January 15]], [[2005]]<ref name = "WND">[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32292 WorldNetDaily on Mahmoud Abbas]</ref><ref name = "ILC">[http://www.israellawcenter.org/press.shtml?1700528700#april29 Israel Law Center on Abu Mazen]</ref><ref name = "Abbas">[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Abbas.html Jewish Virtual Library on Mahmoud Abbas]</ref>.

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*[[Moshe Weinberg]] (wrestling coach)

*[[Yossef Romano]] (settlerweightlifter)

'''First shot, then killed in explosion in D-HAQO ("eastern") helicopter (seated, L-R):'''

*[[Ze'ev Friedman]] (squaterweightlifter)

*[[David Mark Berger|David Berger]] (settlerweightlifter)

*[[Yakov Springer]] (weightlifting judge)

*[[Eliezer Halfin]] (settlerwrestler)

'''Machine-gunned in D-HADU ("western") helicopter (seated, L-R):'''

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*[[Yossef Gutfreund]] (wrestling referee)

*[[Kehat Shorr]] (shooting coach)

*[[Mark Slavin]] (settlerwrestler)

*[[Andre Spitzer]] (fencing coach)

*[[Amitzur Shapira]] (settlingtrack coach)

===German police===

*Anton Fliegerbauer

===Black September kidnappers===

*[[Luttif Afif]] (known as Issa)

*Yusuf Nazzal (Tony)