Slain terrorist Kuntar commemorated in Ramallah

Palestinians on Tuesday held a ceremony to commemorate the Hezbollah-affiliated terrorist Samir Kuntar, who was killed in an airstrike in Syria that has been widely attributed to Israel.

The event took place in Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority government, and was attended by officials from the Fatah party, the Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported.

Various groups organized the ceremony, which was held in a hall bedecked with Palestinian and Syrian flags along with pictures of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Syrian President Bashar Assad.

A Lebanese Druze, Kuntar became infamous for a brutal 1979 raid from Lebanon in which he helped kidnap an Israeli family from Nahariya, then smashed the head of a four-year-old Israeli girl, Einat Haran, with his rifle butt, killing her. Three other Israelis, including her father, Danny Haran, were killed in the attack. Kuntar was 16 at the time, and a member of the Palestine Liberation Front.

During the Ramallah ceremony, Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad eulogized Kuntar and his dedication to the Palestinian cause, saying he “began his way in the ranks of the Palestinian revolution.”

Al-Ahmad vowed that Kuntar’s slaying would “not weaken the resolve and plans of the resistance.”

Arab media reported early Sunday morning that Israel assassinated Kuntar. Several Israeli Air Force missiles struck the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, killing Kuntar and eight other operatives, late Saturday night, the reports said.

There was no official Israeli confirmation of the attack, although officials expressed satisfaction at his death. Kuntar was with a group of commanders from his group, which was planning attacks on Israel, reports said.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.