I knew from Joseph that the leader had traveled to Damascus. Then comrade Fu'ad Zahlan came to tell me that Saadeh was in Damascus and that he was all right. Some days later Widad Shawwaf and her brother Qasim came to visit me. She told me that I have to travel to al Ladiqiyya [in Syria] to see the leader. I refused since they had no written request from my husband regarding my traveling. At the time I knew nobody from the Shawwaf family in order to be sure about Widad and her brother. They left and came the second day with a small note from my husband asking me to take the children and meet him in al Ladiqiyya after some time. I took the children and the maid, as well as some clothes. I put the beddings and kitchen utensils in neighbor's houses. I deposited the books that belonged to a Palestinian family-the Sabbagh family most probably-with the landlord, Mrs. Shuqayr.
In order to pass the borders without making it known to the authorities that I was traveling I took Yusra's identity card and covered my face with a thick black silk scarf so that nobody could see my face. I came out from the house of Doctor Mustafa al Khalidi since my house was being watched constantly. Widad's uncle's wife and her mother, as well as Qasim were with us in the same car. We took the seashore route all the way to al Ladiqiyya. We went down as guests at the Shawwaf family house. I do not remember how long we stayed there until we were arrested. Anyway, I do not think it was more than three or four days. We met SSNP leader Elias Jirji who was passing through al Ladiqiyya on his way for a mission whose particulars were unknown to me. He told me that the leader is in Damascus and that he is in good health. I did not tell him that I was supposed to meet my husband in al Ladiqiyya. I did so thinking that the leader perhaps did not want anyone to know about that. Besides, Elias did not mention anything about Saadeh's visit to al Ladiqiyya.
That night, July 1, 1949, I heard people pounding the front door at three in the morning. When Mrs. Maryam Shawwaf, Um Fu'ad [Mother of Fu'ad], opened the door Security forces entered the house and came to the door of the room where I was staying. They said they wanted to enter and search the room. I put on my rob and opened the door. My daughters were sleep with the maid in the same room... They came in and searched the travel trunks and even my handbag. They also searched SSNP leader Fu'ad Shawwaf's room, arrested him, and took him with them. At that moment I felt that the Damascus government was not on our side any more. The way they searched the house was a hint that they thought that Saadeh could have been there and that he was the real target. I noticed that one of the security force members was looking inside the big cabinets where a person could hide.
The security forces were not allowing anyone from either entering or leaving the premises. Only Qasim, Fu'ad's brother was left in the house. At six o'clock in the morning the officer came in and told me that I have to go with them and that I had to prepare myself, the kids, and the maid too. A military pick-up was in front of the house. We were all put in it with our travel trunks. They did not want to tell me where we were going. Some hours later we were about to cross the Syrian/Lebanese border at the Dabbusiyye point. The officer turned to me and said that they were not going to give me up to the Lebanese authorities. He told me that he can take me back to Lebanon. I told him that he was tasked with a specific mission. If that mission is to give me up to the Lebanese authorities I am not afraid of that because I had done nothing wrong. If however, his mission was something else, why was he not telling me where we are going? He then told me that the [Syrian] government had instructed him to take me to Damascus. I said no. He said you will like it there…
We were in the car for about eight hours. They took the Tartus-Safita-Homs road. We stopped in Homs. I asked them that the kids are thirsty and hungry. They refused. I had some food and water with me and I gave these to the kids. We finally reached Damascus and were taken to Barada Hotel. Our room was on the fifth floor. We had two beds, while the maid was given a separate bed at the next room. I was still confused and could not understand what was happening to us. Why were we led to Damascus? Why were we in a hotel, room not of our choosing? Several hours later I saw that we were under the strict control of the security forces.
