Nebi Samuel

In the first week of August, 1953, 25-year-old Ariel Sharon was preparing for a history exam when he was interrupted and summoned to a meeting with his reserve battalion commander, Mishael Shaham. The tale is told by Michael Bar-Zohar in his Lionhearts:

(Sharon) thought it was going to be a discussion about administrative and logistics matters, but Shaham opened with the question: "Have you heard of Mustafa Samueli?"

"Yes," Sharon said. Despite his studies at the university, this young man, who had distinguished himself during the War of Independence, kept up with army material enough to know who Samueli was. This Palestinian Arab, a resident of the village of Nebi Samuel, had sworn to massacre a hundred Jews to avenge the blood of his brother, who had been killed in one of the battles in the War of Independence. Sharon even knew that Samueli had begun to carry out his threat and had already committed a few murders. Nebi Samuel was across the border, on the West Bank, which was under Jordanian rule. Samueli had only to sneak across the border (actually the 1949 cease-fire line), which was close to his village, carry out his bloody design, and retreat to his village with impunity.