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My
Son the Suicide Bomber By Rob
Winder, BBC
News Online Yousef
says that if he had known of his son's intentions he would have stopped
him. "Suicide bombs against civilians or soldiers are wrong - killing
on either side is not good." The
consequences of Ali's action were soon felt by Yousef. The Israeli Defence
Force arrived at his house that night and informed him that his house was
to be destroyed within minutes. They
then detonated explosive charges in the house that destroyed it and
damaged several other houses. Yousef
says Ali's death and its consequences have worsened his heart condition
and he is now dependent on medication to survive. The
army checkpoints that surround He
fears that one day he will be arrested and that he will die without access
to his medication. Ali
supported the family with his Policeman's income and Yousef now struggles
to provide for his seven daughters. Posters
glorifying Ali's "martyrdom' line the streets of Aida and it is hard
for Yousef to face images of his son. "I don't sleep - I have bad
dreams and I hurt inside - his death has been emotionally expensive for
me." Yousef's
story is a familiar one to many Palestinians. Forced from his Bet Shemesh
home as a child he spent many years in Jordanian refugee camps before
returning to the His
brother was expelled from the Sitting
under a tent in the ruins of Yousef's home, he is sanguine about his
situation. "I began my life in
tents and now I've returned to living in tents - I hope for an independent
Palestinian state but we can't solve this problem with bombs. We need to
talk."
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