Zachary Baumel
Druze residents of the Israeli Golan Heights and Syrian prisoners in Israel are expected to be returned to Syria in exchange for the remains of fallen Israeli soldiers currently listed as “burial place unknown.”
The two men were identified as Zidan Tweil, a drug-smuggler, and Hamis Ahmad, a Fatah operative who attempted to attack Israel Defense Forces’ soldiers 14 years ago.
In Russia, the notion of a “hero who died for his homeland” is sacred. Every year in Russia, thousands of volunteers search for soldiers who fell defending their homeland from the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War (World War II).
“Thirty-seven years have elapsed, but today you returned home. You returned to our homeland, to Jerusalem,” said Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in his eulogy.
“We hope that the leaders of Israel, both political and military, will again show the necessary courage and take the bold actions to bring Hadar home,” said Leah Goldin, whose son was killed on Aug. 1, 2014, during a ceasefire from “Operation Protective Edge.”
“Our military, together with Syrian partners, established the place of his burial,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We are very pleased that at home they can give him the necessary military honors.”
The funeral of Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, missing for 37 years since the battle of Sultan Yacoub during the Lebanon War in 1982, will take place at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem.
Zachary Baumel was one of three Israeli soldiers whose remains were never found in the aftermath of the Battle of Sultan Yacoub between Israel and Syria in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
