The current Chief of Mossad, Dani Yatom, is quoted as saying:
“I prayed for two opposing things on the same day. Before the operation, my prayer was that Khalid Meshal be killed and that we be successful. And after the operation, I had to pray that, ‘Oh God, let nothing happen to Khalid Meshal.'”
Jordan had demanded three things from Israel:
The antidote.
The complete details of the poison.
The device through which the poison was administered.
On the same night, a small plane arriving from Israel landed in Oman. Israel provided the antidote and the device but refused to disclose the details of the poison, citing it as a national secret with potential legal implications. There was not only moral pressure on Israel, but also an important development. On that same day, at the behest of King Hussein, Jordan’s security forces had surrounded the Israeli embassy in Oman. Without the permission of the Jordanian authorities, no one was allowed in or out. The Israeli ambassador had been informed that if the antidote did not arrive by midnight, security forces would storm the embassy. In response, the Israeli ambassador said, “According to the Geneva Accord, our embassy is Israeli territory. According to international law, you cannot enter it.”
Major General Ali Shukri responded, “When it is established that the embassy is harboring criminals, the Geneva Accord does not provide protection.”
It was decided that the remaining members of the Mossad team would stay there. The head of the Mossad’s Intelligence Division, Danny Yatom, confirms this:
“When I went to meet King Hussein, I also went to our embassy. There I met the rest of the team; they were very nervous. I reassured them, telling them not to worry, everything will be fine.”
Meanwhile, in the hospital, a team of doctors was making frantic efforts to save Khalid Mashal’s life. The team was led by Shah Hussein’s personal physician, Dr. Youssef Goussous. He says, “From the symptoms, it was clear that Khalid’s respiratory center in the brain had been targeted. Because he was unconscious and having difficulty breathing. But it wasn’t clear what kind of substance was used; it was difficult to find a solution.
“Over 50 doctors estimated that whatever substance had been used had an effect similar to morphine. Therefore, the doctors chose the same route for treatment as is typically done with a morphine overdose. It was during this time, when triage was set up around midnight, that the doctors’ team was shocked when they saw a vial labeled ‘Adrenaline,’ but the substance in it did not match the name. So, it was immediately sent to the laboratory to identify its contents. The lab report revealed that it was Narcan, the same medication that the medical team had previously administered to Khalid Mashal. Perhaps, Mossad wanted to keep the nature of the poison referred to as the ‘national secret’ hidden in the dark by using this deceptive name. The next day, Khalid Mashal came out of a coma. His condition seemed like he had been suffering from a severe illness for a long time.
Throughout this entire situation, the Jordanian authorities were leaking details of their negotiations and demands with Israel and the United States to the media. Jordan was fighting on seven fronts. The nation and Hamas only knew that King Hussein had issued a statement regarding an attack on Khalid Mashal and that security forces surrounded the Israeli embassy. However, when Randa Habib obtained information about the availability of Tariq and Davis, the Jordanian Ministry of Information immediately denied it.
With Khalid Mashal’s recovery, Jordan and Israel shifted their stance in a different direction. Until then, Jordan had been running around, trying to obtain the antidote from Israel to save Khalid. Now, it was Israel’s turn to negotiate, as an Israeli agent was requesting his release under the custody of Jordan. Along with that, Israel demanded the release of the entire hit team from Jordan. In response, Jordan took a strong stance, which rattled Benjamin Netanyahu’s senses. King Hussein had already demanded the release of 50 Jordanian and Palestinian prisoners. But these were not ordinary prisoners.
At the top of the list of prisoners was the founder and leader of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin had been serving a sentence in an Israeli jail since 1989. Thus, it seemed that Jordan had decided that he would negotiate with Israel for the heavy price of the Mossad’s attack. Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman has an interesting perspective on this matter: “This was a very delicate time for Israel because it knew that it had to recover the two Mossad agents as quickly as possible. Delay in this matter could be dangerous. I am not a fan of Operation Oman. It was wrong. But when it was carried out and they were captured, the prisoners’ release had to be negotiated at any cost. However, it’s also true that Sheikh Ahmed Yassin’s release dealt a severe, irreversible blow to Israel.”
Israel had prepared for the exchange of prisoners with Hamas, but Benjamin Netanyahu chose a representative for Israel who was none other than the bloodthirsty animal Ariel Sharon. At that time, Ariel Sharon was Israel’s Infrastructure Minister. He explained the details of the prisoner exchange: “Initially, they refused to return the entire list by saying that all of them had the blood of Israelis on their hands. I asked, ‘Who is there in Palestine on whom this allegation from you does not exist?’ If you want to take your two prisoners, this is the list you’ll have to accept. If you don’t agree to this list, forget about your two agents. So, they agreed, and they brought all the prisoners to Oman by helicopter. And thus, this deal became known as the Helicopter Diplomacy.”
The attack on Khalid Mashal took place on the night of September 30, 1997, while a helicopter was landing at Al Hussein Medical City in Jordan. King Hussein was present to receive the helicopter. When the helicopter landed, King Hussein was the first person to enter and kiss Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was lying on a stretcher. Afterward, he was immediately transferred to the ICU. This entire incident boosted Hamas’s popularity, and as a result, Fateh and the Fatah Movement gradually lost their position. Meanwhile, Israel and its Mossad suffered heavy losses. They were utterly embarrassed, and their glass was more than half full of shame. The Mossad became a subject of ridicule worldwide because the very agents who had not only scratched but also bitten Israel’s nose were now being released.”
