Democratic Palestine : 14 (ص 28)
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- Democratic Palestine : 14 (ص 28)
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Suleiman Khater
Hero of the Sinai — Martyred by Mubarak
Suleiman Khater is better known to
his countrymen as the hero of the Sinai.
His being sentenced to life imprison-
ment and subsequently murdered by
Mubarak’s thugs, sparked mass pro-
tests not only against this vile act, but
against all that the Egyptian regime rep-
resents.
The authorities feared that they had
an Egyptian ‘Mandela’ on their hands,
whose continued imprisonment would
be a continuous thorn in their side. How-
ever, they miscalculated the magnitude
of what Suleiman Khater represented.
Kuwaiti newspapers reported: «Dip-
lomats were astounded at the extent of
the reaction triggered by the case of this
simple policeman.» Other sources
reported general surprise at the intensity
of feelings expressed by the masses.
Defense Minister Abdel Halim Abu
Ghazaleh had the audacity to say, «A
soldier killed seven innocent tourists. He
felt remorse and killed himself. What’s
so strange about that?»! What is
strange, however, is the belittling and
underestimation of the nationalist senti-
ment that prevailed only four days after
the Zionists had bombarded the PLO
headquarters in Tunis, killing over 70
Palestinians and Tunisians.
Who was Suleiman Khater?
Suleiman Khater was 25 years old,
a third-year law student. He was born in
Akyad, and grew up in the farming vil-
lage of Beit Rifi. He was the fifth child in
a household of 12, and shouldered
responsibility for the family after the
death of his father in 1979. Three years
later, he had to leave home to do his
military service. Inherently patriotic and
religious, the family unquestioningly
accepted their son's absence as his
duty. They trusted in God to support
them in their need.
Suleiman was due to end his period
of service in October 1985. Little did he
realize that fate had appointed him, who
had never been affiliated to any political
group, to spell out with fire the message
of the Arab masses to every enemy and
traitor, only one day before he was to be
discharged from service. On October
Sth, Suleiman Khater shot seven Zion-
ists who had trespassed into the Egyp-
tian security zone in the Sinai. disregard-
ing calls to halt and spitting at the Egyp-
tian flag in blatant scorn.
28
How it happened
During his last three months of ser-
vice, Suleiman was posted as a guard at
Ras Birka on Egypt's eastern borders,
overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba, a sensi-
tive and strategic site. Three other
policemen were posted with him. (They
were later prevented from testifying at
Suleiman’s trial so that the fabricated
story of his «temporary insanity» would
hold water.) The four had strict orders to
fire on anyone trying to ascend the hill to
their outpost, if the cry to halt went
unheeded. According to Suleiman, «|
saw a group of people ascending to our
Suleiman Khater
outpost. | called on them to halt. They
didn't. Then | opened fire as | had orders
to do.» Later in court, he said, «I did my
duty and am at peace with myself.»
Suleiman was a member of the
police force, a_ civilian institution.
According to the Egyptian constitution,
he should have been tried by a civilian
court. Instead, the authorities submitted
the case to a military court.
Despite the tempestuous mass pro-
test at Suleiman’s trial and sentencing,
the Egyptian regime continued to
demonstrate its humiliating subservi-
ence to the Zionist state. The regime
made repeated public apologies for the
killing of the Israelis, promised compen-
sation and made follow-up reports on
the case to the Zionist authorities. A pet-
ition demanding Suleiman Khater's
release, signed by 100,000 was ignored
by the regime.
Needless to say, the trial was a
comic tragedy, dramatized by the ludicr-
ous and reactionary legal procedure.
The victim was Suleiman Khater whom
the court sentenced to life «for premedi-
tated murder» in total defiance of all
logic. In the court, Suleiman challenged:
«ls it a crime to shoot our enemy?
Should | have left our borders unde-
fended?» and finally, «Kill me to please
the US and the Israelis - | killed them to
defend Egypt and the Arabs!»
Mubarak’s henchmen were only too
willing to comply in their own way. At 10
a.m. on January 7th, Suleiman's family
had come to visit him, but were told that
he was «undergoing medical treat-
ment.» At the same moment, the hero of
the Sinai was being viciously murdered
in his cell at the military prison’s hospital.
Yet Another Khater
Two israeli soldiers killed in
the Jordan Valiey
On January 29th, israeli war planes
raided Ain al Hilweh refugee camp in
South Lebanon, unloading their cargo of
bombs. killing and terrorizing the Pales-
unian residents of the camp...But that
night, a blow was dealt to Israeli terror
| and occupation. A heroic soldier in the
Jordanian Army. Nasser Abdel Aziz,
| ambushed an Israeli patrol near Metola
settlement in the Jordan Valley. Two
enemy soldiers were killed and two
-others wounded, before Nasser was
martyred by the gunfire of another Israeli
_ patrol. Nasser, a 20 year old from Irbid,
said no to israeli occupation and terror
Egypt, refused the chains of imperialism
delivered the message of ali the oppres-
established
His statement was delivered with the |
most precious possession he had - his
life.
Nasser, like Suleiman Khater in.
that are imposed on our Arab peopie
through Israeli occupation and US pup-
pets in the region. With his rifle, Nasser
sed Arab people: that we will ive a free
life or die an honorable death. The
Lebanese woman freedom fighter. Sana
Mhedal. Suleiman Khater and now Nas-
ser are only the Start of whal is to come
The struggle of the Arab masses will
continue until Zionism is destroyed and
a popular democratic Palestinian state 1s - هو جزء من
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