- Yousef Jaara is a broken man. His son, Ali, a Palestinian
policemen from the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, became a suicide bomber,
killing 10 people on a Jerusalem bus on the 29 January.
-
- Dozens were also injured in the blast which was detonated
not far from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's residence.
-
- The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group linked
to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility
for the bombing.
-
- The attack came a day after eight Palestinians were killed
in clashes during an Israeli army raid on the Gaza Strip.
-
- Consequences
-
- Yousef says that if he had known of his son's intentions
he would have stopped him. "Suicide bombs against civilians or soldiers
are wrong - killing on either side is not good."
-
- "This is a policy that cannot solve the conflict
- we need to go back to the negotiating table".
-
- The consequences of Ali's action were soon felt by Yousef.
The Israeli Defence Force arrived at his house that night and informed
him that his house was to be destroyed within minutes.
-
- They then detonated explosive charges in the house that
destroyed it and damaged several other houses.
-
- Medication
-
- Yousef had hoped that his son would be the last "martyr"
and that there would be "no more blood". That hope was dashed
on 22 February when another Jerusalem bus was attacked by a suicide bomber,
killing eight.
-
- Yousef says Ali's death and its consequences have worsened
his heart condition and he is now dependent on medication to survive.
-
- The army checkpoints that surround Bethlehem mean it
is difficult for him to reach the hospital where he receives his prescription.
-
- He fears that one day he will be arrested and that he
will die without access to his medication.
-
- 'I hurt inside'
-
- Ali supported the family with his Policeman's income
and Yousef now struggles to provide for his seven daughters. He says he
gets no help from al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
-
- Posters glorifying Ali's "martyrdom' line the streets
of Aida and it is hard for Yousef to face images of his son. "I don't
sleep - I have bad dreams and I hurt inside - his death has been emotionally
expensive for me."
-
- Yousef's story is a familiar one to many Palestinians.
Forced from his Bet Shemesh home as a child he spent many years in Jordanian
refugee camps before returning to the West Bank and Aida.
-
- His brother was expelled from the West Bank after the
Church of the Nativity siege in 2002 and is now living in exile in Ireland.
-
- Sitting under a tent in the ruins of Yousef's home, he
is sanguine about his situation.
-
- "I began my life in tents and now I've returned
to living in tents - I hope for an independent Palestinian state but we
can't solve this problem with bombs. We need to talk."
-
- © BBC MMIV
-
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3491126.stm
|
