Locked in a custody battle with her ex-husband Eli Alimane, the children with him in Lebanon and the Australian Government and Lebanese justice system unable to help, Sally Faulkner flew across the world with a television news crew to try to bring them home herself.
"I only did it for the sake of my children," she told SBS Arabic 24 this week of her decision to engage child recovery agents and take up an offer from Channel Nine's 60 Minutes to foot the bill in exchange for covering the story.
In the now-infamous incident that resulted, the two children, Noah, 4, and Lahela, 6, were snatched from a Beirut street, but Lebanese authorities were tipped off and Faulkner, the Nine crew and three of the recovery agents wound up in a Lebanese jail.
Faulkner says that it was never her intention to flout or insult Lebanese laws.
"I respect Lebanon, their laws, their people and culture," Faulkner says.
"My children are half-Lebanese so I have nothing against Lebanese people. It was just a matter of a mother wanting to be in her children's life again."
In spite of that Faulkner says it was cultural differences though, that caused the custody battle to arise in the first place.
"I am very disappointed and ashamed at his family that he has allowed this to happen and for the children not to have a loving capable mother in their lives," she says.
"I'm very disappointed in his own mother for not standing up and talking to him about what his children's rights actually are and that they should have both parents in their lives."
Faulkner says she would understand if there were allegations of abuse against her, but that in reality, she's been nothing but a good mother.
"If I had done something terribly wrong to those children, was a bad person, or had a sordid background, it would've come out by now in the media - they would have found out," she says.
"His mother didn't think of me as the right type person to be raising her grandchildren. She couldn’t stand the fact that they were half-Australian."
Before Elamine refused to allow the children out of his custody in Lebanon, Faulkner and he had several years of successful co-parenting as separated parents. In hindsight though, Faulkner tells SBS that she thinks all was not as it seemed.
"I think was an act," she explains. "I think it all was an act those previous few years, to gain my trust back and take the children back, because his mother wanted them back."
Faulkner is very clear on who she feels is behind the custody tensions reaching breaking point.
"His mother didn't think of me as the right type of mother or the right type person to be raising her grandchildren," she says.
"Because of the religion differences, because of the cultural differences - she couldn’t stand the fact that they were half-Australian."
Faulkner says that while she was living together with Elamine and the children in Lebanon, she made the effort to overcome the cultural differences.
"I tried," says Faulkner. "I dressed to the appropriate expectations over there. I tried to be as respectful as possible to their cultural and religious beliefs. I really did try to assimilate."
She says that the cultural clash between herself and Elamine wasn't entirely her fault."
"I really did try to learn the language," explains Faulkner.
"I love Lebanon. It's a beautiful, beautiful country - and I still think that."
"Ali didn't talk Arabic to the children, or to myself. I'd ask him of an evening 'What does this word mean?' Or 'teach me this sentence?' - but he didn't have an interest in wanting to help learn and I really did want to learn. It's a very hard language I think but I felt as though I was quite capable."
In spite of everything, Sally insists she holds nothing against the country. "I love Lebanon. It's a beautiful, beautiful country - and I still think that."
"It's just sad that these type of people out there are shameful in the way that they are acting, denying their own flesh and blood the rights to both parents."
"I would spend five years in jail in Lebanon if it meant I could take my children back to Australia after."
As to her experience inside a Lebanese jail?
"The authorities did look after us and treat us well to the best of their ability," Faulkner says.
"I can't say a bad word about them at all. They were very professional in their job. The jail wasn't great - but it is a jail, not a hotel, so that's what you expect."
"I would spend five years in jail in Lebanon if it meant I could take my children back to Australia after."
Reflecting back on the whole experience, Faulkner says, "I hope that what I did, even though it was not successful, was enough for them to realise that I love them and never gave them up."
Listen to the Arabic 24's full Radio interview with Sally Faulkner below:
