Wael Zwaiter

Wael Zuaiter (Arabic :وائل زعيتر) was a Palestinian translator assassinated as the first target of Israel's Operation Wrath of God campaign following the 1972 Munich massacre. Israel considered Zwaiter a terrorist for his alleged role in the Black September movement, while his supporters argue that he was "never conclusively linked" with Black September or the Munich massacre and was killed in retribution.

Zuaiter was born in Nablus in the mid-1930s as son of [http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_z.htm#ZU'AITER,%20ADEL Adel Zu`aiter][http://www.passia.org/passia_files/photo_gallery/historical_figures/historical_figures_A5.htm]. He went to Iraq and studied Arabic literature and philosophy at the University of Baghdad. Zuaiter moved then to Libya and afterwards to Rome, where he was a PLO representative and worked as a translator for the Libyan embassy. In addition to his native Arabic, Zuaiter spoke French, Italian, and English. During his time in Italy Zuaiter was in the process of translating One Thousand and One Nights from Arabic into Italian, but according to Emily Jacir, he never completed this and to date there is no "direct translation" from Arabic to Italian.

Zuaiter was held for questioning by Italian police in August 1972 in relation to a bombing by the group Black September against an oil refinery, but was later released. The Israeli Mossad suspected him of being the head of Black September in Rome, and put him on an assassination list after Black September's attack in Munich. When he returned to his apartment building on the night of October 16, 1972, he was shot 11 times by two Israeli agents, killing him.

At the time Zwaiter was the PLO representative in Italy, and while Israel privately claimed he was a member of Black September and was involved in a failed plot against an El Al airliner, members of the PLO have argued that he was in no way connected. Abu Iyad, deputy-chief of the PLO, has stated that Zwaiter was "energetically" against terrorism.

Portrayal in film

Abdel Wael Zwaiter is portrayed by actor Makram Khoury in Steven Spielberg's Munich.
[http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article7098.shtml "Material for a film": Retracing Wael Zuaiter (Part 1)], installation in the 2007 La Biennale di Venezia by Emily Jacir
Emily Jacir: [http://electronicIntifada.net/v2/article7097.shtml "Material for a film": A performance (Part 2)], 16 July 2007, The Electronic Intifada
Najwan Darwis: [http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2359&ed=149&edid=149 Emily Jacir’s Material for a Film: Ongoing homage and artistic revenge for Wa’el Zuaiter]

Translation of "Wael Zwaiter"

Arabic: وائل زعيتر, German: Abdel Wael Zwaiter, French: Abdel Wael Zwaiter, Finnish: Abdel Wael Zwaiter.