1936

“My paternal uncle was 16 years old when he was killed by Jewish guards on horseback. They struck him on the head and he died the following day. My father’s employer, a Zionist named Dubel, offered my father a bag containing 10,000 pounds in banknotes as compensation for the murder of his brother. My father refused the money, but took four pounds from the bag and said: ‘With this money I will buy ammunition.’

A short time later, he and two relatives managed to set a trap for Dubel and his 16 bodyguards aboard his boat as it traveled through a canal surrounded by forest. My father hid in the woods and was only a few meters away from Dubel when he fired the fatal shot. The British issued a death sentence against my father, who was forced to go into hiding. A few months later, I was born.”

1948

“When I turned 14, I was allowed to carry weapons. I took part in capturing three Zionists. They were fishermen and had no right to be there. That is why my comrade and I acted. The Syrian border was one kilometer away, and it took us an hour to walk there with the prisoners and hand them over to the Syrian police. They were later used by Syria in a prisoner exchange.”

1967

“My village was located near the Syrian border on the Golan Heights. When it was occupied, we fled to the Yarmouk camp, outside Damascus. We could barely bring even a shirt with us. I joined the armed struggle and was trained as a commando soldier.”