Watchword in Palestinian’s funeral
«Glory be to God! There is no other God but Allah»
«Get up, you Moslem, get up, we only exist for the sake of God.»
Narration
It was a thirteen-year old child, killed by Israeli soldiers. The Israelis said the boy was caught shooting, the Palestinians claimed that he was just crossing the street. He is a martyr, say his companions and swear to take revenge on his blood.
Watchword
« Al-Aqsa runs in Hazhem’s veins»
Narration
In Han Yunis, a small shed settlement in the Gaza Strip, poverty is the rule and such a funeral is a common sight. The funeral procession will cross the whole settlement with the people almost running, spreading the news of one more dead body. The child will be buried the soonest possible in order to find peace, according to the custom, and then his photo will adorn the streets of the city.The honorary shooting comes from young men’s guns, recruited in the Al-Aqsa Brigades or in the Hamas. They are ready to transform themselves in human bombs, tie explosives round their waist and explode in the streets of Israel. They are ready to kill or get killed in a fight, as soldiers do.
Watchword
«Glorify the God, you Moslem, say that God is great and explode the Israeli heads, the Gate of Al-Aqsa is made of iron and only a martyr can open it... No reconciliation, no peace»
Narration
The team of «Sextant» managed to obtain remarkable access in the units of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, this secret organisation of partisans, which has been characterised as a «terrorist organisation» by the United States and is the number one enemy of Israel. It is responsible for numerous bombing suicide assaults, especially during the latest period. The army of Israel since the spring of 2002 invades in Palestinian land in order to override it as well as the Islamic Hamas.Using this excuse entire refuges’ settlements have been destroyed… The result has been debatable…
TITLE HATE IN THE HOLY LAND
Narration
There are no smart weapons, nor perfect intelligent services. It is innocent people that are killed in the operations of The Israeli Air Forces. This was Hussein Abaghiat’s car. He was one of the most important leaders of the Al- Aqsa brigades in the whole West Bank. He was eliminated by Israeli helicopters with five missiles. The chrism of the organization leadership remained in the family’s hands. His brother, Atef Abaghiat, became the leader of the Brigades. This is Atef’s car that the Israeli intelligent services entrapped with explosives. The Abaghiat family counts many dead people.
Super Caption Bethlehem – West Bank
Narration
This village in the distance is known as the Abaghiat village. The Abaghiat is a large family known all over the country. Maybe it is the most powerful family all over Palestine.
Narration
The Abaghiat are about 10.000 people, all of them close or distant relatives. They are Bedouins, having immigrated from Saudi Arabia many generations ago. They are in perfect terms with guns. They are leaders fighting from the beginning of the last century. First against the British, then against the Israelis.
Member of the Abaghiat family
«I was imprisoned. If the British were chasing someone and they could not find him, the would give up. The Israelites on the other hand will arrest a whole family unless they find the one they want
Narration
Nowadays, all the leaders of the Al-Aqsa brigades, of Hamas, and also the leaders of every single armed group of Bethlehem, are originated from the Abaghiat family.
Ambu Ali Abaghiat
«Wise people place the right man in the right position. This war became a burden for the Palestinians, and especially the Abaghiat.»
Narration
They said they enrich from stock breeding, agriculture and trade. They used to serve juices and mint tea in golden-rimmed glasses.
Question - Are the Israelis afraid of the Abaghiat?
Ambu Ali Abaghiat
«We do not say they are afraid of us.Israel has a capable Government but we on the other hand are not afraid of nobody but God.»
Narration
The Abaghiat fight against the Israelis looks like a personal blood tend.
Ambu Ali Abaghiat
«What the Israelis do to the Abaghiats is unacceptable. It is illegal to kill massively, to attack them with aircrafts and rocket bombs. There at the Abaghiat case is different, due to the fact that Israel has murdered many of them.»
Narration
After Atef died, it was Ibrahim’ s turn to become the leader of Al Aqsa Brigades. Ibrahim Abaghiat was the one who led the 250 fighters into the Greek- Orthodox Church of the Nativity in the spring of 2002. The Israeli Army surrounded the temple in a 39 days siege. The fighters surrendered under conditions.
Ambu Ali Abaghiat
«We thought that the Pope would stand up for us in case we stayed in the Church of the Nativity. They would not hit us, neither would they come in. So, we got in the church and we hoped that in a couple of days things would improve, but it lasted too much longer. We had nothing to eat. Thank God we were all together, beiing all as one hand, one heart, one name. We defended the deacons, and the temple, because we know that it is a sacred place for their religion and for the monks. The deacons were 100% kind to us.
Narration
Ambu Abaghiat got out of the temple when the siege finished. He returned home to the surrender line. Ibrahim and twelve more commanders were permanently expatrieted.
Song
«I proceed along with God towards the death of a martyr… and my prayer will rise up to the sky. He prayed and, by the martyr death he bequeathed his children: Follow my steps»
Narration
Ibrahim is already in Italy and his relatives are afraid that Israeli secret agents will murder him.
Son of Ibrahim Abaghiat
«All of us will follow this way, both young and older, in the name of God.»
Question -Did you try to prevent him ?
Aisa Abaghiat Wife
«No, because Palestine must be liberated and if Ibrahim takes no such initiative, who will liberate it? Who will defend our country? If his sons bind him, who will remove the enemies from my country?»
Daughter of Ibrahim
«One day these women will raise and defend their country. The heaviest role now is the one of men, but I believe there will be one day that we will take guns and we will go out to fight.»
Question -Do you remember something he used to say about the liberation fight?
Daughter
«He was always telling us to defend our country, if we do not do this, who else will do it? He was always speaking to us about this. Fight is not only for men. This is our land and we must defend it. In every way.»
Narration
The photographs of Aghiat Ahras decorate the refugees’ settlement in Bethlehem. In this story of merciless conflict between two nations Aghiat became the third woman suiside bomber. Just at the age of 18 she wrapped explosives round her body and exploded inside a supermarket of Jerusalem. The Al-Aqsa brigades undertook the responsibility for the attack with a phone call. Aghiat’s parents say they did not know anything, not even that their daughter was a member of an organization, nor that she had been tasked a suicide mission. They had suspected nothing.
Mohammed Ahras Father of Aghiat
«This was Aghiat.She was beautiful, she had a lovely personality, she was determinated, well educated, prudent. Her only goal was education. She was about to get married in the summer but unfortunately instead of a wedding ceremony she played the leading part in a ceremony for the Palestinian people. She became Palestine’s bride. The Al- Aqsa’s bride»
Handra Ahras Mother of Aghiat
«She had great dreams to get back our country, our flag, to become a journalist herself. Her dream was to become a journalist and tell all over the world about the problem we face, the problem that not even the Arabs seem to understand, let alone foreigners - to make our problem known all over the world.»
Narration
In an ordinary suburb of Jerusalem lies the other side of history. Rachel Levi was one of the two victims of the young Palestinian woman. She also was a seventeen-year old girl.
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel ( in english )
«She did not deserve to die like that. She did not deserve this. She was feeling sorry for the Palestinians and in the end they killed her, the Palestinians killed her. She had done nothing, she had nothing at all to do with politics.»
Narration
Rachel and Aghiat were two young girls born at the same time, grew up separately and died together. Aghiat was at the entrance of the Super Market with her hand on the electric switch hidden under her clothes. The guard stopped Aghiat for a regular control and then she pressed the button. She took the guard and Rachel along with her.
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel ( in english )
«I believe she was a girl without a heart, without love, I cannot believe there are human beings with such hatred inside. I cannot understand or accept this. Whatever we have done, whatever happened during this crisis is not a reason for so much hatred. I did not hate them as much as they hated me. I did not hate them at all.»
Question If you knew about Aghiat’s action, would you stop her?
Handra AhrasMother of Aghiat
«I would stop her, as she was my daughter, but I would take her place. The pressures that our people is facing have not only made Aghiat «burst» but also the whole Palestinian nation. All these made our girls to do such things. Death is the only way-out for us.»
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel( in english )
«This is what her parents taught her, they raised her to follow this way. I have nothing to tell her. I feel nothing for her, I do not hate or love her and I do not want to speak to her. She is responsible for what happened, she is to blame, the mother… and the father.»
Mohammed AhrasFather of Aghiat
«I would have never done what Aghiat did, I would have never done it. No violent act is useful, no matter if it has to do with military operations, or with terrorist acts. Peace is not enforced out of such situation. Acts of this kind proved to be harmful. Israel will not benefit from this, the Palestinian people will not benefit either. Death has become an obligation for the Palestinians. Death is closest to us more than anything else. When it comes to death, there are no winners...»
Handra Ahras Mother of Aghiat
«In the end we shall be the winners…»
Mohammed Ahras Father of Αaghiat
«There is no winner, maybe we will get our freedom back, but we will not be the winners.»
Handra Ahras Mother of Aghiat
«Palestine belongs to the Palestinians. As long as they stay in Palestine there will be deaths, for them as well as for us»
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel( in english )
«They want to fight with us. They want to kill us. They want to see all of us dead.»
Question Do you believe this?
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel( in english )
«Yes.»
Narration
Jerusalem is a city living within fear. In the Jewish section soldiers and policemen patrol on every padestrian zone, outside cafes and shopping centers, in front of every possible target.»
Narration
The reasons are mainly psychological. The market needs to be enforced. The economy of the country suffers considerably. However, the Israelis know that they cannot restrict the suicide attacks in this way only.
Captain Sharon Feingold -representative of the Israelite Army Forces ( in english )
«We need to find the people that recruit the suicidal terrorists, since it has to do with a network. It’s not like someone waking up in the morning and saying, «I will commit a suicide attack». Someone needs to recruit, someone needs to promise the dead person’s family that there will be provisions for them after the death of the member.»
Narration
The Israel Army , in order to show off its power invades the Palestinian cities of the West Bank, trying to exterminate every armed Palestinian, one by one. They believe that in this way they will wind up the violent attacks.
Jenin
Ariel Sharon called Jenin «the nest of cockroaches». The residents there call it «the nest of angels».
Children have the kamikaze photographs stuck on their school notebooks, as the children in the West have rop stars photos. They say they are heroes of freedom and they admire them.
The armed forces in Jenin were always powerful and hundreds of residents were killed all these years in the name of liberty and of the resistance against the conqueror, as they say.
Narration
Suppression and poverty were always the best manure...
Captain Sharon Feingold-Representative of the Israelite Army Forces( in english )
«Jenin is the capital of the suicide terrorists, it is a fort for the terrorists. During the last year 28 suiside bombers came from Jenin.»
Narration
This was the answer of Israel. At the center of the city there was a huge refugee camp. In its most, it does not exist any more. It disappeared from the map.The tanks and the army bulldozers tore down three-store buildings. The residents informed us that we were actually walking on the roofs of their houses.
Old man
« What we have built here for 55 years, brick on brick, sand on sand, everything is lost. Look at these stones, these stones have their own history. They are made of our sweat. They kill our future, believe me, they kill everything, even the stones»
Trainer of Al-Aqsa Brigades fighters
«Raise your heads, chest out» «Do not speak… better, all with me, faster, run!»
Narration
Taking innumerous precaution our link with the organisation was changing his route all the time and was forming circles, to ensure that nobody followed us. After a long time, he stopped at this «school».The training of the Brigades of Martyrs of Al-Aqsa was taking place in the yard.
Trainer
«Every rescuer must have his gun with him»
Narration
It was noon and some Israelis were only two kilometres away. The children of the neighbourhood were watching.
Trainer
«Ambouris must become an example for all of you. All together, it is better to lower the back and keep the gun upwards»
Narration
All these people are wanted from Israel. The intelligence services and the army are constantly trying to spot them. Therefore, the place where they are trained is not always the same.
STAND UP
«The Al-Aqsa fighters are young people of at the age of 19-25, offering themselves ready to face any enemy attack. They are all volunteers, they live in camps and are considerably trained»
Narration
They learn to use guns and explosives, to think as a team, to fight in the cities where they grew up, to repulse strikes and to arrest captives. No mercy for the traitors!
Fighter «On your knees, your name!»
Narration
The Al-Aqsa Brigades, named after the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, were founded by the Fatah, Yasser Arafat’s political party. In the beginning they were receiving party funds, but later they became independent and slipped out of the Presidents’ control.
Leader of Al Aqsa Brigades – Gaza Strip
«Fatah frames us, but nevertheless a certain independence exists, concerning the decisions to take. The outfit is a responsibility of the Brigades’ members.»
Narration
The weaponry is old and slaggy and in no way can it be compared with the modern Israelite military armament.
Leader of the Al-Aqsa Brigades– Gaza Strip
«The guns we usually have are Kalashnikovs made in Russia and in China, imported illegally in the occupied areas in several ways: trough dug underground tunnels, along the borders of Mount Sinai in Egypt and Rapha in Palestine. These guns reach the country in order to enforce the Resistance, whose members managed to buy them in their own expenses.»
Narration
The insufficient existing new weaponry comes from the Israeli Army itself. The gun smuggling isn’t limited by country borders. Israeli merchants sell the guns to Arabs from Israel and they latter sell them to other intermediaries. By the time an M16 attains the fighters costs 5000,00 Euros.
Leader of the Al-Aqsa Brigades
«Here, we are not co-operating with the Israeli sector, and I mean the Jews. We co-operate with Arab merchants, coming from the 1948 territories. They need money, we need guns. We want the guns for the Resistance, because our Resistance is rightful»
Narration
Weapons coming from the enemy. In many cases the secret services of Israel managed to trace such cargos and to trap them with bullets, that explode as soon as someone pulls the trigger. Thereinafter, the fighters check every single bullet they put in their guns.But it is not the weaponry that gives the Brigades of Al-Aqsa a frightful name.It is the human bombs, the kamikazes that explode in the streets of Israel, killing as many Israelis as possible.
Fighter of the Al-Aqsa Brigades
«The question raised here is what incites a twenty five-year-old man to wrap himself with explosives and to blow himself up. Life is beautiful and we love it as much as you love it, but when they take our dreams and our freedom away, we stick together without any dreams, any future, any hope. In this case well-done to us , we are ready for the martyrdom.
Fighter of Al-Aqsa Brigades
«There is no Moslem house in Palestine that has not suffered from the Israeli occupation, that has not got one or two martyrs, or wounded, or invalid. They are all fearing for the children of the family, they suffer from the starvation Israel imposed to us fifty years ago. -Where are you from?-From the settlement.»
Narration
In this miserable settlement grew up and lived all the Palestinians refugees chased away from their land after the foundation of the modern state of Israel in 1948. It has slightly changed ever since.
Woman in refuge camp
«Do you like my house? Is our house nice? Explain to them…
Question - How many people live here?
Man in refuge camp
Eleven. Every time it rains we flood…I am 65 years old there is no job, where will we get money? If you can help us.
Woman
«What can we do? What can we do? It is a fatal situation, they attack with rocket bombs, we need God’s help, I can’t believe what happened to us…
Narration
The few built houses were razed by bombs. The settlement site is of a strategic importance and the conflicts between the Israeli forces and the Al-Aqsa Brigades is an everyday routine.
Narration
People that are now wrapping explosives round their waist and committing suicide, belong to the generation of the first Indifada, the first uprising of the Palestinians in 1987. During these 15 years, afterwards, these children saw their parents to mishandle by the Israeli army, and their lives to getting worse day by day. They grew up with their finger pointing at the enemy
Narration
In the group there were two fighters, who were already volunteers for suicide attacks. They were both university students.
Fighter of Al-Aqsa Brigades
«My martyrdom is something definite and I wait for my execution date, thank God, my relationship with God is good, I live for Him and I resist to the occupation every way. I will take revenge in every way I can for the wounded, for the martyr’s blood, for my brothers, for my friends, for the children, and for the Palestinian comrades. If my martyrdom is required, I am ready for it»
Fighter of Al-Aqsa Brigades
«This is a charisma given by God, it is an honour received from God. If God wishes me to be the One, then I will definitely be the One.»
Narration
Once the missions arranged, the about-to-die will be trained separately from the rest of the fighters. Nobody knows exactly what happens during this special training.
Question - Are you afraid?
Fighter of Al-Aqsa
«Why should I be afraid?My father left me a will before he died: to belong to God and to Jihad.I hope we will reach the end of our way.»
Narration
In the afternoon the Al-Aqsa fighters are trained in the settlement. They take fight positions in the houses. The residents do not complaint. Everyone knows their existence. The children show proudly the photos on the walls.
Children « This is a martyr..»
Question - What martyrdom means for you?
Boy «A martyr is like my brother.»
Song
«My land, my Moslem land, no one owns you, even if they abandon you, the partisans are your people.»
Narration
The Israeli security forces are aware of the existence of these groups in the Gaza Strip. The intelligence services and the high technology systems provide them with the information needed. Nevertheless the Israelis hesitate to invade the area and to eliminate these groups, repeating what they have already done in the West Bank. Gaza has a compact population of 1.2000.000 people and such a generalised ground military intervention should have a considerable amount of victims.
Captain Sharon Feingold- Representative of the army of Israel
«When the government decides that it is nearly time it deal with the terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, the army will know what to do. We have proved that we know how to arrest those responsible for the terrorist attacks against us.»
Narration
The Israeli army has surrounded the Gaza Strip excluding the fighters of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, as well as ones of the other groups within this area. It attacks from the air or sets ambushes.
Narration
The leaders of the Al-Aqsa Brigades have to change a car every two weeks. They find cars in the same way they find weaponry. If the cars used are traced, they become an easy target for the Israeli helicopters.
Woman from the settlement
«I come from the settlement of Jenin. Have you seen what the Israelis did there with the aircrafts and the Apache helicopters and the tanks? Help him with money, he is a poor man, his house was destroyed.»
Old Man Go away woman. To hell, you and the money!
Narration
The old man got angry, and sent the woman away, yelling. He said he needs no charity from anyone. They did not even get the American aid that reached Jenin. Nobody there wanted to accept aid. Besides, none went to stay in the large refugee camp with the tents that the United Nations set up, an image familiar to people after every vast humanitarian disaster.
Narration
Many people are still looking under the ruins to find something that remained from their household. It is not the first time that Palestinian’s houses are demolished under the heavy war machine of Israel. Most of the people and especially the elderly confront the problem with firm patience, addressing their prayers to God. Many of them will become for a second and a third time refugees.
Narration
Seventy years old Taoufik Machmout Salim, has set up a tent in the middle of the ruins where his house used to be. He had built it with his own hands and now he refuses to move elswere. It is the third one he witnesses to be toppled.
Taoufik Machmout Salim
«I was sad but what can I do and what can I say? I looked up, to God.»
Question Did you feel hatred?
Taoufik Machmout Salim
«If they had done this to a man who had done something bad , it would be justified , but the house had done nothing bad to them.»
Narration
Giacha Al Hinti digs frantically in the ruins of his house. He digs every day from the daybreak till the nightfall.
Giacha Al Hinti
«I look for my wife’s jewelry and for our money, everything we had in the house is here right now.»
Narration
Mister Al Hinti had hidden in his kitchen a considerable amount of money, 10,000 dollars. A life’s savings…
Giacha Al Hinti
«I was working very hard and I kept it at home, I could not go to the bank every day, loosing 7 hours in order to withdraw money. Into the house there was no fear, the money was safe.»
Question Do you hope you will find it?
Giacha Al Hinti
«We are Moslems, we believe in God’ s dispensation. If I am lucky, that’s all right, otherwise it will be God’s wish...»
Narration
The Jenin fighters surrendered when they run out of ammunition. The Israelis shagged the residents from their settlement, searched the houses and then started destroying everything.
Giacha Al Hinti
«This is hell.»
Narration
The result brought about the international public opinion’s abhorrence.
Israel defended its military policy. It gave these pictures to the Media, indeed. Some soldiers discover laboratories of explosives and storehouses full of ammunition in the basements - immediately after they blow the houses.
Captain Sharon Feingold- representative of the Israelite Army ( in english )
«We could have attacked Jenin from the air. A different state would have done this: A huge aircraft would throw the bombs on the settlement and the fight would stop. We did this because we knew there were trapped citizens, used by the terrorists like human shields.»
Narration
In the massive attack of the Israeli army against Jenin, in the spring of 2002, the fighting took place in every house, the one after the other.
Narration
Basahr is a high-ranked member of the Al-Aqsa Brigades in Jenin and is wanted by Israel. He managed to survive after the battles and he escaped. He did not wish to hide his face saying that he has nothing to lose. Two of his brothers were killed by Israeli missiles. They were leaders of the local fighters. Relatives and friends of him are dead.
Basahr– Al-Aqsa Brigades
«The Israeli people must understand that the Palestinians do not wish to be defeated. We have experienced many wars and assaults, but we never slowed down. On the contrary, every time we become stronger. The greatest proof for this is that after the Israeli’s operations, we count more than ten successful suicide attacks from the Al-Aqsa Brigades.»
Basahr – Al Aqsa Brigadess
«All our dead people are civilians, not soldiers - young children, women, innocent beings. We kill the children, whose parents kill our children. We kill the wives, whose husbands kill our wives.»
Narration
The Jenin model did not produce the expected results. Therefore, Israel decided to built walls, in order to blockade all the Palestinians into their own areas, creating a widely considered to be extended prison. Israel has set a lot of checkpoints in the Arab territories they occupied after the 1967 invasion.
Narration
Everyday life is extremely complicated for the people living in the West Bank. Small distances of less than ten minutes in the between towns, now have become an adventure that can last hours or even a whole day.
Narration
Thousands of people are everyday trying to get from one town to the other. To visit their relatives, to work, or to take ill-being people to hospitals. Armed soldiers, with their finger on the trigger, control everything from stem to stern. Queues of kilometres are formed. Some of the people queuing will never reach their destination.
Man at the checkpoint
«I’m trying to get to Ramallah for at least three hours and a half, from 9 o’clock in the morning. After waiting for two hours on the road, when I managed to reach the soldiers, they saw my ID card and told me : ‘ You cannot go to Ramallah, go back home’ .
Narration
The soldiers did not allow this woman to pass, because she was carrying a bottle with liquid gas.
Woman at the checkpoint
«They told me to go back, they were afraid of an explosion.»
Narration
Even the Palestinian ambulances do not pass freely!
Man
«They stop us for checkouts lasting for two or three hours, they do this to citizens, they obliges us to take our clothes off, they make the women wait …
Question Does this happen to you everyday?
Woman
«Yes, this happens to me every time I take my baby to the doctor, the same thing again and again.»
Question Do they do this because they want to humiliate you?
Man
«This is for sure. They treat the Palestinians worse than they treat animals. Hereafter, only death.»
Narration
The check points stop operating without warning. If it is dark, people stay overnight in the fields.
The long waiting make them nervous and agog. When the checkpoints re-open such scenes are unfolding.
Chaos.
Captain Sharon Feingold, representative of the Israelite army(in english)
The checkpoints were put up reaching the last frontier of the Palestinian areas and those that belong to Israel. This is absolutely necessary since we need to be sure that the people who transfer from the West Bank to Israel are innocent citizens who want to go on with their everyday activities. However, we have already arrested many terrorists at the checkpoints.»
Man carrying Moslem Books
«These will open the Heaven Gates for you and goods you won’t know their origin, will spring up to you.»
Narration
The Israel policy of Israel stroke the hard - liners. The Islamists declared from the beginning: «there are no political solutions. Guns are the only solution». They disagreed with Yasser Arafat.
Sheik Achmet Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas
«He made us lose our rights with these treaties he signs, we have lost the right to defend ourselves and if such a policy keeps on, we will lose our national rights. I do not agree with this policy.»
Narration
Sheik Yassin is the spiritual leader of Hamas, the largest Islamist party, that also retains a powerful military wing. Totally invalid and half-blind, he considers that he is now vindicated. He answers posing new questions.
Sheik Achmet Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas
«If the «political solution» wants to take my land and my house away from me, how can I accept it? Is the man who occupiedyour land and evicted you out of your house and threw you in the streets, is he innocent?One thousand six hundred Palestinians were killed by the Israelis. Is the innocent, as they say, Jewish people a different matter, than our own innocent blood? Is it allowed for people to die in this way? Now it is morning, and later darkness will come. But day never remains a day and nigh never remains a night. Everything happens to this land.»
Narration
The Islamic movement booms amongst the population. It supports the people financially - it also supports schools and Islamic studies. The funds flow from the Arabic countries.
Sheik Achmet Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas
«It is simple as question : If witnesses his brother being physically abused, would he put up with it, or would he arise to help?
Narration
Political analysts estimate that the popularity of Hamas has exceeded forty per cent, whereas Yasser Arafat’s percentage is quite lower.
Talal Okal, political analyst
«The Palestinians complain about the political results we experience and our everyday eality. Therefore, the society puts the blame on the Presidency and especially on Yasser Arafat.»
Narration
People had enough of corrupted Palestinian rule. They do not put President Arafat in question, but his environment prospering in disadvantage of the people. For this reason the citizens demand reforms.
Dr Gazi Hanania, Vice president of the Palestinian Parliament(in english)
«First of all there is a need to distinguish among different Rules. We should have a legislative council , a legislative system, and each one of the above should operate separately. At present we cannot talk about a democratic society , but we try to achieve this. Therefore we need reforms in order to built a democratic society.»
fade
Peretz Kintron Υesh Gvul (Not any more) organization, Israel (in english)
« The soldiers must learn that they are not robots, that they must not obey any order. Many terrible things have happened from soldiers that simply executed orders.»
Narration
Mister Perez Kintron comes from Israel and many of his compatriots consider him as enemy of his country. He was one of the first conscientious objectors in Israel. In the difficult sixties such an attitude was inconceivable and unthoughtful.
Peretz Kintron Υesh Gvul (not any more) organization, Israel (in english)
«My principle was «I do not cross the green line in uniform. If the Palestinians call me , I will go to visit them, but I will only wear my uniform in Israel.»
Narration
Avi is a university student, soon he will be called up for his military service. Avi hung a banner in his balcony, bearing the slogan :«Let’s go away from the occupied area». The other day a girl next door also raised a similar banner.
Peretz Kintron Υesh Gvul (not any more) organization, Israel(in english)
«Our purpose is to send the population political message: «I am Israel’s soldier, if we have to defend Israel I will take part in, but if the Israelite Government wisely decides to send me to Beirut or Ramallah then I will not do it.»
Narration
Avi will refuse to be trained and to serve in the army as a soldier, because he believes that the Israeli’s presence in the Palestinian land is illegal.
Avi MagioreckArmy service disclaimer(in english)
«The Palestinians have nothing to lose because of the Israelite presence in their land. They have nothing else to lose. They have no human rights, they have no money, I understand their frustration. When someone is frustrated and has nothing to lose results into acts of frustration, like the suicide attacks.»
Peretz Kintron Υesh Gvul (not any more) organization, Israel(in english)
«The people who fight against the occupation are called terrorists. George Washington is lucky that he is not alive today, because Bush would call him a terrorist since the USA have used terrorist practices.»
Narration
Not so many Israelis share his views.
Avi MagioreckArmy service disclaimer (in english)
«Some people believe that these areas belong to us, I consider this ridiculous, the native people here are the Palestinians. It is ridiculous to claim that this is Israelite land.»
Narration
One of the major problems between yhe Palestinians and the Israelis is the one hundred twenty illegal Jewish settlements, created in the West Bank after the 1967 war. Two hundred thousand Jewish settlers live in areas that used to be strictly Palestinian. Israel started applying the policy of illegal settlements in the seventies, aiming to alter the demography of the occupied areas, so that it could proceed in future negotiations for the annexation of the Arabic sland.
Narration
Misses Sanny Simkovitz came from New York and she now lives together with her family, in the outskirts of Bethlehem, in a small Jewish settlement, built in the middle of an area where only Palestinians live. She believes that it is not the Arabs the ones to blame, but the Arab’s mentality.
Sanny Simkovitz, settler(in english)
«In every country with Muslim population this is what you have: Look at the TV. In every place there are people demonstrating and burning USA flags. They say that the settlers in Judea and Samaria are the problem, but this has nothing to do with reality, they are just scapegoats.»
Narration
The settlement enjoys all the privileges of Israel. The standard of living is high, there are buses transporting the settlers comfortably to and from the territories of Israel. The settlement is guarded by powerful army units and by the settlers themselves, as patrolmen.
Sanny Simkovitzsettler
«The Israelites have the right to defend themselves. Admittedly we should have done it earlier. The people who are in Jenin will possibly come to your own country and to France one day.I am sorry that after the 11/9 date and when the whole world considered the Arabs responsible for what had happened, Sharon did not react. He did only a few things slowly. We do not teach our children to hate, to kill and take revenge from innocent Palestinian children. This is not our way. They are the ones that teach Jihad, death, and that they will kill us all.»
Narration
In this suicide attack 60 innocent Israeli citizens died. Among these people there was also Smandar, just 14 years old. Her mother Nurit Pelet el Hanan is a professor of Philosophy in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She considers the Israeli Government responsible for her daughter’s death.
Nurit Pelet el Hanan- Professor of Philosophy at Israel University.Mother of victim
«Most Palestinians do not kill Jews, but most Jews kill Palestinians. I believe that if we wanted peace we would have it in a couple of minutes. I believe it. This is our mentality: everybody hates us, they want to throw us to the sea, this is what they say to the kids, they want to throw us away and have no country, to disappear. The people do not accept us, there will be a new Holocaust. This is an education of fear and terrorism.»
Nurit Pelet el Hanan- Professor of Philosophy at Israel University.Mother of victim
«It is just like Mafia. They are like Mafia leaders that play games. Our children and we are the pawns with which they play their game. My daughter was a victim of the occupation. This is what we are, victims of the Israelite occupation, of the megalomania of people who become presidents and army commanders. We are their victims. All Palestinian mothers and I are the same thing. There is no difference.»
Men singing a Palestinian song
«Where are you going? Don’t be afraid of God if you go to Ramallah... Don’t be afraid of God…Where are the fighters of Fatah? They go to Ramallah. Where are the Al-Aqsa martyrs? They go to Ramallah…»
Credits
Produced, written and directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
Narration Yorgos Allamanis
Camera – Sound Nikkos Mistriotis
Ass. Director Thanasis Papakostas
Editor Dimitris Nikolopoulos
Researcher Marouso Strimenou
Original Music by Kostas Kontovas
Executive Producer Anastasia Skoubri
An Orange Production
in association with ALPHA TV – Greece.
THE END
«Glory be to God! There is no other God but Allah»
«Get up, you Moslem, get up, we only exist for the sake of God.»
Narration
It was a thirteen-year old child, killed by Israeli soldiers. The Israelis said the boy was caught shooting, the Palestinians claimed that he was just crossing the street. He is a martyr, say his companions and swear to take revenge on his blood.
Watchword
« Al-Aqsa runs in Hazhem’s veins»
Narration
In Han Yunis, a small shed settlement in the Gaza Strip, poverty is the rule and such a funeral is a common sight. The funeral procession will cross the whole settlement with the people almost running, spreading the news of one more dead body. The child will be buried the soonest possible in order to find peace, according to the custom, and then his photo will adorn the streets of the city.The honorary shooting comes from young men’s guns, recruited in the Al-Aqsa Brigades or in the Hamas. They are ready to transform themselves in human bombs, tie explosives round their waist and explode in the streets of Israel. They are ready to kill or get killed in a fight, as soldiers do.
Watchword
«Glorify the God, you Moslem, say that God is great and explode the Israeli heads, the Gate of Al-Aqsa is made of iron and only a martyr can open it... No reconciliation, no peace»
Narration
The team of «Sextant» managed to obtain remarkable access in the units of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, this secret organisation of partisans, which has been characterised as a «terrorist organisation» by the United States and is the number one enemy of Israel. It is responsible for numerous bombing suicide assaults, especially during the latest period. The army of Israel since the spring of 2002 invades in Palestinian land in order to override it as well as the Islamic Hamas.Using this excuse entire refuges’ settlements have been destroyed… The result has been debatable…
TITLE HATE IN THE HOLY LAND
Narration
There are no smart weapons, nor perfect intelligent services. It is innocent people that are killed in the operations of The Israeli Air Forces. This was Hussein Abaghiat’s car. He was one of the most important leaders of the Al- Aqsa brigades in the whole West Bank. He was eliminated by Israeli helicopters with five missiles. The chrism of the organization leadership remained in the family’s hands. His brother, Atef Abaghiat, became the leader of the Brigades. This is Atef’s car that the Israeli intelligent services entrapped with explosives. The Abaghiat family counts many dead people.
Super Caption Bethlehem – West Bank
Narration
This village in the distance is known as the Abaghiat village. The Abaghiat is a large family known all over the country. Maybe it is the most powerful family all over Palestine.
Narration
The Abaghiat are about 10.000 people, all of them close or distant relatives. They are Bedouins, having immigrated from Saudi Arabia many generations ago. They are in perfect terms with guns. They are leaders fighting from the beginning of the last century. First against the British, then against the Israelis.
Member of the Abaghiat family
«I was imprisoned. If the British were chasing someone and they could not find him, the would give up. The Israelites on the other hand will arrest a whole family unless they find the one they want
Narration
Nowadays, all the leaders of the Al-Aqsa brigades, of Hamas, and also the leaders of every single armed group of Bethlehem, are originated from the Abaghiat family.
Ambu Ali Abaghiat
«Wise people place the right man in the right position. This war became a burden for the Palestinians, and especially the Abaghiat.»
Narration
They said they enrich from stock breeding, agriculture and trade. They used to serve juices and mint tea in golden-rimmed glasses.
Question - Are the Israelis afraid of the Abaghiat?
Ambu Ali Abaghiat
«We do not say they are afraid of us.Israel has a capable Government but we on the other hand are not afraid of nobody but God.»
Narration
The Abaghiat fight against the Israelis looks like a personal blood tend.
Ambu Ali Abaghiat
«What the Israelis do to the Abaghiats is unacceptable. It is illegal to kill massively, to attack them with aircrafts and rocket bombs. There at the Abaghiat case is different, due to the fact that Israel has murdered many of them.»
Narration
After Atef died, it was Ibrahim’ s turn to become the leader of Al Aqsa Brigades. Ibrahim Abaghiat was the one who led the 250 fighters into the Greek- Orthodox Church of the Nativity in the spring of 2002. The Israeli Army surrounded the temple in a 39 days siege. The fighters surrendered under conditions.
Ambu Ali Abaghiat
«We thought that the Pope would stand up for us in case we stayed in the Church of the Nativity. They would not hit us, neither would they come in. So, we got in the church and we hoped that in a couple of days things would improve, but it lasted too much longer. We had nothing to eat. Thank God we were all together, beiing all as one hand, one heart, one name. We defended the deacons, and the temple, because we know that it is a sacred place for their religion and for the monks. The deacons were 100% kind to us.
Narration
Ambu Abaghiat got out of the temple when the siege finished. He returned home to the surrender line. Ibrahim and twelve more commanders were permanently expatrieted.
Song
«I proceed along with God towards the death of a martyr… and my prayer will rise up to the sky. He prayed and, by the martyr death he bequeathed his children: Follow my steps»
Narration
Ibrahim is already in Italy and his relatives are afraid that Israeli secret agents will murder him.
Son of Ibrahim Abaghiat
«All of us will follow this way, both young and older, in the name of God.»
Question -Did you try to prevent him ?
Aisa Abaghiat Wife
«No, because Palestine must be liberated and if Ibrahim takes no such initiative, who will liberate it? Who will defend our country? If his sons bind him, who will remove the enemies from my country?»
Daughter of Ibrahim
«One day these women will raise and defend their country. The heaviest role now is the one of men, but I believe there will be one day that we will take guns and we will go out to fight.»
Question -Do you remember something he used to say about the liberation fight?
Daughter
«He was always telling us to defend our country, if we do not do this, who else will do it? He was always speaking to us about this. Fight is not only for men. This is our land and we must defend it. In every way.»
Narration
The photographs of Aghiat Ahras decorate the refugees’ settlement in Bethlehem. In this story of merciless conflict between two nations Aghiat became the third woman suiside bomber. Just at the age of 18 she wrapped explosives round her body and exploded inside a supermarket of Jerusalem. The Al-Aqsa brigades undertook the responsibility for the attack with a phone call. Aghiat’s parents say they did not know anything, not even that their daughter was a member of an organization, nor that she had been tasked a suicide mission. They had suspected nothing.
Mohammed Ahras Father of Aghiat
«This was Aghiat.She was beautiful, she had a lovely personality, she was determinated, well educated, prudent. Her only goal was education. She was about to get married in the summer but unfortunately instead of a wedding ceremony she played the leading part in a ceremony for the Palestinian people. She became Palestine’s bride. The Al- Aqsa’s bride»
Handra Ahras Mother of Aghiat
«She had great dreams to get back our country, our flag, to become a journalist herself. Her dream was to become a journalist and tell all over the world about the problem we face, the problem that not even the Arabs seem to understand, let alone foreigners - to make our problem known all over the world.»
Narration
In an ordinary suburb of Jerusalem lies the other side of history. Rachel Levi was one of the two victims of the young Palestinian woman. She also was a seventeen-year old girl.
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel ( in english )
«She did not deserve to die like that. She did not deserve this. She was feeling sorry for the Palestinians and in the end they killed her, the Palestinians killed her. She had done nothing, she had nothing at all to do with politics.»
Narration
Rachel and Aghiat were two young girls born at the same time, grew up separately and died together. Aghiat was at the entrance of the Super Market with her hand on the electric switch hidden under her clothes. The guard stopped Aghiat for a regular control and then she pressed the button. She took the guard and Rachel along with her.
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel ( in english )
«I believe she was a girl without a heart, without love, I cannot believe there are human beings with such hatred inside. I cannot understand or accept this. Whatever we have done, whatever happened during this crisis is not a reason for so much hatred. I did not hate them as much as they hated me. I did not hate them at all.»
Question If you knew about Aghiat’s action, would you stop her?
Handra AhrasMother of Aghiat
«I would stop her, as she was my daughter, but I would take her place. The pressures that our people is facing have not only made Aghiat «burst» but also the whole Palestinian nation. All these made our girls to do such things. Death is the only way-out for us.»
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel( in english )
«This is what her parents taught her, they raised her to follow this way. I have nothing to tell her. I feel nothing for her, I do not hate or love her and I do not want to speak to her. She is responsible for what happened, she is to blame, the mother… and the father.»
Mohammed AhrasFather of Aghiat
«I would have never done what Aghiat did, I would have never done it. No violent act is useful, no matter if it has to do with military operations, or with terrorist acts. Peace is not enforced out of such situation. Acts of this kind proved to be harmful. Israel will not benefit from this, the Palestinian people will not benefit either. Death has become an obligation for the Palestinians. Death is closest to us more than anything else. When it comes to death, there are no winners...»
Handra Ahras Mother of Aghiat
«In the end we shall be the winners…»
Mohammed Ahras Father of Αaghiat
«There is no winner, maybe we will get our freedom back, but we will not be the winners.»
Handra Ahras Mother of Aghiat
«Palestine belongs to the Palestinians. As long as they stay in Palestine there will be deaths, for them as well as for us»
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel( in english )
«They want to fight with us. They want to kill us. They want to see all of us dead.»
Question Do you believe this?
Abigail Levi Mother of Rachel( in english )
«Yes.»
Narration
Jerusalem is a city living within fear. In the Jewish section soldiers and policemen patrol on every padestrian zone, outside cafes and shopping centers, in front of every possible target.»
Narration
The reasons are mainly psychological. The market needs to be enforced. The economy of the country suffers considerably. However, the Israelis know that they cannot restrict the suicide attacks in this way only.
Captain Sharon Feingold -representative of the Israelite Army Forces ( in english )
«We need to find the people that recruit the suicidal terrorists, since it has to do with a network. It’s not like someone waking up in the morning and saying, «I will commit a suicide attack». Someone needs to recruit, someone needs to promise the dead person’s family that there will be provisions for them after the death of the member.»
Narration
The Israel Army , in order to show off its power invades the Palestinian cities of the West Bank, trying to exterminate every armed Palestinian, one by one. They believe that in this way they will wind up the violent attacks.
Jenin
Ariel Sharon called Jenin «the nest of cockroaches». The residents there call it «the nest of angels».
Children have the kamikaze photographs stuck on their school notebooks, as the children in the West have rop stars photos. They say they are heroes of freedom and they admire them.
The armed forces in Jenin were always powerful and hundreds of residents were killed all these years in the name of liberty and of the resistance against the conqueror, as they say.
Narration
Suppression and poverty were always the best manure...
Captain Sharon Feingold-Representative of the Israelite Army Forces( in english )
«Jenin is the capital of the suicide terrorists, it is a fort for the terrorists. During the last year 28 suiside bombers came from Jenin.»
Narration
This was the answer of Israel. At the center of the city there was a huge refugee camp. In its most, it does not exist any more. It disappeared from the map.The tanks and the army bulldozers tore down three-store buildings. The residents informed us that we were actually walking on the roofs of their houses.
Old man
« What we have built here for 55 years, brick on brick, sand on sand, everything is lost. Look at these stones, these stones have their own history. They are made of our sweat. They kill our future, believe me, they kill everything, even the stones»
Trainer of Al-Aqsa Brigades fighters
«Raise your heads, chest out» «Do not speak… better, all with me, faster, run!»
Narration
Taking innumerous precaution our link with the organisation was changing his route all the time and was forming circles, to ensure that nobody followed us. After a long time, he stopped at this «school».The training of the Brigades of Martyrs of Al-Aqsa was taking place in the yard.
Trainer
«Every rescuer must have his gun with him»
Narration
It was noon and some Israelis were only two kilometres away. The children of the neighbourhood were watching.
Trainer
«Ambouris must become an example for all of you. All together, it is better to lower the back and keep the gun upwards»
Narration
All these people are wanted from Israel. The intelligence services and the army are constantly trying to spot them. Therefore, the place where they are trained is not always the same.
STAND UP
«The Al-Aqsa fighters are young people of at the age of 19-25, offering themselves ready to face any enemy attack. They are all volunteers, they live in camps and are considerably trained»
Narration
They learn to use guns and explosives, to think as a team, to fight in the cities where they grew up, to repulse strikes and to arrest captives. No mercy for the traitors!
Fighter «On your knees, your name!»
Narration
The Al-Aqsa Brigades, named after the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, were founded by the Fatah, Yasser Arafat’s political party. In the beginning they were receiving party funds, but later they became independent and slipped out of the Presidents’ control.
Leader of Al Aqsa Brigades – Gaza Strip
«Fatah frames us, but nevertheless a certain independence exists, concerning the decisions to take. The outfit is a responsibility of the Brigades’ members.»
Narration
The weaponry is old and slaggy and in no way can it be compared with the modern Israelite military armament.
Leader of the Al-Aqsa Brigades– Gaza Strip
«The guns we usually have are Kalashnikovs made in Russia and in China, imported illegally in the occupied areas in several ways: trough dug underground tunnels, along the borders of Mount Sinai in Egypt and Rapha in Palestine. These guns reach the country in order to enforce the Resistance, whose members managed to buy them in their own expenses.»
Narration
The insufficient existing new weaponry comes from the Israeli Army itself. The gun smuggling isn’t limited by country borders. Israeli merchants sell the guns to Arabs from Israel and they latter sell them to other intermediaries. By the time an M16 attains the fighters costs 5000,00 Euros.
Leader of the Al-Aqsa Brigades
«Here, we are not co-operating with the Israeli sector, and I mean the Jews. We co-operate with Arab merchants, coming from the 1948 territories. They need money, we need guns. We want the guns for the Resistance, because our Resistance is rightful»
Narration
Weapons coming from the enemy. In many cases the secret services of Israel managed to trace such cargos and to trap them with bullets, that explode as soon as someone pulls the trigger. Thereinafter, the fighters check every single bullet they put in their guns.But it is not the weaponry that gives the Brigades of Al-Aqsa a frightful name.It is the human bombs, the kamikazes that explode in the streets of Israel, killing as many Israelis as possible.
Fighter of the Al-Aqsa Brigades
«The question raised here is what incites a twenty five-year-old man to wrap himself with explosives and to blow himself up. Life is beautiful and we love it as much as you love it, but when they take our dreams and our freedom away, we stick together without any dreams, any future, any hope. In this case well-done to us , we are ready for the martyrdom.
Fighter of Al-Aqsa Brigades
«There is no Moslem house in Palestine that has not suffered from the Israeli occupation, that has not got one or two martyrs, or wounded, or invalid. They are all fearing for the children of the family, they suffer from the starvation Israel imposed to us fifty years ago. -Where are you from?-From the settlement.»
Narration
In this miserable settlement grew up and lived all the Palestinians refugees chased away from their land after the foundation of the modern state of Israel in 1948. It has slightly changed ever since.
Woman in refuge camp
«Do you like my house? Is our house nice? Explain to them…
Question - How many people live here?
Man in refuge camp
Eleven. Every time it rains we flood…I am 65 years old there is no job, where will we get money? If you can help us.
Woman
«What can we do? What can we do? It is a fatal situation, they attack with rocket bombs, we need God’s help, I can’t believe what happened to us…
Narration
The few built houses were razed by bombs. The settlement site is of a strategic importance and the conflicts between the Israeli forces and the Al-Aqsa Brigades is an everyday routine.
Narration
People that are now wrapping explosives round their waist and committing suicide, belong to the generation of the first Indifada, the first uprising of the Palestinians in 1987. During these 15 years, afterwards, these children saw their parents to mishandle by the Israeli army, and their lives to getting worse day by day. They grew up with their finger pointing at the enemy
Narration
In the group there were two fighters, who were already volunteers for suicide attacks. They were both university students.
Fighter of Al-Aqsa Brigades
«My martyrdom is something definite and I wait for my execution date, thank God, my relationship with God is good, I live for Him and I resist to the occupation every way. I will take revenge in every way I can for the wounded, for the martyr’s blood, for my brothers, for my friends, for the children, and for the Palestinian comrades. If my martyrdom is required, I am ready for it»
Fighter of Al-Aqsa Brigades
«This is a charisma given by God, it is an honour received from God. If God wishes me to be the One, then I will definitely be the One.»
Narration
Once the missions arranged, the about-to-die will be trained separately from the rest of the fighters. Nobody knows exactly what happens during this special training.
Question - Are you afraid?
Fighter of Al-Aqsa
«Why should I be afraid?My father left me a will before he died: to belong to God and to Jihad.I hope we will reach the end of our way.»
Narration
In the afternoon the Al-Aqsa fighters are trained in the settlement. They take fight positions in the houses. The residents do not complaint. Everyone knows their existence. The children show proudly the photos on the walls.
Children « This is a martyr..»
Question - What martyrdom means for you?
Boy «A martyr is like my brother.»
Song
«My land, my Moslem land, no one owns you, even if they abandon you, the partisans are your people.»
Narration
The Israeli security forces are aware of the existence of these groups in the Gaza Strip. The intelligence services and the high technology systems provide them with the information needed. Nevertheless the Israelis hesitate to invade the area and to eliminate these groups, repeating what they have already done in the West Bank. Gaza has a compact population of 1.2000.000 people and such a generalised ground military intervention should have a considerable amount of victims.
Captain Sharon Feingold- Representative of the army of Israel
«When the government decides that it is nearly time it deal with the terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, the army will know what to do. We have proved that we know how to arrest those responsible for the terrorist attacks against us.»
Narration
The Israeli army has surrounded the Gaza Strip excluding the fighters of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, as well as ones of the other groups within this area. It attacks from the air or sets ambushes.
Narration
The leaders of the Al-Aqsa Brigades have to change a car every two weeks. They find cars in the same way they find weaponry. If the cars used are traced, they become an easy target for the Israeli helicopters.
Woman from the settlement
«I come from the settlement of Jenin. Have you seen what the Israelis did there with the aircrafts and the Apache helicopters and the tanks? Help him with money, he is a poor man, his house was destroyed.»
Old Man Go away woman. To hell, you and the money!
Narration
The old man got angry, and sent the woman away, yelling. He said he needs no charity from anyone. They did not even get the American aid that reached Jenin. Nobody there wanted to accept aid. Besides, none went to stay in the large refugee camp with the tents that the United Nations set up, an image familiar to people after every vast humanitarian disaster.
Narration
Many people are still looking under the ruins to find something that remained from their household. It is not the first time that Palestinian’s houses are demolished under the heavy war machine of Israel. Most of the people and especially the elderly confront the problem with firm patience, addressing their prayers to God. Many of them will become for a second and a third time refugees.
Narration
Seventy years old Taoufik Machmout Salim, has set up a tent in the middle of the ruins where his house used to be. He had built it with his own hands and now he refuses to move elswere. It is the third one he witnesses to be toppled.
Taoufik Machmout Salim
«I was sad but what can I do and what can I say? I looked up, to God.»
Question Did you feel hatred?
Taoufik Machmout Salim
«If they had done this to a man who had done something bad , it would be justified , but the house had done nothing bad to them.»
Narration
Giacha Al Hinti digs frantically in the ruins of his house. He digs every day from the daybreak till the nightfall.
Giacha Al Hinti
«I look for my wife’s jewelry and for our money, everything we had in the house is here right now.»
Narration
Mister Al Hinti had hidden in his kitchen a considerable amount of money, 10,000 dollars. A life’s savings…
Giacha Al Hinti
«I was working very hard and I kept it at home, I could not go to the bank every day, loosing 7 hours in order to withdraw money. Into the house there was no fear, the money was safe.»
Question Do you hope you will find it?
Giacha Al Hinti
«We are Moslems, we believe in God’ s dispensation. If I am lucky, that’s all right, otherwise it will be God’s wish...»
Narration
The Jenin fighters surrendered when they run out of ammunition. The Israelis shagged the residents from their settlement, searched the houses and then started destroying everything.
Giacha Al Hinti
«This is hell.»
Narration
The result brought about the international public opinion’s abhorrence.
Israel defended its military policy. It gave these pictures to the Media, indeed. Some soldiers discover laboratories of explosives and storehouses full of ammunition in the basements - immediately after they blow the houses.
Captain Sharon Feingold- representative of the Israelite Army ( in english )
«We could have attacked Jenin from the air. A different state would have done this: A huge aircraft would throw the bombs on the settlement and the fight would stop. We did this because we knew there were trapped citizens, used by the terrorists like human shields.»
Narration
In the massive attack of the Israeli army against Jenin, in the spring of 2002, the fighting took place in every house, the one after the other.
Narration
Basahr is a high-ranked member of the Al-Aqsa Brigades in Jenin and is wanted by Israel. He managed to survive after the battles and he escaped. He did not wish to hide his face saying that he has nothing to lose. Two of his brothers were killed by Israeli missiles. They were leaders of the local fighters. Relatives and friends of him are dead.
Basahr– Al-Aqsa Brigades
«The Israeli people must understand that the Palestinians do not wish to be defeated. We have experienced many wars and assaults, but we never slowed down. On the contrary, every time we become stronger. The greatest proof for this is that after the Israeli’s operations, we count more than ten successful suicide attacks from the Al-Aqsa Brigades.»
Basahr – Al Aqsa Brigadess
«All our dead people are civilians, not soldiers - young children, women, innocent beings. We kill the children, whose parents kill our children. We kill the wives, whose husbands kill our wives.»
Narration
The Jenin model did not produce the expected results. Therefore, Israel decided to built walls, in order to blockade all the Palestinians into their own areas, creating a widely considered to be extended prison. Israel has set a lot of checkpoints in the Arab territories they occupied after the 1967 invasion.
Narration
Everyday life is extremely complicated for the people living in the West Bank. Small distances of less than ten minutes in the between towns, now have become an adventure that can last hours or even a whole day.
Narration
Thousands of people are everyday trying to get from one town to the other. To visit their relatives, to work, or to take ill-being people to hospitals. Armed soldiers, with their finger on the trigger, control everything from stem to stern. Queues of kilometres are formed. Some of the people queuing will never reach their destination.
Man at the checkpoint
«I’m trying to get to Ramallah for at least three hours and a half, from 9 o’clock in the morning. After waiting for two hours on the road, when I managed to reach the soldiers, they saw my ID card and told me : ‘ You cannot go to Ramallah, go back home’ .
Narration
The soldiers did not allow this woman to pass, because she was carrying a bottle with liquid gas.
Woman at the checkpoint
«They told me to go back, they were afraid of an explosion.»
Narration
Even the Palestinian ambulances do not pass freely!
Man
«They stop us for checkouts lasting for two or three hours, they do this to citizens, they obliges us to take our clothes off, they make the women wait …
Question Does this happen to you everyday?
Woman
«Yes, this happens to me every time I take my baby to the doctor, the same thing again and again.»
Question Do they do this because they want to humiliate you?
Man
«This is for sure. They treat the Palestinians worse than they treat animals. Hereafter, only death.»
Narration
The check points stop operating without warning. If it is dark, people stay overnight in the fields.
The long waiting make them nervous and agog. When the checkpoints re-open such scenes are unfolding.
Chaos.
Captain Sharon Feingold, representative of the Israelite army(in english)
The checkpoints were put up reaching the last frontier of the Palestinian areas and those that belong to Israel. This is absolutely necessary since we need to be sure that the people who transfer from the West Bank to Israel are innocent citizens who want to go on with their everyday activities. However, we have already arrested many terrorists at the checkpoints.»
Man carrying Moslem Books
«These will open the Heaven Gates for you and goods you won’t know their origin, will spring up to you.»
Narration
The Israel policy of Israel stroke the hard - liners. The Islamists declared from the beginning: «there are no political solutions. Guns are the only solution». They disagreed with Yasser Arafat.
Sheik Achmet Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas
«He made us lose our rights with these treaties he signs, we have lost the right to defend ourselves and if such a policy keeps on, we will lose our national rights. I do not agree with this policy.»
Narration
Sheik Yassin is the spiritual leader of Hamas, the largest Islamist party, that also retains a powerful military wing. Totally invalid and half-blind, he considers that he is now vindicated. He answers posing new questions.
Sheik Achmet Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas
«If the «political solution» wants to take my land and my house away from me, how can I accept it? Is the man who occupiedyour land and evicted you out of your house and threw you in the streets, is he innocent?One thousand six hundred Palestinians were killed by the Israelis. Is the innocent, as they say, Jewish people a different matter, than our own innocent blood? Is it allowed for people to die in this way? Now it is morning, and later darkness will come. But day never remains a day and nigh never remains a night. Everything happens to this land.»
Narration
The Islamic movement booms amongst the population. It supports the people financially - it also supports schools and Islamic studies. The funds flow from the Arabic countries.
Sheik Achmet Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas
«It is simple as question : If witnesses his brother being physically abused, would he put up with it, or would he arise to help?
Narration
Political analysts estimate that the popularity of Hamas has exceeded forty per cent, whereas Yasser Arafat’s percentage is quite lower.
Talal Okal, political analyst
«The Palestinians complain about the political results we experience and our everyday eality. Therefore, the society puts the blame on the Presidency and especially on Yasser Arafat.»
Narration
People had enough of corrupted Palestinian rule. They do not put President Arafat in question, but his environment prospering in disadvantage of the people. For this reason the citizens demand reforms.
Dr Gazi Hanania, Vice president of the Palestinian Parliament(in english)
«First of all there is a need to distinguish among different Rules. We should have a legislative council , a legislative system, and each one of the above should operate separately. At present we cannot talk about a democratic society , but we try to achieve this. Therefore we need reforms in order to built a democratic society.»
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Peretz Kintron Υesh Gvul (Not any more) organization, Israel (in english)
« The soldiers must learn that they are not robots, that they must not obey any order. Many terrible things have happened from soldiers that simply executed orders.»
Narration
Mister Perez Kintron comes from Israel and many of his compatriots consider him as enemy of his country. He was one of the first conscientious objectors in Israel. In the difficult sixties such an attitude was inconceivable and unthoughtful.
Peretz Kintron Υesh Gvul (not any more) organization, Israel (in english)
«My principle was «I do not cross the green line in uniform. If the Palestinians call me , I will go to visit them, but I will only wear my uniform in Israel.»
Narration
Avi is a university student, soon he will be called up for his military service. Avi hung a banner in his balcony, bearing the slogan :«Let’s go away from the occupied area». The other day a girl next door also raised a similar banner.
Peretz Kintron Υesh Gvul (not any more) organization, Israel(in english)
«Our purpose is to send the population political message: «I am Israel’s soldier, if we have to defend Israel I will take part in, but if the Israelite Government wisely decides to send me to Beirut or Ramallah then I will not do it.»
Narration
Avi will refuse to be trained and to serve in the army as a soldier, because he believes that the Israeli’s presence in the Palestinian land is illegal.
Avi MagioreckArmy service disclaimer(in english)
«The Palestinians have nothing to lose because of the Israelite presence in their land. They have nothing else to lose. They have no human rights, they have no money, I understand their frustration. When someone is frustrated and has nothing to lose results into acts of frustration, like the suicide attacks.»
Peretz Kintron Υesh Gvul (not any more) organization, Israel(in english)
«The people who fight against the occupation are called terrorists. George Washington is lucky that he is not alive today, because Bush would call him a terrorist since the USA have used terrorist practices.»
Narration
Not so many Israelis share his views.
Avi MagioreckArmy service disclaimer (in english)
«Some people believe that these areas belong to us, I consider this ridiculous, the native people here are the Palestinians. It is ridiculous to claim that this is Israelite land.»
Narration
One of the major problems between yhe Palestinians and the Israelis is the one hundred twenty illegal Jewish settlements, created in the West Bank after the 1967 war. Two hundred thousand Jewish settlers live in areas that used to be strictly Palestinian. Israel started applying the policy of illegal settlements in the seventies, aiming to alter the demography of the occupied areas, so that it could proceed in future negotiations for the annexation of the Arabic sland.
Narration
Misses Sanny Simkovitz came from New York and she now lives together with her family, in the outskirts of Bethlehem, in a small Jewish settlement, built in the middle of an area where only Palestinians live. She believes that it is not the Arabs the ones to blame, but the Arab’s mentality.
Sanny Simkovitz, settler(in english)
«In every country with Muslim population this is what you have: Look at the TV. In every place there are people demonstrating and burning USA flags. They say that the settlers in Judea and Samaria are the problem, but this has nothing to do with reality, they are just scapegoats.»
Narration
The settlement enjoys all the privileges of Israel. The standard of living is high, there are buses transporting the settlers comfortably to and from the territories of Israel. The settlement is guarded by powerful army units and by the settlers themselves, as patrolmen.
Sanny Simkovitzsettler
«The Israelites have the right to defend themselves. Admittedly we should have done it earlier. The people who are in Jenin will possibly come to your own country and to France one day.I am sorry that after the 11/9 date and when the whole world considered the Arabs responsible for what had happened, Sharon did not react. He did only a few things slowly. We do not teach our children to hate, to kill and take revenge from innocent Palestinian children. This is not our way. They are the ones that teach Jihad, death, and that they will kill us all.»
Narration
In this suicide attack 60 innocent Israeli citizens died. Among these people there was also Smandar, just 14 years old. Her mother Nurit Pelet el Hanan is a professor of Philosophy in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She considers the Israeli Government responsible for her daughter’s death.
Nurit Pelet el Hanan- Professor of Philosophy at Israel University.Mother of victim
«Most Palestinians do not kill Jews, but most Jews kill Palestinians. I believe that if we wanted peace we would have it in a couple of minutes. I believe it. This is our mentality: everybody hates us, they want to throw us to the sea, this is what they say to the kids, they want to throw us away and have no country, to disappear. The people do not accept us, there will be a new Holocaust. This is an education of fear and terrorism.»
Nurit Pelet el Hanan- Professor of Philosophy at Israel University.Mother of victim
«It is just like Mafia. They are like Mafia leaders that play games. Our children and we are the pawns with which they play their game. My daughter was a victim of the occupation. This is what we are, victims of the Israelite occupation, of the megalomania of people who become presidents and army commanders. We are their victims. All Palestinian mothers and I are the same thing. There is no difference.»
Men singing a Palestinian song
«Where are you going? Don’t be afraid of God if you go to Ramallah... Don’t be afraid of God…Where are the fighters of Fatah? They go to Ramallah. Where are the Al-Aqsa martyrs? They go to Ramallah…»
Credits
Produced, written and directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
Narration Yorgos Allamanis
Camera – Sound Nikkos Mistriotis
Ass. Director Thanasis Papakostas
Editor Dimitris Nikolopoulos
Researcher Marouso Strimenou
Original Music by Kostas Kontovas
Executive Producer Anastasia Skoubri
An Orange Production
in association with ALPHA TV – Greece.
THE END