Poisoned Mossad chocolate killed PFLP leader in 1977, says book
May 5, 2006
Middle East Times International Edition
JERUSALEM -- Wadi Haddad, a notorious Palestinian militant leader who masterminded several plane hijackings, was poisoned in 1977 with chocolate crafted by Israeli spies from Mossad, a new book reveals.
In Striking Back, written in English, Aharon Klein confirms suspicions that Israel's intelligence agency killed the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian (PFLP), whose love for chocolate was well known.
According to Klein, a Palestinian Mossad operative offered Haddad a box of Belgian chocolates that had been spiked with poison.
Haddad died several months later in a rundown hotel in East Germany after doctors were unable to diagnose his disease.
"Haddad was considered Israel's number one enemy over the hijackings and other deadly terror attacks across the world," Klein said.
"He wasn't liquidated out of vengeance, even though this motive had existed, but out of the need to neutralize his organization and this desired effect had been achieved," he said.
Klein said that "since the recent publication of his book, none of the information has not been officially denied by the Israel".
Haddad was the first to hijack an Israeli plane on July 23, 1968, and the Jewish state released Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages taken.
His organization was also behind the 1972 hijacking of an Air France plane carrying dozens of Israelis that was forced to land in Uganda. The standoff only ended after Israel sent special forces to release the hostages.
Mossad took out almost all the leaders of the militant Palestinian Black September organization, which was behind for the hostage taking and killing of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
But of those targeted by Israel, at least two had not been involved in the Munich operation.
In October 1996 Mossad assassinated in Malta the leader of the radical Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, Fathi Shkaki.
But the top-secret agency has also been behind several failed attempts in recent years, which have caused major embarrassment to its government.
The most serious flop occurred in September 1997, when Israeli agents were caught in Jordan after poisoning Hamas' politburo chief, Khaled Meshaal.
Following this, Israel was forced to provide the antidote by Jordan's then-King Hussein and release Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin from jail.
Copyright © 2006 News World Communications Inc.
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