On October 11, 2002, as Shaden Abu-Hijleh sat on the front porch of her house in Nablus on the West Bank in occupied Palestine, embroidering a dress while her husband Jamal--a physician--picked spice leaves, an Israeli army patrol stopped and opened fire on them without warning.

Fifteen bullets shattered the glass veranda, injuring Jamal and his son Saed, who ran out and shouted at the soldiers, "Why are you shooting at us?" Saed then held his mother as she gasped for air, dying from bullets through her neck and heart.

Two days later, the New York Times reported the death of "a 60-year-old woman"--another statistic, a nameless Palestinian with no apparent family or history. The Israeli army first claimed that they had no patrols in the area and later said that Shaden was hit by a "stray bullet."

Shaden's four children studied at the University of Iowa, and friends and family have been pressing the Israelis for justice. Shaden was a teacher, a founder of the Palestinian Society for the Protection of the Environment and a volunteer at organizations that assisted families during the curfews and closures imposed by the Israelis.

The Israeli soldier who murdered Shaden still walks free on the streets of Palestine--enjoying the benefits of the $10 million that the U.S. Congress sends Israel each day.

Blake Robinswood, People for Justice in Palestine, Iowa City, Iowa

Home page | Back to the top