- The Bitterest Exile

On May 25, 2000 the Israeli army unilaterally ended it’s over 20 year occupation of Southern Lebanon. It is a scene still etched in the minds of Lebanese today as the IDF vacated its positions and equipment at a moment’s notice and left Lebanon in less than 24 hours.

Accompanying the Israelis in their retreat were members of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) - Israel’s Lebanese proxy military force and their families, who were escaping retribution at the hands of the Lebanese government and Hizbullah.

Numbering some 7500 these citizens of Lebanon, considered collaborators by their co-nationals, were provided safe-haven in Israel where they were given Israeli citizenship and encouraged to begin new lives.