Palestinian doctor: ‘All I want is for Israel to take responsibility’

AMMAN: Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish lost his three daughters and a niece during the last days of the Israeli war on Gaza in 2009.

Abuelaish, a Palestinian doctor who had been working in Israeli hospitals, had been a fixture in Israeli media, as he speaks Hebrew fluently and was often called on to describe the Palestinian situation and narrative.

He was very moderate and loved by many Israelis. But on Jan. 17, 2009 he was no longer a levelheaded eyewitness and commentator, but a grieving father, after Israeli tank shelling killed four of his family members.

He called Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar to tell him about the tragedy and Eldar did something unusual. He put his phone on speaker mode and allowed the Palestinian to grieve on air on the popular news station Channel 10.

To the surprise of many Abuelaish was not spewing hate. He said his daughters were soldiers of peace. “I had three beautiful daughters who loved to help people. They were soldiers of peace,” he told a stunned Israeli viewing public. The war on Gaza stopped 24 hours later.

For years after that incident Abuelaish has continued to speak of love, not hate. He has written books, received 14 honorary degrees and been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

But Abuelaish has always wanted one thing, he told Arab News by phone Monday. He wants the Israeli army to take responsibility. “No amount of money in the world will ever compensate (for) my lost daughters and niece. All I want is for Israel to take responsibility and admit that they committed a mistake.”

After six years of legal haggling, Abuelaish is finally getting a chance to plead his case in an Israeli court. Four sessions are slated for March and April with the concluding session on April 19. Abuelaish simply wants justice for his 22-year-old daughter Bisan, 15-year-old Mayer and 14-year-old Aya. His niece, 14-year-old Nour Abuelaish, was also killed in the shelling of their home.

Abuelaish has rehearsed what happened in his mind for years. He has written and talked about it; a play has been created about what happened to his family.

The Palestinian doctor knocks down every Israeli attempt to duck responsibility. “They say that our house was full of Hamas guns; if that is the case, why am I here and not in jail?” he asked sarcastically.

Several witnesses — including a volunteer who was near the Abuelaish house before the shelling — have testified that no military activities were taking place. Even Israelis are testifying that the doctor’s home was clearly identified to the Israeli army so that it was not targeted. Eldar, the Israeli journalist, is returning from the US specifically to testify in the court about what happened.

This week Israeli media were full of commentators and politicians from right- and left-wing parties, all calling on the Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do what is right. Abuelaish repeated to Arab News what so many Israelis are telling their government: “Have the guts to admit the mistake and take responsibility,” he said.

Abuelaish said that Israeli military prosecutors have tried everything possible to derail his effort at getting justice. “They tried to delay our case so that the statute of limitations would expire but we filed in time and now the court is finally hearing our case,” he said.

Hussein Abu Hussein, a Palestinian lawyer and a citizen of Israel, is handling the case and the Palestinian doctor praises him for being “professional, considerate and loyal.” Abu Hussein also represents the family of Rachel Corrie, the American activist who was run over by an Israeli bulldozer as she was trying to stop house demolitions in Gaza in 2003.