Fatah TV host anticipates taking Israelis hostage to “release our captives”

Fatah Deputy Chairman and Fatah Central Committee member Mahmoud Al-Aloul: "Issa (i.e., terrorist who participated in hostage-taking of Israeli soldiers) reached one of the [Israeli] soldiers, the one who was preparing tea for them. He grabbed him by the neck and placed his weapon against his chest. Issa, who had studied in Algeria, knew French well [and] said to him: 'Give them an order' or 'Tell them to lay down their weapons.' At this time the other three had already gathered around the spot. Among them was Abu Ahmed who also knew Hebrew. They shouted at them to lay down their weapons. We were lucky that the one who was preparing the tea was the commander of the [Israeli] ambush operation (sic., it was an observation outpost), the one who gives the others orders. He gave them an order to lay down their weapons and they all laid down their weapons. There were six of them. The guys arranged them in one row, took their weapons from them, and ordered them to raise their hands. At this time, the guys thought that the Israeli soldiers were just six. Behind the hill there were two additional Israeli soldiers with their weapons in their hands. Our guys didn't see them. Had they fired, they would have wiped out our guys. However the Israeli soldiers and the Israeli army are a totally cowardly army. It fights mainly with technology and advanced weapons. The soldiers who were behind the hill advanced while carrying their weapons, stood next to their comrades, laid their weapons on the ground, and raised their hands-"
Fatah-run Awdah TV host, Fatah Revolutionary Council member, and regular columnist for the official PA daily Muwaffaq Matar: "Spontaneously."
Mahmoud Al-Aloul: "-and with this the number of soldiers became eight." [...]
Muwaffaq Matar: "The conflict hadn't ended, and we had what brother Abu Jihad [Mahmoud Al-Aloul] called 'the hens that would lay golden eggs' or that had laid golden eggs - in the sense that the captives [were the ones] through whom, or through the exchange of whom, 5,000 Palestinian captives (i.e., terrorist prisoners) were released, and also the library of the Palestinian Research Center [was returned]. We think that this Palestinian wisdom, this Palestinian will, this cultural aspect, and this understanding of the Palestinian fighter will undoubtedly bring a new victory and a new quality operation one day. The conditions might have changed, and the means might change, but this hope and this promise will release our prisoners one day, and return them to their villages, their cities, their homes, and their families. This time they will not fly to Arab states, but rather return to the heart of the homeland."
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The capture of 8 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon - On Sept. 4, 1982, 8 Israeli soldiers were captured by Fatah terrorists in Bhamadoun, Lebanon. Two of them were handed to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and 6 were held by Fatah. Fatah released the 6 soldiers on Nov. 23, 1983 as part of an exchange deal in which Israel released 4,700 terrorists that were held in Lebanon and 65 terrorists held in Israel. The two handed over to the PFLP were released on May 21, 1985, as part of an exchange deal in which Israel released 1,150 terrorist prisoners.

The host of this TV program, Muwaffaq Matar, is also a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council and a regular columnist for the official PA daily.