Samir Al-Kantar was born in Obey in Shouf region. He studied in local schools and was distinguished by unbelievable bravery, enthusiasm and patriotism, since his childhood. As some of his friends said, Kantar had even wrote under his picture once, SAMIR AL-KANTAR,THE MARTYR"

Samir participated in the armed resistance against the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978 as in aiding the citizens who were under heavy Israeli bombardment.
He attempted to carry out a military operation against the Israeli forces in June, 1978 through the Jordanian lands, which was aborted before it was started due to military reasons. After one month, Samir went back to Jordan to carry another operation against the Israeli forces but he was captured by the Jordanian authorities. As a result, he was imprisoned in Jordan for 8 months (From January31, to December25,1978). But the military operation which led to Samir imprisonment in Israeli prisons was 'JAMAL ABDUL NASSER’S OPERATION'.

The operation was called 'NAHARYA OPERATION' as for the settlement where it occurred. It was executed on April 22, 1979 whereas Kantar was leading the group which gathered Abdel Majeed Asslan (born in 1955), Mhanna Salim Al Muayed (born in 1960) and Ahmad Al Abrass (born in 1949).

As for the events of the operation, the group departed from the seashore of Tyre in south Lebanon using motorized rubber boat. Its goal was reaching Naharya where a military basis is located, 10KM away from the Lebanese borders, in an attempt to kidnap Israeli soldiers as hostages to exchange them by Arab detainees in Israeli prisons. But what distinguished this operation was that Samir was able to reach Naharya settlement and penetrate the blocks of the sixth squadron of warships after hiding his boat from seashore guards and radars. The operation lasted from 2:00 to 5:00 am. Kantar and his colleagues reached the seashore of Naharya where in addition to the military base, there were also a police center, military academy, the coastal guards and artillery, the naval alarm network and the head quarters for the Israeli warships (Chairborg). The group stormed to the building 61 in Jabootinsk and divided into two parts fighting with a police patrol where an Israeli sergant was killed called (Elyaho Shahar) from Maalot settlement. In addition, this group was able to imprison the Israeli atomic scientist Dan Harn.

At the end of the battle, all the fighters were hit. Abdul Majeed Asslan got killed and Mhanna Al Muayed was seriously wounded in head and died later on. As for Samir, he was hit by five bullets all over his body as he mentioned in one of his letters; he was under fire from all directions that even the two hostages who were with him were killed in the crossfire. Having fell to the ground and became unable to move, Kantar and his colleague Ahmad Al Abrass were captured by the Israeli forces but later on, in 1985, Ahmed Al-Abras was released in a prisoners exchanging operation. However, the result of this operation was the death of six Israelis where was Dan Haran between them, add to 12 injuries.
Samir's suffer and agony began directly after his imprisonment when he has was carried into the Israeli Intelligence prison in order to be Investigated about the operation.
In describing his torment, Samir once wrote that if he was to describe what he has been subjected to, it would be beyond people's apprehension and conception. He said: ''I was crucified on a wall without clothes, then the soldiers began to punch me. I remained under the sun many days standing, my hands were cuffed and, my head was covered by black bad smelling bag. Samir added: ''But the most severe thing was when they began to excise the bullets without giving me any drug, preventing me from even expressing my pain… They kept me held in a closed dark cell.''

AS FOR POLITICAL AND PUBLIC RESULT OF THE NASSER OPERATION:
The Israeli government determined at first to make a decision to execute Kantar in an attempt to bridle resistance operations in the occupied areas.
Israeli Prime Minister at that time, Menachem Beagin, proposed a draft resolution to the Security and Foreign Affairs Committee in the Israeli Knesset on April 24, 1979. He demanded to eliminate a previous draft taken by the Israeli Cabinet, which prohibited execution, and replace it by a new one which allow the penal punishment against the fedayeens.
That Beagin's draft resolution was supported by the Israeli Foreign Minister Izer Weizman and the Transportation Minister Hayeem Landau. As Abraham Shareer, who was the Chairman of the Likud Parliament that urged Kantar's excution, like Isaac Shamir that issued a declaration on April 24, 1979 sustaining for the execution of the executers of the Naharya operation.
Naharya operation led to vast reactions within the occupied lands, whereas Jalil inhabitants slept in shelters for more than one week. AsIzer Weizman cancelled a planned visit to Egypt at that time although it was important for the negotiations about the Israeli-Egyptian relationships after the Kamp David agreement. The Israelis tried to implement the execution sentence on Samir as the Israeli government agreed to it. But the only dilemma they were having was that the Israeli law does not allow execution except for the Nazis of the World War II and those who were found guilty of betrayal to their country. The Israelis decided to reduce the judgment into life imprisonment, to avoid any lawful disconcertion or international, political demands to reduce the judgment.

As a consequence, the Israeli Central Court in Haifa sentenced Kantar to 5 life imprisonments plus 42 years to come up with the total of 542 years. That's why Samir Al Kantar is an internee, Israel as an enemy can't prosecute due to Geneva Convention IV which warrants the internees' rights.

The judge in Samir’s trial was Ibrahim Freedamana, a chairman, in addition to Milik sloutskie and Ahroun David Harmounas as members.
The Public Prosecution asked for the incrimination of Samir and his colleagues as for their armed enter into Israel from Lebanon. Samir, who asked to defend himself in the trial, commented after he was sentenced :"I do not care if the sentence was 100 or 500 life imprisonment , the Important thing for us is that we made them realize that we (Arabs) are here to stay … and that what we did indeed ."

The events of Samir's imprisonment:

Samir was transferred into more than one Israeli prison .The first one He attended was Atleet in 1980, three years later Samir was moved to Beir sabei central prison, another year later, he was carried again to Kfariouna Komoud prison , after awards he was held at Nafha prison In the Nakab Desert. In 1989 Kantar was moved to Askalan and then back to Nafha in Nakab Desert in 1987 where he is still to date .
During his imprisonment, Samir has greatly struggled from within the prison; and many of the freed detainees exclaimed their admiration of his high and revolutionary spirit. Even his letters always held this spirit yet he says: ''Inspite of the long years of imprisonment, my head is always held up high.''
Samir led to go on hunger strikes in 1980-1987-1992-1999, during which several detainees died such as Rassem Halawi, Anees Dawleh, Isaac Mouragha, Hassan Obeidat and others.
Samir now heads a committee which defends the detainees inside detention centers, in which it undergoes all the negotiations with the Israeli prisons administration. Samir always thought of education as one of the most powerful tools in war. So he continued his education from within the prison, through correspondents with one of the Israeli universities. Actually, Samir won his education battle and joined Tel Aviv opening university in 1992, where he was specialized in Sociology and Humanities. After Samir got his degree in June 1997, he decided to continue his studies, thus he choose the subjects of 'The Military Surprise Of World War two' and 'The Contradiction Of Security And Democracy In Israel'. In July1998, Samir filed request to pursue higher educations in a private college,but his request was denied because the Israeli Secret Intelligence will not be able to monitor his work unless in a Hebron college. However, he pursues presently master studies in 'Democracy' passing over all obstacles. In this domain he always says: ''As long as the Israelis are holding me in prison, I'm going to try achieving a doctorate''
In prison or out side, Samir has acted as the fighter and the revolutionist that he is. To him, the detention camp was just another place for battle and struggle. Whereas Mochi Dayan said that if those detainees get free, they would be burden on their communities, Samir and his colleagues had to deny that view by their resistance. He has already spent 25 years in prisons, 25 years of up raises, strikes and more struggle against the aggression of Israel.
Samir wasn’t included in the exchanging operation that has occurred lately with Hezbollah, though he is an Arabian Lebanese resistance, who has fought for the sake of his homeland. Samir suffers asthma and still has a bullet settled in his life everyday. He has also been deprived of any meeting with his family; he hasn't seen them since April 22, 1979, also he dose not know his brothers even by photos.
Samir Al Kantar is the longest-held Arabian Lebanese detainee in the Israeli prisons and his detention violates the international conventions and the exchanging operation which occurred after negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah in January 29, 2004 and led to the release of hundreds of Lebanese and Arab detainees, was incomplete because it didn't include AL-Kantar.
SAMIR AL-KANTAR has become a symbol for freedom in the world, and April 22, the day of his detention, has become a solidarity day among the Arabian and Palestinians prisoners in the Israeli Detention camps and the people who calls for democracy and conscience all over the world. It's the time to do something, it's the time to free Samir. We ask the World-Wide Human Right Organizations to mount all efforts for the liberation of Samir.
SAMIR AL-KANTAR is waiting for the free conscience, SAMIR is waiting for us.

22 April 2008