I've always felt a bit uneasy, looking at this landscape.
I can’t get this story out of my head. I read it in the newspaper at my mother’s house last weekend. Its the story of an old Palestinian woman called Fatma Hawari who lives in a mixed Jewish-Arab town called Maalot Tarshiha. Hawari was asked by Tarshiha's junior school (an Arab school) parents committee to meet with children at her house and tell the story of the Israeli conquer of her village, Tarshiha, as part of an educational outing for pupils on the history of the community. Hawari stayed together with her family (15 people altogether) in her home at Tarshiha on the morning of October 28, 1948. Her house was bombed and completely destroyed by Israeli planes. She was the only survivor. She remained paralyzed for the rest of her life.
The Jewish mayor of the town cancelled the planned tour. He said: "The activity is tantamount to brainwashing the young children and poisoning their thoughts with regard to the future," noting that he intervened to stop the tour in the wake of requests from the Education Ministry and the Shin Bet security service.
Can you imagine what it must feel like, to be accused of poisoning children’s minds, for telling your own personal story?
If you want to read the full story you can find it here.
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