FACE TO FACE WITH TERRORISTS
This afternoon I left Ramallah and travelled to Nablus, the town described by Israel as the centre of the West Bank’s terrorist infrastructure.
After meeting our fixer we walked deep into the Old City, a labyrinth of narrow streets, archways and walls covered with posters glorifying young suicide bombers.
We waited on a street corner and after a few minutes a senior member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade emerged, flanked by six masked gunmen.
We shook hands politely and the gunmen led us down the winding alleyways of Nablus and through a locked doorway to a vaulted room off a courtyard.
Tim, our cameraman, set up his equipment. When the tape was rolling the commander from the Al-Aqsa Brigade – which is loyal to the Fatah party which was so heavily defeated in last week’s election – laid out his group’s position following the ballot.
He struck a conciliatory tone, saying that the Hamas victory was the result of a democratic election.
“We are all brothers – Fatah and Hamas,” he said. “We all follow the same Koran.”
Drawing its inspiration from the Shiite Lebanese militia, Hezbollah, the Al-Aqsa Brigade emerged during the most recent Palestinian intifada.
In 2002 it carried out a series of deadly attacks against Israeli civilians, which led the US to add the group to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Its leaders have been targeted repeatedly by Israeli forces.
To most people, the balaclava-clad militiamen of the Al-Aqsa Brigade are, understandably, the very embodiment of a Palestinian terrorist; cold-eyed, cold-blooded killers intent on the murder of innocent civilians.
There is no doubt that members of the Brigade have been responsible for many acts of atrocity.
Yet amid the rabbit warren of Nablus’s Old City, on their home turf, the militiamen were courteous, mild mannered and articulate.
The more junior gunmen, their eyes looking bored behind their masks, fingered the triggers of their AK-47s and M-16s as their leader spoke to us.
Once the camera had stopped rolling they removed their disguises and laughed and chatted among themselves.
They looked no different to you or me.
This afternoon I left Ramallah and travelled to Nablus, the town described by Israel as the centre of the West Bank’s terrorist infrastructure.After meeting our fixer we walked deep into the Old City, a labyrinth of narrow streets, archways and walls covered with posters glorifying young suicide bombers.
We waited on a street corner and after a few minutes a senior member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade emerged, flanked by six masked gunmen.
We shook hands politely and the gunmen led us down the winding alleyways of Nablus and through a locked doorway to a vaulted room off a courtyard.
Tim, our cameraman, set up his equipment. When the tape was rolling the commander from the Al-Aqsa Brigade – which is loyal to the Fatah party which was so heavily defeated in last week’s election – laid out his group’s position following the ballot.
He struck a conciliatory tone, saying that the Hamas victory was the result of a democratic election. “We are all brothers – Fatah and Hamas,” he said. “We all follow the same Koran.”
Drawing its inspiration from the Shiite Lebanese militia, Hezbollah, the Al-Aqsa Brigade emerged during the most recent Palestinian intifada.
In 2002 it carried out a series of deadly attacks against Israeli civilians, which led the US to add the group to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Its leaders have been targeted repeatedly by Israeli forces.
To most people, the balaclava-clad militiamen of the Al-Aqsa Brigade are, understandably, the very embodiment of a Palestinian terrorist; cold-eyed, cold-blooded killers intent on the murder of innocent civilians. There is no doubt that members of the Brigade have been responsible for many acts of atrocity.
Yet amid the rabbit warren of Nablus’s Old City, on their home turf, the militiamen were courteous, mild mannered and articulate.
The more junior gunmen, their eyes looking bored behind their masks, fingered the triggers of their AK-47s and M-16s as their leader spoke to us.
Once the camera had stopped rolling they removed their disguises and laughed and chatted among themselves.
They looked no different to you or me.
posted by Stuart at 22:04
10 Comments:
Very interesting post - thank you.
Terrorist: what the big army calls the little army.
Democracy works. Hamas Wins.
Sharon the Butcher is a Terrorist
GWB jr. is a terrorist
The Emporer is without hi clothes
Whos is a Patriot and a freedom Fighter
Who has manipulated the occupation
who contiunes illeagal settelments
freedom democracy and the american cia way
Haiti, Haliburton, Enron, EXXON, GUlf Oil, Billions for settlements
the WALL, Alito's abortion
FEAR through Domination, Spying., Global warming, Torture
what happened to the Constution
Frankly, I don't care how these people came across. They are a scourge upon the earth and deserve nothing less than our contempt and disgust. As long as they target the innocent, it is irrelevant how just they may think their cause is. Their acts display nothing but cowardice.
Adolf Eichmann was a pleasant fellow too.
hornsofthedevil...on the other hand, if brave folks like Stuart didn't visit these neighborhoods, the people who make up these communities would only be defined by propoganda.
Its hard to stay balanced in this time of seemingly unending "zealot violence," but despite the aggregiousness of their acts (and the perpetrators should be brought to justice (on both sides)), we need to reach out to these very communities; to see their human side, to better understand their plight, to find solutions. Because its clear that engaging in some kind of protracted urban, fuck civilian lives (I'm sorry - collateral damage) policy won't solve anything.
I say, "damn good work Mr Hughes."
We're all the same in the end, you don't have any idea what you'd be capable of if all the freedom, comforts and security of your present existence were traded in for life in a war-zone. I'm not condoning anything, I just think it's too easy to condemn when you live in the much luckier hemishphere.
here's an idea...
spending their money(billions in government aid) on teaching their kids more than hating jews.
how about a real curriculum that involves math and science and not - the zionist forces that keep you poor.
nevermind ALL the money their beloved former leader Arafat diverted to a french account for his disgusting wife and ALL the money they spen on weapons to further the conflict.
last time i checked, the Palestinians were offered a state bigger than any previous offering in 2000 with internationally recognized borders and a seat at the UN - and what happened?
... they turned it down.
that in itself is proof positive they are not bothered with the welfare of their people, they are solely concerned with the destruction of their negihbors. they are solely concerned with driving the jews into the sea.
even when you are offered a proposition towards something you want and you don't like it - you make a COUNTER OFFER.
which Arafat did not make. he just walked away...
do you think the people of Tibet would have walked away from that offer?
they have had their cultue robbed from them, they live in a police state run by an occupying force and they have not resorted to teaching their children to hate from when they are an infant on. they do not parade their kids around with guns in their hands.
they deserve a state and Palestinians do not.
people and nations are judged on their actions.
you realize that Israel has 2 million muslim arabs living in their borders who are not killed or oppressed. some of them even serve in their government. even (gasp) some women are represeted in their government...
Israel is a free nation with a gay pride parade.
what would happen if there was a gay pride parade in Palestine?
what would happen is a woman started speaking publicly about the direction of the nation?
check the Koran for what would happen.
intolerance, oppression, ignorance and violence.
none cares about the life of the poor citizen in palestinian & in Israel, they only care about the money & the power.
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