Palestinian believes in the future
Memory of Israeli imprisonment still haunts KU student
By James Evans Special to the Kansan
Five years ago, KU student Nezar Abdelfattah sat in a cold Israeli jail, blindfolded and handcuffed, thinking that the hands of Israeli and Palestinian leaders were miles apart from shaking on a peace agreement.
Today, Abdelfattah, a junior majoring in computer science, is very optimistic about the new peace accord with Israel and the future of his homeland.
The dark-haired, dark-eyed 24-year-old from the West Bank town of Der-ballout speaks positively about the direction of the current peace talks.
He said he felt that the Palestinians are becoming more realistic.
"They realize we should recognize Israel, and we should live together because there is no way we can live in a state of war forever that's how I feel," Abdelfattah said.
"In the last two weeks, the Palestinians recognized Israel as a body, and at the same time, the Israelis recognized the Palestinians as a body. It's just two bodies that have to interact."
But for years, the two groups had been at odds. On March 26,1989, Abdelfattah found out first hand how far apart the Palestinians and Israelis could be. He became enmeshed in a confrontation between Palestinian and
Israeli soldiers that led to his arrest.
The Israeli-Palestine conflict was far from Abdelfattah's thoughts when he was a youth. He was born in Valencia, Venezuela. But at the age of 11, his parents returned with him and his five sisters to the West Bank. Abdelfattah's businessman father wanted to raise his children in a more conservative, Arab culture.
By the age of 19, Abdelfattah learned not only how to speak Arabic, but how difficult it was to avoid the consuming conflict. He
became passionate about the Palestinian cause for self-rule on the West Bank, and he demonstrated his belief.
Then, on March 26, 1989, at 10:30 p.m., Israeli settlers clashed with about 300 Palestinians. The settlers uprooted some olive trees at the entrance of his village. A group of Palestinians retaliated by blocking a main road, throwing stones and burning tires. When the Israeli army intervened, the Palestinians cursed them.
"One of my friends saw the reflection of the moon coming off their helmet shields," said Abdelfattah. "He shouted 'they're here guys, go home."
"I felt proud of myself.I sacrificed.I felt strong-I gave what I could for Palestine."
He said a soldier ordered him not to move, at gunpoint. The soldiers kicked him.
"That's the only thing we can do — it's the only way to express our anger," Abdelfattah said.
"I felt the first five or six kicks then I covered my face, and then I didn't feel anything." he said.
After the initial beating, he was hand-cuffed, blindfolded and placed in'a jeep, where he was beaten again.
The Israeli soldiers surrounded Der-ball-out, Abdelfattah said. The other Palestinians ran from the soldiers. Abdelfattah hid behind a wall and was the only one arrested.
Nozar Abdelfattah Der-ballout, Palestine , junior
"They grabbed my head and started hitting my head into the jeep," Abdelfattah said.
The soldiers wanted him to confess and identify his friends. He refused.
On the way to jail, a settler struck him with the point of a gun, just above his left elbow. The wound became infected. Abdelfattah said he was forced at an interrogation the next day to sign a written confession of his actions. It was in
Hebrew, a language he doesn't understand.
After the initial 10 days at the interrogation jail, Abdelfattah said, he was moved to a jail called Fari'a. He slept in a concrete, openair cell.
"Everyone who enters this jail must sleep at least one night handcuffed, blindfolded, laying on the ground no matter what," he said.
He said he was given no food and was accompanied by two guards to the bathroom. The experience was as much psychologically painful as physically painful.
After nearly two months in prison, he had his first day in a make-shift court room, in the Fari'a jail. He was allowed to meet with his lawyer for less than three minutes, because he had not orally confessed to his alleged crimes. Abdelfattah's prison time was lengthened, and he was moved to anotherprison.
During his five months in prison, Abdelfattah said that he was given sardines, hot water soup, and strawberry jam and bread to eat. He was normally allowed to go to the bathroom twice a day.
The prisoners were all highly educated and helped each other to keep going, he said.
Abdelfattah spent time in four prisons. During his final three weeks in a prison in northern Israel, Abdelfattah's lawyer struck a deal with the courts, and Abdelfattah was released on July 28.
Abdelfattah left prison with mixed feelings. "I felt really sad for the people that stayed behind," he said. Still, I felt proud of myself. I sacrificed. I felt strong — I gave what I could for Palestine."
He said his family greeted him warmly.His friends looked at him as a hero.
Looking back today, Abdelfattah doesn't view his experience with resentment. He hopes for peace.
"If everyone in the Middle East gets to the point of sleeping at home, not fearing their neighbor, that would be really great," he said. "That's what we're looking for."
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