Life under the gun

Abu Sai’d, a wanted Islamic Jihad member, describes his life in a hideout in the northern West Bank: He sleeps during the day and is awake at night - always on alert and constantly praying.

“Living under the gun is nothing new, but no doubt it is difficult. It’s like the life of each person who prays to God to live in the next world in the Garden of Eden,” says Abu Sai’d.

No major changes have occurred in his life lately, yet the fact that only Islamic Jihad members are red-marked targets by Israel does not make Abu Sa’id’s life any easier.

Family meetings are limited to once a week or once every few weeks, but the distance and lack of contact with loved ones are easier than the more difficult task of remaining safe.

“In fact we have been in the same situation since the start of the intifada. Thank God, this is our part in this life in this world: To live as a Mujahed (Muslim fighter) in the hope that in the end we will live near Prophet Mohammed in the Garden of Eden,” he says.

Intifada is war for the sake of Islam

His conviction is that the fight against Israel is not based on “killing for the sake of killing”; the intifada is a war for the sake of Islam and the “homeland” Palestine. In this respect Abu Sa’id explains his perception of the conflict with Israel: “It is a war against Islam and as the enemies are killing us, it is impossible that people from the criminal side don’t die.”

In the relative safety of his hiding place Abu Sai’d explains why he continues to plan and execute attacks against Israeli targets despite statements by Jihad leaders to abide by the a decision to preserve a relative lull in violence against the Jewish state.

“When our leadership committed itself, it meant a conditional lull --- dependent above all on Israel’s secession of its aggressions and other conditions,” he explains.

Lull comes at a price. Islamic Jihad fighters seem to reserve the right to fire back at Israel whenever the IDF apprehends or assassinates one of their mates. Israel maintains that the IDF’s guidelines are to assassinate Palestinians “with blood on their hands” or “ticking bombs,” meaning Palestinians planning to carry out suicide attacks against Israeli civilians.

Attacks are response to Israeli crimes

“These attacks are a response to crimes, the latest of which took place on Monday in Kabbatiyeh. They are also a response to the assassination in Gaza and the assassination of the brother and hero, shahid Louie Saadi,” says Abu Sa’id.

The IDF killed Louie Saadi, a senior Islamic Jihad fugitive last Sunday. The Islamic Jihad responded with launching a suicide attack in the coastal town of Hadera last Wednesday killing five Israelis.

In the aftermath of the attack, the government gave the green light to the IDF to eradicate the terror infrastructure of the Jihad in Gaza and the West Bank. A series of arrests and targeted assassinations of senior terrorists have been executed over the last few days.

Confronted with claims that Louie Saadi was killed in order to preempt attacks he had planned, including the latest attack in Hadera, which according to security officials took more than three days to prepare, Abu Sa’id insists, “that’s what Israel is saying.”

Israel’s use of the so-called preemptive assassinations of “ticking bombs” like Saadi is nothing but an excuse to justify its crimes against the Palestinians, says Abu Sai’d.

For those who have hope in the latest IDF operation to deal a severe blow to the Jihad, Abu Sai’d has a reassuring answer, “We are defending ourselves. Israel killed and we have to defend ourselves. The attacks are part of our self-defense strategy.”