Sweidan, Samih

Son of a diner and a hermit, was born on March 1, 1971, in the evening of al-Arusha. Brother to Mahmud, Ahmad, Muhammad, Samiha, Soheil, and Suheila. Samih was the fifth son of his parents. He grew up and was raised by his extensive family in the Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe in the Western Galilee, near the border with Lebanon. At the age of four, his mother died. Despite the many difficulties he grew up in a warm home with his father and brother, loved his family and was attached to them. Samih attended elementary school in his village and continued high school in Kfar Yassif, where he successfully completed his 12th grade, and was a good student who made his own achievements and was characterized by strong will, great ambition and a desire to succeed. To save and help his family. He was a handsome guy, loved to spend time outdoors – hunting, fishing and hiking in the woods – and listening to the songs of Iraqi singer Nazem al-Ghazali. On 25 March 1992, Samih was drafted into the IDF and served in the Paratroopers’ Battalion 202. He said he was a serious soldier and advanced on the ranks: “I will still be an officer.” Samih enjoyed his military service and the friends he had acquired In the army, he loved to help and everyone around him appreciated and loved the smiling and tolerant young man, who spent most of his military service in Lebanon, loved Lebanon’s landscapes, and always claimed that it was impossible to forget. With the loss of several of his comrades in the unit and injuries sustained during clashes with terrorists On 22 January 1995, Samih waited for his soldiers at the Beit Lid junction to take them to the unit, and was then a sergeant sergeant in the Paratroopers Brigade. He was accompanied by a second suicide bombing, and Samih ran to help treat the wounded, and discovered that his subordinates had accompanied him all his life, and that he continued to maintain contact with the wounded and the bereaved families. Various courses, fit in nicely with his friends, and as he had hoped he would be sent to his officers’ delight a lot. He completed the course with honors and on 28.2.1996 he moved to serve in the Israel Police as part of the Border Police. In 1997, Samih married his son, Ruhayeh, and established a family and a home in his village of Arab al-Aramshe. In 1998 their eldest son Salman was born and in 2000 Amran was born. While serving in the Border Police, Samih went on a joint tour with the Palestinian security forces and even served for a short time in the Defense Ministry, but returned to the Border Police. There, too, he was loved by everyone, smiling as ever and brilliant in his sharp mind. He was a true friend, a brave officer and a reliable, honest, tolerant commander. His subordinates called him “Dad”, they admired him and he was a role model for both the soldiers and the officers. Samih served in the territories – two years in Qalqiliya and then in Ramallah. Each time he moved to another position, he passed requests that he stay. Samih made sure to keep in touch with his soldiers, with whom he shared experiences and shared memories, and used to visit them. When he served in the Qalqiliya company with the rank of inspector, he was awarded a certificate of excellence by the Border Police commander in the Judea and Samaria region, Brigadier General Danny Ronen. Thanks to his initiative in routine security missions, he brought to the attention of the Shin Bet security service and seized weapons in the sector. Samih participated in many combat events and was one of the best in the field. In one of the incidents, during an exchange of fire, he was slightly injured by a machine. When he was hospitalized he stiffenedTold his brother Ahmed, told him what had happened, and asked him not to reveal his injury to the family, so as not to worry them. Only before he was discharged did he call them. When he left Ramallah, Samih completed an advanced commanding course and was appointed to a new position – a lieutenant colonel in the 25th Battalion of the Border Police in Hebron. He had been in office for seven months. The work in Hebron was difficult and dangerous. The company was responsible for the security of the Jewish settlement in Hebron, on the road to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, including escorting worshipers, and the maintenance of the checkpoints. The move to the Hebron area was of great concern to his family. His wife, father and other family members asked him to leave Hebron and press him to move to a safer place, close to his home. Samih wanted to continue on the path he chose and he knew how to do the best. Shortly before his death, he informed his wife that he was moving north toward the winter, close to home, to serve as a training base for a course for company commanders. He assured her that in the near future he would be more present in the house and would compensate her and the children for his absence. Despite his frequent absences from home, Samih was a loving and loyal family member. Every holiday he visited all his family and took care of them. At home he cooked and nursed the children. He was a great father, loved and devoted to his children and a husband who loved his wife. From his last vacation, he returned to the base on Friday as a duty officer. He passed through Jerusalem, where he met friends, and made his way to Hebron. Samih arrived at the base in the evening, had dinner with his soldiers, told about his children and how much he missed them. The soldiers laughed and shared their interests. At seven o’clock, Samih went on a tour of the Tomb of the Patriarchs. As a duty officer he was responsible for operating the company and did so in a professional manner. That same Friday evening, November 15, 2002, a terrorist positioned in front of the “southern gate”, the exit gate from Kiryat Arba to Hebron. Two other terrorists positioned themselves at the edge of the road leading from Kiryat Arba to the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The attack on the worshipers’ route took place in a narrow alley. At 18:55, terrorists opened fire at the four Nahal Brigade soldiers who were patrolling the area, accompanied by Border Police jeeps, two soldiers were wounded and the other two returned fire. in so doing. The members of the emergency squad called in additional forces and began to return fire. Superintendent Samih Sawidan heard the shots. He quickly arrived at the scene of the incident in a jeep, where he learned of the fall of two Nahal Brigade soldiers and the wounding of other soldiers, and took command and entered the alley where the terrorists were. He was seriously wounded and a few minutes later died of his wounds, and his driver was killed, and after the fall of Samih, a battalion commander and a kashar entered the alley. He was wounded in the exchange and a few minutes later died of his wounds. Colonel Dror Weinberg, commander of the Judea Brigade, heard the shots and reached the area of ​​the attack. He organized a force of three jeeps and entered the alley. When he got out of the jeep and walked toward the wounded jeep of Superintendent Samih Sweidan, a bullet was fired at him and killed him.As the battle raged in the alley, a battle developed in the area of ​​the “southern gate.” Four hours of bloody battle turned out to be 12 dead, Four IDF soldiers and three members of the Kiryat Arba emergency squad, and 14 wounded, and the three terrorists who were killed in the attack are now known as “Death Lane” or “Heroes’ Lane.” : Colonel Dror Weinberg, Deputy Danny Cohen, Staff Sergeant Yeshayahu Davidov, Staff Sergeant Igor Drovitzky, First Sergeant Netanel Machluf, Sergeant David Marcus, Sergeant Shani Tomer Nov, Sergeant Shani Quite pity and civil Isaac Boanis, Alex stall ValThe throne of Zeitman. Netanel, Tomer and Gad were soldiers in Samih’s company. The news of the incident reached the ears of military men in Samih’s village and his family, but they did not imagine the enormity of the disaster. They tried to contact him by cell phone, and when he did not answer, they understood that something terrible had happened. Superintendent Samih Sawidan fell in battle on November 15, 2002, at the Worshipers’ Way in Hebron. He was laid to rest in the cemetery in Edith. He was 30 years old when he fell. His coffin was carried by Border Police officers and hundreds participated in the funeral procession, after which Samih received the police medal of honor and left behind a wife, two children, a broken father and six brothers and sisters who would never forget their beloved brother and see his children as his successors and subjects Salman was four years old when his father and Amran was three years old and Samih’s wife, Ruhayeh, promised to give them the image so that they would remember their beloved father, and she knew how difficult it would be for them to understand that they would never get back what they had lost. Ahmed Samih’s brother eulogized him: “Samih was killed but his legacy remains. Common sense, wisdom and quiet were passed on to his son, Salman. The stubbornness, the bits and the frenzy were passed on to the little boy Amran. Samih taught Amran to salute and he saluted every friend of his father who came to their house … Samih, you arrived where you came, everything on your own, you want, persistently and patiently. You loved your family, you brothers, and you visited everyone on vacations. Samih, we will never forget you, remain flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood, we will remember you every day we see your wife and your two sons. “You can be calm, rest in peace and we will continue your path, take care of them, and as I said, you will always stay with us.” The commander of Company 25, Superintendent Dvor Sudki, eulogized him: “Samih conducted the battle as a hero. He was an excellent officer who knew no fear, a brave officer who could lead and navigate many people. He was an example of his soldiers who loved him very much. The letters of his name, which are the initials of a curious, enthusiastic, initiatory and wise man, reflect his image perfectly … In a short time, a lot of fighters swept you away. “Samih’s cousin Samir Suidan, head of the Arab Al-Aramshe Committee, said: “The settlement was proud of him, he excelled in everything he did. Samih was called ‘the flower of the village.’ “Samih’s many friends supported the family in its worst moments, encouraged it and helped it, and in its village a public park was named after him, according to the family.