Munich widows accuse Germany of hiding information
Ilana Romano, whose husband, Yossef, was one of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, isn't surprised to learn that neo-Nazis were involved. 'It was clear that the terrorists had support,' she says
"I'm not at all surprised to hear that the terrorists had cooperation in Germany. The murder in Munich wasn't a 'regular success,' it was a 'great success.' It's obvious that the terrorist organization had support from all kinds of places," Ilana Romano – whose husband, Yosef, was one of the 11 Israeli athletes killed by Black September terrorists at the 1972 Munich Games – said Sunday.
Romano spoke in response to a new report that the terrorists had been supported by neo-Nazis inside Germany.
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The report, which was leaked ahead of its scheduled publication Monday in Der Spiegel, is based on thousands of documents requested by the newspaper and reveals that Neo-Nazis supplied the Palestinian terrorists with the forged passports that allowed them to enter Germany.
Unlike Romano, Ankie Spitzer-Hacks, widow of Andre Spitzer – who died during the attempted rescue of the Israeli hostages – was surprised by the new information.
The Israeli delegation to the 72 Munich Games. (Photo: AP)
"It's news to me that neo-Nazis were involved," she said. "We aren't surprised to learn more, because it happened 40 years ago – new angles and new information is being discovered all the time, but today, from a source considered reliable, it's surprising."
Spitzer-Hacks, a reporter on Israel and the Middle East for Dutch and Belgian TV, wonders about one thing: Why is the information being published now?
"In the past, we were given other information, that the terrorists had been helped by Arab nations, mainly Libya – both for money and weapons. They told us that (former Libyan leader Muammar) Gaddafi had sent weapons via diplomatic post and that East Germany had been involved. But neo-Nazi involvement is totally new for me," she said.
Romano and Spitzer-Hacks, like the rest of the victims' families, continues to deal with the Munich massacre on a daily basis.
"The Munich disaster isn't over, there are no easy days," Romano said. "For 40 years we have faced a round-the-clock struggle. I don't remember Yossi just during the moment of silence; the opposite – during the moment of silence we cry out against terror so that the wolrd will hear. But day to day, it's my own private disaster."
Spitzer-Hacks believes that the matter won't be closed as long as the full picture remains unknown. "We've been looking for the answer for 40 years, but for the first 20 the Germans kept documents related to the incident from us."
"Investigations, ballistic reports, and pathology reports – it could have been that there were things they were trying to hide precisely because of this new information. If we had known all this, maybe we would have won our suit. We don't know exactly how to take this new information. I'm trying to solve this puzzle, but apparently it's impossible."
