A would-be Palestinian suicide bomber explains why she has changed her mind about violence against Israelis

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

In an audiotape released this week, Osama bin Laden urges Palestinians to shun negotiations with Israel in favor of armed resistance. In spite of such calls, however, pleas for talks are coming from unexpected players on both sides of the divide. One of them, Shifa al-Qudsi, recently finished serving a six-year sentence in an Israeli prison for planning to carry out a suicide bombing. Back in 2002 the Palestinian had been fitted with an explosive belt by Fatah's Al Aqsa military brigade but was arrested shortly before carrying out her deadly mission. Since then al-Qudsi, now 30, has undergone a radical change of heart and today insists that a solution can be achieved only through dialogue. NEWSWEEK's Joanna Chen met with al-Qudsi at her family home in the West Bank town of Tulkarem and heard why violence isn't an option and life is worth living after all. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: What made you want to blow yourself and other people up six years ago?

I was motivated by all the suffering that was going on around me, and at the time it seemed the right thing to do. Palestinians were getting killed inside their own homes, farmers were unable to work on their own lands, innocent children were being oppressed. All of this created an atmosphere of violence.

What did those years in prison do to you?

It was very difficult for me. I sat there for a long time and came to the conclusion there must be an alternative to this path of death and violence. We have to find a better way to reach our objective.

Was there a certain moment when you realized that blowing people up might not be the right way?

I had the chance to read a lot while I was in jail. I read about Mahatma Gandhi and how he obtained his objective of peace without raising a weapon or throwing a stone. I tried to think of a way to do the same in my own country. I think words can express better the suffering of Palestinian prisoners and the wish for peace between two peoples. I don't need to blast my body to bits and kill other people. Today I believe that words are more powerful than weapons.

Even between enemies?

The reality has already been imposed on us. We can't start talking about getting back historical Palestine, and I'm resigned to the fact that there are two nations who can live on this land. There should be peace and quiet not just for the Israelis but for the Palestinians.

What would you say to people who still think that attacks are the way to go?

Many people before me carried out suicide attacks and others will continue to do so if the situation doesn't improve. However, I tell them now: enough. We have created a lot of problems and a lot of destruction on both sides, and the time has come for us to engage in dialogue.

Would you say that to your brother, who's serving 18 years in an Israeli jail for an attempted suicide bombing?

My youngest brother is in jail because he was caught inside Israel wearing a suicide belt. He was only 15 and a half. I consider this blackmail and exploitation of my brother. He was too young to have been able to make this decision on his own, and so I consider what happened to him a crime from our own side. He should never have been exploited this way. When I decided to blow myself up I was convinced this was right and I was old enough to make my own decision, but not my brother.

Your daughter was just seven when you were sent to prison. How did you explain your willingness for her to grow up without a mother?

We've talked about it a lot. She blamed me for leaving her, although I tried to explain to her that I had bigger issues to deal with. I don't want to say that I regret my former mission, but at the same time I know I should have thought of my daughter more and should have made her [my] priority. What will make an impact is not a suicide belt that I strap to myself but education. A bomb only creates casualties and more violence. If I can equip my daughter with education, that will make a change.

What do you tell your daughter today about Israelis?

The most important message for my daughter is that Israelis are not all carriers of weapons and not all of them want to kill Palestinians. There is a big sector that wants peace.

What are your plans for the future?

The day after I came out of prison I went to register [at] university. I feel like there's no time to waste, and my objective is to study and to be able to give my daughter and other children a better future through education.

Do you think that's going to be possible?

I say it in three languages: yes, ken and aywa. I want to talk, to tell people that I did time in an Israeli jail and learned Hebrew and communicated with a lot of Israelis. I want to continue this communication and also to carry the voice of 11,000 Palestinian prisoners to the world.

Do you think your change of heart reflects a change in the Palestinian people?

I think my position reflects the desire of the Palestinian people for peace. People are tired. They want to live. And they really want peace but are struggling in order to make the world understand.

If you could speak to the Palestinian and Israeli leadership, what would you say?

My message to both is peace. We need to engage in real dialogue. Everybody needs to come down from the tree and to enter into a solid, realistic negotiation. This is the only way.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/124569/page/1

[sereia 0]

[mawilson 2,133]

"Palestinian suicide bomber changed her mind"

This reminds me of a story I read in an Israeli newspaper back in 2001.

A suicide bomber's plan had failed and he got caught because his friend/partner didn't

show up for "work". He was supposed to detonate a second bomb but at the last

moment changed his mind and told his friend he had a touch of the flu and felt too

weak to go to work.

[simple_male 1]

From this article that you posted.

"Do you think your change of heart reflects a change in the Palestinian people?

I think my position reflects the desire of the Palestinian people for peace. People are tired. They want to live. And they really want peace but are struggling in order to make the world understand.

If you could speak to the Palestinian and Israeli leadership, what would you say?

My message to both is peace. We need to engage in real dialogue. Everybody needs to come down from the tree and to enter into a solid, realistic negotiation. This is the only way. "

Real dialogue for Peace is the only way, not the "might is right" principle.

Edited March 22, 2008 by simple_male

[Nagishkaw 510]

"Palestinian suicide bomber changed her mind"

This reminds me of a story I read in an Israeli newspaper back in 2001.

A suicide bomber's plan had failed and he got caught because his friend/partner didn't

show up for "work". He was supposed to detonate a second bomb but at the last

moment changed his mind and told his friend he had a touch of the flu and felt too

weak to go to work.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

LOL another piece about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that never even manages to mention the word "occupation." (I am SHOCKED I tell you... SHOCKED.)

This pathetic excuse for journalism is completely devoid of context, and just as bad, poses loaded questions like this one:

Do you think your change of heart reflects a change in the Palestinian people?

How neat was that trick ! Now the entire Palestinian people have been collectively demonized as endorsing suicide bombers Of course the woman being interviewed says nothing of the sort. But the insinuation from Joanna Chen's question is clear.

Is Chen clueless to the fact that there's been an illegal military occupation going on for the last 40 years, decades before there ever *were* any suicide bombings ?

Could she be totally unaware of the fact that the state of Israel has been systematically annexing Palestinian territory, forcibly pushing Palestinians off their property for the last 6 decades, and moving its own population into their place ?

Does Chen have even the faintest idea of how many innocent Palestinians have been murdered or maimed at the hands of Israelis over the past 60 years ? You'd think any reporter worth his or her salt would have done a little homework.

Or is Chen actually aware of all these things, and doing a deliberate spin job ?

The quotes Chen carefully culled from the interview mention Palestinians killed inside their homes, farmers kept from getting to their land, children being oppressed. But by whom ?? And why ?? Either Chen doesn't want to say, or she isn't even curious enough to ask.

She's too busy asking questions like this one:

Was there a certain moment when you realized that blowing people up might not be the right way?

Does it ever occur to Chen that perhaps ethnic cleansing, turning millions of people into refugees and stealing their property "may not be the right way" ?

How about ignoring international law and the Geneva Convention regarding collective punishment -- does she ever consider that war crimes "aren't the way to go" ?

Or how about dropping missiles on alleged "suspects" in the middle of crowded city streets, killing dozens of innocent people -- does a light ever go on in Chen's apparently shriveled and atrophied brain that perhaps it "may not be the right way" ? Seems nobody's home inside that echoing void of a cranium.

Apparently, Chen actually wants the reader to conclude that all this trouble is due to Palestinian maniacs who charge into Israel wearing suicide belts because they have some delusion of "getting back historic Palestine" -- even though that's not at all what the woman says. Chen's understanding of history seems to begin on the day an Israeli become a victim -- nothing that happened before the advent of suicide bombings even deserves to be mentioned in her world.

Thus, her article is just another cheerleading-for-Israel hack piece, attempting to portray "Palestinian suicide bombings" as the total sum of the conflict -- as if they occur in some sort vacuum, totally unrelated to Israel's continuing brutal aggression over the last 60 years. Articles like these are transparent attempts to put the cart before the horse -- to try to justify Israel's behavior as a "response" to suicide bombings, when in fact suicide bombings are a response to Israel's ongoing occupation.

Since you posted the article, Lucky Strike, I direct this comment to you:

The woman being interviewed makes it very clear that she was motivated by the suffering of her people. Scholars who have studied the phenomenon agree with her. But you have time and again tried to argue on this forum that suicide bombers are motivated by Islam -- in fact, you still have the link to the Islamophobic hate site "The Religion of Peace" in your profile.

So which one is it ?

[Y's_habibitk 2]

LOL another piece about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that never even manages to mention the word "occupation." (I am SHOCKED I tell you... SHOCKED.)

This pathetic excuse for journalism is completely devoid of context, and just as bad, poses loaded questions like this one:

Do you think your change of heart reflects a change in the Palestinian people?

How neat was that trick ! Now the entire Palestinian people have been collectively demonized as endorsing suicide bombers Of course the woman being interviewed says nothing of the sort. But the insinuation from Joanna Chen's question is clear.

Is Chen clueless to the fact that there's been an illegal military occupation going on for the last 40 years, decades before there ever *were* any suicide bombings ?

Could she be totally unaware of the fact that the state of Israel has been systematically annexing Palestinian territory, forcibly pushing Palestinians off their property for the last 6 decades, and moving its own population into their place ?

Does Chen have even the faintest idea of how many innocent Palestinians have been murdered or maimed at the hands of Israelis over the past 60 years ? You'd think any reporter worth his or her salt would have done a little homework.

Or is Chen actually aware of all these things, and doing a deliberate spin job ?

The quotes Chen carefully culled from the interview mention Palestinians killed inside their homes, farmers kept from getting to their land, children being oppressed. But by whom ?? And why ?? Either Chen doesn't want to say, or she isn't even curious enough to ask.

She's too busy asking questions like this one:

Was there a certain moment when you realized that blowing people up might not be the right way?

Does it ever occur to Chen that perhaps ethnic cleansing, turning millions of people into refugees and stealing their property "may not be the right way" ?

How about ignoring international law and the Geneva Convention regarding collective punishment -- does she ever consider that war crimes "aren't the way to go" ?

Or how about dropping missiles on alleged "suspects" in the middle of crowded city streets, killing dozens of innocent people -- does a light ever go on in Chen's apparently shriveled and atrophied brain that perhaps it "may not be the right way" ? Seems nobody's home inside that echoing void of a cranium.

Apparently, Chen actually wants the reader to conclude that all this trouble is due to Palestinian maniacs who charge into Israel wearing suicide belts because they have some delusion of "getting back historic Palestine" -- even though that's not at all what the woman says. Chen's understanding of history seems to begin on the day an Israeli become a victim -- nothing that happened before the advent of suicide bombings even deserves to be mentioned in her world.

Thus, her article is just another cheerleading-for-Israel hack piece, attempting to portray "Palestinian suicide bombings" as the total sum of the conflict -- as if they occur in some sort vacuum, totally unrelated to Israel's continuing brutal aggression over the last 60 years. Articles like these are transparent attempts to put the cart before the horse -- to try to justify Israel's behavior as a "response" to suicide bombings, when in fact suicide bombings are a response to Israel's ongoing occupation.

Since you posted the article, Lucky Strike, I direct this comment to you:

The woman being interviewed makes it very clear that she was motivated by the suffering of her people. Scholars who have studied the phenomenon agree with her. But you have time and again tried to argue on this forum that suicide bombers are motivated by Islam -- in fact, you still have the link to the Islamophobic hate site "The Religion of Peace" in your profile.

So which one is it ?

Ya, what she said

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

WoM,

I have answered your question many times but you just ignore my answers. Try being a little less angry and a little more open minded.

The vast majority of Muslims are peaceful. But the vast majority of terrorists follow Islam. Why? (You never answer) I don't know why either but at least I'm not in denial. The first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem.

Hezbollah and Hamas ARE known terrorists. You can butter this roll any way you want but it always lands in the sand.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

WoM,

I have answered your question many times but you just ignore my answers. Try being a little less angry and a little more open minded.

The vast majority of Muslims are peaceful. But the vast majority of terrorists follow Islam. Why? (You never answer) I don't know why either but at least I'm not in denial. The first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem.

Hezbollah and Hamas ARE known terrorists. You can butter this roll any way you want but it always lands in the sand.

You dissemble again. Try being a little less *dishonest* and a little more *honest.* In fact, I have *not* "ignored your questions." I most certainly *did* post a piece about suicide bombers on this very forum, in direct response to your claims. (Apparently it was before the server crash, because it is not coming up on my search. But I may have kept a copy of it in my files -- I will look for it.)

And your claim was absolutely incorrect --- as I already told you in that post, the "vast majority" of suicide bombers are *not* Muslim, in fact, they've only recently *edged out* the Tamil Tigers (not "vastly" outnumbered them) and this is a direct result of what's happening in Iraq.

*You* are the one who is ignoring the question. I repeat:

The woman being interviewed makes it very clear that she was motivated by the suffering of her people. Scholars who have studied the phenomenon agree with her. But you have time and again tried to argue on this forum that suicide bombers are motivated by Islam -- in fact, you still have the link to the Islamophobic hate site "The Religion of Peace" in your profile.

So which one is it ?

[yaziedandlisa 0]

she changed her mind? thats good from her,,, cuz if she did that herfamily will suffer alot.. her brothers will all go to jail.. her sisters.. her husband and kids -if she had- and their house will be down... thats the best thing! and lucky strike i still dont know why (goooo isreal).. go in what? killing pali kids or people? or doing all of that in gaza? all that violence? go in what exactly? and buy danish!! buy danish alone u dont need to tell any1 about that.. and i guess when u say buy danish that means u r saying yes for the people who draw all that about our great prophet mohammed (puh)... hmm?

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

she changed her mind? thats good from her,,, cuz if she did that herfamily will suffer alot.. her brothers will all go to jail.. her sisters.. her husband and kids -if she had- and their house will be down... thats the best thing! and lucky strike i still dont know why (goooo isreal).. go in what? killing pali kids or people? or doing all of that in gaza? all that violence? go in what exactly? and buy danish!! buy danish alone u dont need to tell any1 about that.. and i guess when u say buy danish that means u r saying yes for the people who draw all that about our great prophet mohammed (puh)... hmm?

Buy Danish!! Say 'yes' to freedom of speech!!! Even if it hurts the feelings of people like you.

Buy Danish to fight the boycott of these people...

[mawilson 2,133]

And your claim was absolutely incorrect --- as I already told you in that post, the "vast majority" of suicide bombers are *not* Muslim, in fact, they've only recently *edged out* the Tamil Tigers (not "vastly" outnumbered them) and this is a direct result of what's happening in Iraq.

Oh really? Iraq?

Last time I checked, the US was attacked by Muslim suicide bombers on 9/11, long before Iraq.

Killed almost 3,000 people in one day. How many people have the "Tamil Tigers" killed over the years?

What a joke.

[GabiandVi 34]

Obviously there is a lot of history between the people posting about which I am unaware, but as an impartial observer, someone who does not sympathize with Isreal's actions toward the Palestinians, I must say that the article sounded like good news to me. I can only imagine how a people oppressed for so long would find nuances to statements and questions that seem straightforward to people on the outside, but I think we have to remember that the intended audience is for people like me. I think people like me need to read more and more of these types of articles showing that there are large numbers of Palestinians who do not condone violence. I always read that these people exist but they are not given a voice or that the articles are written but are not given the attention they should be. I'm glad to read any article like this I can, on both sides of this issue and other issues like this.

[simple_male 1]

And your claim was absolutely incorrect --- as I already told you in that post, the "vast majority" of suicide bombers are *not* Muslim, in fact, they've only recently *edged out* the Tamil Tigers (not "vastly" outnumbered them) and this is a direct result of what's happening in Iraq.

Oh really? Iraq?

Last time I checked, the US was attacked by Muslim suicide bombers on 9/11, long before Iraq.

Killed almost 3,000 people in one day. How many people have the "Tamil Tigers" killed over the years?

What a joke.

This is not a joke. Please read below:

The link is: http://www.cfr.org/publication/9242/

What are the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam?

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a separatist terrorist group that seeks an independent state in areas in Sri Lanka inhabited by ethnic Tamils. (Eelam means homeland in Tamil.) The LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers, has used conventional, guerrilla, and terror tactics, including some 200 suicide bombings, in a bloody, two-decade-old civil war that has claimed more than 60,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans. The U.S. State Department lists the LTTE as a foreign terrorist organization.

Does the LTTE have ties to al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups?No. Experts say that the secular nationalist LTTE currently has no operational connection with al-Qaeda, its radical Islamist affiliates, or other terrorist groups. However, some of the Tigers’ innovations—such as the “jacket” apparatus worn by individual suicide bombers—have been copied by al-Qaeda, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, and Palestinian groups such as Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

In its early days, experts say, the LTTE trained with the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the group may still come into contact with other terrorist organizations through the illegal arms trade.

Who are the Tamils?

The Tamils are an ethnic group who live in southern India (mainly in the state of Tamil Nadu) and on Sri Lanka , an island of 19 million people off the southern tip of India . Tamils comprise about eighteen percent of the island’s population, and most live in northern and eastern areas. Their religion (most are Hindu) and Tamil language set them apart from the three-quarters of Sri Lankans who are Sinhalese—members of a largely Buddhist, Sinhala-speaking ethnic group. When Sri Lanka was ruled by the British, the Tamil minority was seen to have received preferential treatment. Since Sri Lanka became independent in 1948, the Sinhalese majority has dominated the country. The remainder of Sri Lanka ’s population includes ethnic Muslims as well as Tamil and Sinhalese Christians.

Has the LTTE been active since September 11?

While the LTTE was active in the months leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, a lull in violence preceded a February 2002 cease-fire agreement. Later that year, the rebels and the government reached a power-sharing agreement in hopes of achieving a lasting peace. Violence resumed in July 2004 when a suicide bomber strapped explosives to her body in Colombo, killing herself and four policemen. The LTTE claimed the attack was "an operation of some elements who are working to disrupt peace efforts," accusing the military and police of backing a breakaway tiger leader responsible for the suicide bombing. Tensions continued to rise until the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 30,000 people in Sri Lanka and brought a relative state of calm between the rebels and the government. The August 2005 assassination of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar -- of which the rebels are suspected but deny any involvement -- disrupted the peace and once again put the LTTE at odds with the Sri Lankan government. By July 2006, fighting had reached its worst levels since before the 2002 cease-fire. Hundreds have been killed in the most recent wave of violence, and the United Nations reports tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. The Sri Lankan government unilaterally pulled out of the 2002 cease-fire agreement in January 2008.

What kind of terrorist attacks have the Tigers undertaken?

The LTTE is notorious for its suicide bombings. Since the late 1980s, the group has conducted some 200 suicide bombings—far more than any other terrorist group. LTTE suicide bombers have attacked civilians on mass transit, at Buddhist shrines, and in office buildings. In October 1997, a suicide truck bomb killed eighteen people at the 39-story World Trade Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital.

Beyond suicide bombings, the LTTE has used conventional bombs against political and civilian targets and has gunned down both Sri Lankan officials and civilians. LTTE fighters wear cyanide capsules around their necks, so they can commit suicide if they are captured.

Have the Tigers been suspected of major political assassinations?

Yes. LTTE suicide attacks have been blamed for targeting political leaders in Sri Lanka and India, including:

the May 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at a campaign rally in India;

the May 1993 assassination of Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa;

the July 1999 assassination of a Sri Lankan member of parliament, Neelan Thiruchelvam, an ethnic Tamil involved in a government-sponsored peace initiative;

a pair of December 1999 suicide bombings in Colombo that wounded Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga;

the June 2000 assassination of Sri Lankan Industry Minister C.V. Goonaratne;

the August 2005 assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar;

the January 2008 assassination of a member of parliament from the opposition United National Party (UNP), T. Maheswaran; and

the January 2008 assassination of Nation Building Minister D.M.Dassanayake.

[mawilson 2,133]

How many people, simple_male?

How many people?