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Tel Aviv bomber's family shunned by neighbors
For seven days after a burial a Palestinian family receives mourners, normally a big social event involving colourful banners and patriotic music. But yesterday seven members of the family of Abdullah Badran, the 21-year-old who blew himself up at the entrance to a Tel Aviv nightclub on Friday, killing five Israelis, occupied the otherwise empty chairs and when asked if Abdullah's death had achieved anything they all shook their heads, and one said no in English.Abdullah's brother Ibrahim said they were mystified and angered by his death. "I really do not know what was on his mind. ... He wanted to be a teacher, to get married and get a home. He seemed optimistic in spite of everything. It never occurred to any of us that he would blow himself up." Deir al Ghusun is a hill town of 8,000 inhabitants. The flags of Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the leftwing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine fly from many buildings, but there are none near the house of mourning. Islamic Jihad, which has claimed responsibility for the bombing, was keeping a low profile. Sami Qadan said the whole town was shocked and angered by the bombing and in protest no one was paying respects to the family. "Things were getting better and then no sooner do we have money coming in again then it is stopped by this suicide bombing. This intifada has killed us and the wall has destroyed us. We cannot even leave our homes and we want it to stop," he said. Six of his sons were working as builders in Israel but when they tried to cross the checkpoint on Sunday they were told: "No one from Deir al Ghusun is coming into Israel." Abdullah, a student of Arabic literature at a branch of the al-Quds (Jerusalem) University in Tulkarem, was last seen at breakfast on Friday. "We didn't ask where he was going because it wasn't our normal practice. There was nothing in him to suggest that he had no plans to return," his brother said. The family realised that something was wrong only when Israeli soldiers arrived at 5am on Saturday morning and told them. ... The family had not suffered any particular grievance at the hands of the Israelis, Ibrahim said, although he was detained in 1989 and held for 18 months without trial.... Ibrahim said that the family was extremely angry with the people who had chosen and prepared Abdullah for his suicide mission. "I don't know who they are but we want them to stop this and reach out their hands for peace. That is the only way the situation will improve." Posted by: trailing wife 2005-03-01 |
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