Unlikely Paths to Justice: Three Terrorists, One Shared Name

In recent weeks, as we hear news of the elimination of more and more despicable terrorists, we can find some solace in the fact that despite their heinous crimes, they are slowly facing justice. Every such act of retribution should be acknowledged as divine intervention.

Hasan Salameh was a prominent general of the Palestinian "liberation" forces before and during Israel's War of Independence, serving as the deputy of Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni. Born in the village of Kula (now Kula Forest, within the city of Elad), he was a ruthless killer who also murdered many Arabs for their "lack of cooperation with the revolt." A classic corrupt Arab general, he commanded the central region during the Arab Revolt and engaged in looting.

At the start of World War II, Salameh fled to Germany. The Nazis protected both him and the Mufti, assigning him to "Operation Atlas," an insidious Nazi SS initiative: On October 6, 1944, five individuals, bringing with them ten cartons of arsenic, were dropped near Jericho from a German aircraft. Their task was to poison the water sources of the Land of Israel. Among the parachutists were three German Templars familiar with the land (one being Kurt Wieland, who grew up in Sarona, today's Tel Aviv mall), and two Arabs, Hasan Salameh and Kefil Abd al-Latif. The amount of arsenic they carried was enough to poison 250,000 people. They were equipped with weapons and a substantial amount of cash. The plan was to discreetly head towards the Yarkon sources in Rosh HaAyin and poison them.

By the grace of Heaven, the equipment did not land at the feet of these vile terrorists but scattered across the region. Boys from Jericho who saw money falling from the sky scoured the mountains and hills in search, finding guns, gold coins, and other treasures. The German parachutists hid in a cave in Wadi Qelt, and Salameh, injured in his leg during the drop, limped to Jerusalem, seeking refuge with a friend. With divine intervention, the operation failed, and the Germans were ridiculed.

As the War of Independence began, Salameh emerged from hiding and assembled a large battalion to fight the "Yahud." He took over a large building in the Lod area (now near Be'er Ya'akov) known as "Hasan Salameh's Headquarters," from where he conducted battles against the Jews. He managed to seize the Hatikva neighborhood in Tel Aviv, setting part of it ablaze and murdering two Jews. On April 5, 1948, Jewish fighters successfully blew up Hasan Salameh's headquarters. The building was deformed (and remains so to this day), and fourteen terrorists were killed, yet Salameh was in Lod at that time and temporarily survived. In Arab eyes, he became a saint and miracle worker, attracting many to join him for an attack on Rosh HaAyin.

A small group of Jewish defenders courageously protected Rosh HaAyin. They stood little chance against this arch-criminal and his army, as he bombarded the town with mortars, prompting the Jewish force to retreat. But as the victorious and jubilant Arab forces returned, sharp eyes noticed a small red stain on the shirt of their malignant commander. A small bullet had struck him. He tried to conceal it, claiming it was nothing, but the wound was strategic. He lingered for several days and then died. His death shocked the Arab fighters, scattering them in all directions, bringing joy and celebration to the Jews.

Salameh's son, who was eight years old upon his father's death, was named Ali Hasan Salameh after him. He grew up to become a senior and notorious terrorist, founding the "Black September" organization and engaging in numerous acts of terrorism against Jews. After the murder of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Prime Minister Golda Meir ordered the elimination of all the accomplices. Following years of pursuit and a mistaken identity, Salameh Jr. was divinely executed in 1979, in a car bomb blast in Beirut. As his convoy paraded through the streets of Beirut, a booby-trapped car rolled precisely in the middle of the convoy, exploded, and took Salameh and eight of his entourage to the grave.

Salameh's son, captured in a photograph seated on Yasser Arafat's lap during the funeral, chose not to follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming a businessman in Ramallah.

A third terrorist named Hasan Salameh, from Khan Yunis, a senior operative in Hamas's military wing, contributed to planning deadly attacks like the bus 18 bombing in Jerusalem. He was captured months after the bombing, sustaining injuries during the pursuit. Despite deserving a place on the gallows, he is currently serving 46 life sentences, co-responsible for the deaths of 46 Israelis. One can only hope he never leaves the prison alive nor is released as part of any deal. So may all your enemies perish, Hashem.