THE HAMAS KISS: A MEMOIR OF GAZA tells the story of when the lines between friend and enemy.
After 9/11, many Palestinians began showing support for Osama Bin Laden because he attacked America. They felt Yassir Arafat had let them down. Support for Hamas increased and Arafat decided to stop arresting Hamas members and turned to more violence against the Israelis to try to achieve his goals.
According to Islamic law and custom, families do not mourn their dead until the death has been avenged. If the deceased is killed by an enemy, like Israel, he is considered a martyr and is immediately mourned. But if he is killed by another Palestinian, the death must be avenged before mourning can begin.
Muhammad Akel had three sons. Issam was killed in 1989 by the Israelis. Imad became fugitive and lived in hiding. Yussef was killed by the Palestinian Police during a protest during the intifada. Imad’s mission became to avenge the Yussef’s death.
Meanwhile, Matt Rees was the Jerusalem Bureau chief of an American news magazine trying to get the story about what was happening among the Palestinians. He and his editor did not always agree about what the story should be.
THE HAMAS KISS: A MEMOIR OF GAZA is a short, well-written quick read that tells the story that was often ignored by the media. It is concise and enlightening and provides several concepts that can encourage discussion and analysis. ( )