Special Dispatch - Palestinian Authority/Jihad & Terrorism
August 22, 2005
No. 966
Al-Jazeera Special on Female Suicide Bomber Hanadi Jaradat
The following are excerpts from a report, by Al-Jazeera TV that aired August
16,2005, about female Palestinian suicide bomber Hanadi Jaradat. Jaradat was
responsible for the October 2003 bombing of the Arab-owned restaurant Maxim
in Haifa, Israel, which killed 19. (To view this clip, visit:
http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=817 ).
Hanadi Jaradat: "By the power of Allah, I have decided to become the sixth
female martyrdom-seeker, who will turn her body into shrapnel, which will
reach the heart of every Zionist colonialist in my country, and every
settler or Zionist who has tried to sow death in my country. We are not the
only ones who must sow and reap..."
Reporter: "Her cousin Sami was the one who filmed her."
Sami Jaradat: "I filmed her with a video camera. There was no need to
prepare a special room. She could stand and say whatever she wanted, and
that's it.
"She was more courageous than a man. I was standing in front of her, and
although she was the one going [on the operation], I was more mentally
distressed than her.
[...]
"At the time, Amjad Al-'Ubeidi was in charge of the Al-Quds Squads. Amjad
rented an apartment in Jenin, where people would sleep or be filmed before
becoming martyrdom-seekers. I filmed her in that apartment. He gave me the
key and left an explosives belt there. I went to the apartment, showed her
the belt, and gave it to her. It is not as complicated as you portray. Even
if a girl doesn't want to undress in front of me, she can wear her clothes,
and you give her the belt and show her how to put it on.
[...]
"She suggested going to Jerusalem. When I saw this wasn't possible, I said
to her: 'Jerusalem is too difficult.' We were in the West Bank and would
have to pass 10 checkpoints on the way. There is a checkpoint between every
two villages or towns. So I said it would be easier to get to Haifa. 'In
Haifa you could look for a military base, and carry out your operation
there.'
[...]
Amjad Al-'Ubeidi, commander of the Islamic Jihad in Jenin: "It is not that
complicated. We produce primitive explosives, from which we make an
explosives belt, a bag, or something. You can get most of it easily these
days. There is nothing special about it. The belt is like this shirt - you
wear it and there is a button here. You push the button, and that's it. All
she had to do was push a button. There's nothing to learn. She would wear
it... Hanadi, especially, being an educated lawyer, who knows what to do,
who speaks English, and gets along by herself - she did not need anyone to
take her.
[...]
"From the Haifa operation in which Hanadi was martyred until my capture, I
did not see her family at all. What can I possibly say to console them? They
deserve to be consoled, but words are not enough. They lost [a son before
Hanadi]. Nothing is more precious than a son. They lost a son. Losing a son
affects the soul many times more than losing a daughter in our society.
Losing even 10 daughters is not as bad as losing one son. That's how it is
in our society. A son is more dear to the parents than a daughter. Since his
role in life is greater, the pain is heavier."
[...]
Hussein Al-Sheikh, West Bank Fatah commander: "When Wafa Idris did this, she
played a role, I think, in the shaping of a new culture among Palestinian
girls. She has become a source of pride. Many girls, for various reasons,
wanted to play the same role.
[...]
"What drove Palestinians to this level is the occupation. On the other hand,
the tight Israeli security measures and the strict searches of young men by
the occupation forces drove the Palestinian organizations to incorporate
women. Girls and women were not subjected to strict Israeli security
measures, and it was easier for them to reach a certain place and carry out
a mission than it was for young men."
[...]
Interviewer: "From the moment you decided to carry out this operation, how
did you prepare yourself for it?"
Samar, failed suicide bomber: "I was very, very happy, happy on the inside.
I tried to grow closer to my parents, so they wouldn't be mad at me. I might
have been a little confused, but not too much. The joy that filled me
overcame everything else."
Interviewer: "What were you happy about?"
Samar: "That I was going to become a martyr."
Interviewer: "Happy? Someone about to end his life is happy?"
Samar: "But there is life after death. There is life after death."
Interviewer: "You think so?"
Samar: "Yes. There is life after death. Every person who dies will be
resurrected and held accountable. I will die and be resurrected."
[...]
Hanadi Jaradat's mother: "If I had known, would I have let my daughter die?
I had already sacrificed one child, would I sacrifice another? Would anyone
say this to his parents? There is nothing more precious than a child. Even
if they offered you all of Palestine, you would rather give it all up than
lose your son. If you have a child, nothing is more precious. That is how
Allah wanted it. Allah be praised."
Interviewer: "If you had known, what would you have said to her?"
Hanadi's mother: "I would not have let her go. I would have tied her up. I
would have locked her in her room, and stayed with her for an entire year."
*********************
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