Their bags stuffed full of dollar bills courtesy of the “Israeli” government, 118 former “Israeli”-allied militiamen and their families returned to Lebanon on Friday, four months after they fled to “Israel” during the collapse of the occupation zone.
Further batches of ex-militiamen are expected in the coming days, with one security official suggesting that as many as 1,000 former militiamen may ultimately return.
The militia exodus from “Israel” appears to have been prompted by one-time payments of $17,000 by the “Israeli” government to every ex-militiamen willing to return to Lebanon.
Of the 118 returnees, 28 were members of the “Israeli”-proxy militia and two worked in “Israel”. The remainder were family members who were allowed by the Internal Security Forces to return to their homes. The militiamen ­ all of them low-ranking guards, cooks and mechanics ­ were arrested.
Before they took leave of their families, the former militiamen handed their wives bundles of cash for safekeeping.
The returnees arrived at the border at Ras Naqoura at 7am. They were brought by United Nations buses to Naqoura harbor, where some 300 relatives who remained in Lebanon during the “Israeli” withdrawal were waiting to greet them.
Rania Haddad, who was waiting for her uncle to arrive, said he would be better off “in prison in his country than in “Israel”.
“We have a just government and judiciary and I’m sure he’ll be treated right,” she said.
Soldiers and ISF officers allowed relatives 30 minutes to welcome the returnees and give them whatever they needed.
While the women and children were allowed to leave after giving a statement to the present security forces, the 28 collaborators remained behind.
One of the women sat under a tree with her crying child and fed him from a milk bottle inscribed with Hebrew letters.
“The bottle isn’t important,” the woman said, “what’s important is that we’re back and can say that we’ve woken up from a bad dream.”
At the northern corner of the port sat three children with their luggage and toys. The father of Nancy, Douaa and Ali was one of the 28 militiamen who returned.
Ali, 6, complained that “Israeli” children refused to play with him and he resorted to using the bathroom tub as a swimming pool to amuse himself.
Ahmad Abu Sari, 60, hugged his grandchildren and expressed happiness that they returned.
“Thank God the children and their mother (his daughter) came back before it was too late,” he said. “Let my son-in-law serve his time in prison. I don’t mind. What crime did the children commit that they had to be made to learn Hebrew in “Israeli” schools?”
The 28 men were later taken to the army barracks in Tyre while the women and children returned to their villages.

The Daily Star, 23-9-2000.