'Historic justice has been done,' say wife, mother of Kuntar victims

Danny Haran and children a month before their murder

Following the killing of Hezbollah terrorist Samir Kuntar in an airstrike attributed to Israel, Smadar Haran, whose husband and young daughters were killed in a 1979 attack led by Kuntar, says, "I never had a doubt that the score would be settled."

Daniel Siryoti, Danny Brenner, Mati Tuchfeld, Lilach Shoval and Shlomo Cesana

Smadar Haran, whose husband and young daughters were killed in a 1979 terrorist attack led by terrorist Samir Kuntar |  Photo credit: Herzi Shapira

"When I go out to my yard in the morning, I can see the city of Nahariya, which has flourished and expanded since that terrorist attack, as has my family. Samir Kuntar chose the one path that characterizes people like him, the path of terror and death, and it is a good thing that it ended now and not later."

It was with these muted words that Smadar Haran, whose husband and young daughters were killed in a 1979 terrorist attack led by Samir Kuntar, reacted to the news of the terrorist's assassination near Damascus on Saturday.

Danny Haran, 31, and 4-year-old Einat were murdered by Kuntar himself: He shot Danny and then bashed Einat's head with the butt of his rifle. Two-year-old Yael was accidentally smothered to death by her mother as they hid from the murderers in their home.

In 2008, Kuntar, who had been serving multiple life sentences in Israel, was released in a prisoner exchange.

"Historic justice has been done," Smadar Haran said Sunday.

"His release in 2008 was very difficult for the family. I am pleased that I insisted that his release be a state decision and I refrained from taking a position on the issue. We live in a country with laws. That same country, with the same laws, served justice today.

"But I never had a doubt that the score with him would eventually be settled, and that day has come.

"I am the only branch left of the family that he murdered, and that branch has continued to flower, as has the city of Nahariya, which is flourishing and thriving. That is the essence of Zionism, in my view."

Ronny Keren, Danny Haran's brother, told Israel Hayom on Sunday that "Kuntar's assassination does not take the pain away, but there is certainly a sense of satisfaction. Anyone who murders Jews must know that he will end up just like Samir Kuntar. What goes around comes around.

"We have waited for this day for many years, and now there is a sense of closure. In the Middle East, the only language that people understand is the language of violence, apparently."

Before the terrorist cell led by Kuntar broke into the Haran family home in 1979, they encountered and killed police officer Eliyahu Shachar. His brother, Yoram Shachar, 52, responded with satisfaction to the Kuntar's death.

"This is a happy day for our family and for the other families hurt by Kuntar," he said. "This is a day of celebration for all of Israel. We never had a sliver of a doubt that Kuntar would pay the price, and indeed, that day has come."

Shachar recounted his experience from Kuntar's trial, which was held behind closed doors.

"Kuntar himself admitted in his trial that he planned to perpetrate a mega-attack at the Amal school in Nahariya, but my brother, who blocked their access on the beach, disrupted their original plan," he said.

"What they ended up doing was an alternative plan devised by Kuntar on the fly, based on the situation at hand, after my brother essentially exposed them. Shooting my brother alerted the security forces.

"My brother was 25 years old, married with a son and a daughter and a pregnant wife who gave birth to a son who would never meet him, about four months after his death. I have been through wars in my life and I had complete faith in the defense establishment. I knew his [Kuntar's] day would come. I knew he wouldn't die of old age. I knew that his days on this earth were numbered."

Shachar's daughter, Keren, agreed: "This murderer took my father away from me when I was a baby. Way to go, IDF."

Knesset members also welcomed Kuntar's death, saying the region was safer without him.

As expected, Israel refused to confirm or deny reports that the IDF was behind the assassination. But if foreign reports are accurate, and it was Israel that hit Kuntar's apartment building on Saturday, it was not an act of revenge so much as it was a preventive measure, as Kuntar was involved in planning future attacks against Israel.

Indeed, Western military sources described Kuntar as a "ticking time bomb" and said he was planning to execute an attack against Israel in the "immediate future."

On Sunday, Israeli officials across the political spectrum welcomed Kuntar's killing. Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) said: "I am reiterating what dear Smadar Haran said: Kuntar's elimination is historic justice. He was a terrorist who never abandoned the path of terror and murder, not even for a day. The region is safer without him."

MK Moti Yogev (Habayit Hayehudi) voiced "thanks and appreciation for everyone involved in the assassination of Samir Kuntar and other arch-terrorists, for settling the score on the terrorist attack in Nahariya in 1979, and for preventing future attacks."