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Witness to bravery
• TOM Hurndall, of Tufnell Park, was indeed as brave, truth-seeking and idealistic as portrayed in the Channel 4 film, The Shooting Of Thomas Hurndall, on Monday. The film showed that the Israeli army does not appreciate these qualities.
As shown in the film, Tom was shot in the head by an Israeli army sniper for trying to protect Palestinian children from the Israeli snipers.
I heard first hand about Tom’s bravery from Mohammed Qeshta, who was a key witness of the shooting. Tom decided to go to Rafah after hearing that an Israeli military bulldozer crushed to death Rachel Corrie, who tried to stop it destroying Palestinian homes.
Once in Rafah, Tom stayed at the house of Mohammed. They befriended each other and spent many hours together. I met Mohammed in Islington and learnt from him about the struggle to defend Palestinian homes from the Israeli military’s systematic house demolition.
Mohammed gave his evidence to Tom’s father Anthony. The evidence, as shown in the film, helped Tom’s father discredit the Israeli army version of events. It helped Anthony establish the facts, which eventually brought the conviction of an Israeli soldier for the killing of his son.
Because of his evidence, Mohammed was subjected to threats, attempting to deter him from giving evidence to the Israeli military court and British coroner. Mohammed received legal advice against travelling to the Israeli military court, on the grounds of danger to his safety.
Therefore, Mohammed had to give his evidence in the UK and since then he cannot go back to Rafah, which is under tight Israeli military control. Even when his mother, Suad, was dying this spring he could not visit her at her deathbed. Tom’s brother Billy came to Islington, where Mohammed lives in exile, to comfort him for his loss.
I learnt from Mohammed that the place where Tom was shot was Yibna refugee camp. This was an important reason for his and my decision to forge the link between Islington and Yibna, which we later named Islington Friends of Yibna (IFY).
IFY’s activities are wide ranging, intending to appeal to our diverse Islington community and every Islingtonian believing in justice is welcomed. Sunday is the next opportunity to show support for Yibna, at a fundraising IFY Pub Quiz to Make a Difference at Hobgoblin in White Lion Street at 7.30pm. All proceeds go to Yibna.
Palestinian author Ghada Karmi will talk and sign her books at Islington Town Hall at 7.30pm on November 19, when there will be photo exhibitions, Palestinian crafts and much more.
For more details of these events go to www.ifyibna.org.
Yael Kahn
Chair, Islington Friends of Yibna |
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