Jaffa residents bemoan relatives killed in Gaza

Operation Cast Lead emphasizes Arab residents of central city's conflict between Israeli citizenship and pain over losing loved ones in Gaza. 'Expression of solidarity should not be reason to attack us,' says principal of school erecting mourners tent for victims

Eli Senyor|Published: 01.23.09 , 14:37

Almost one week after Operation Cast Lead came to an end, Israelis and Gazans are beginning to go back to their daily routines, but in Jaffa, despite the distance from the war front, many Arab residents are conflicted on how to recover from the damage caused by the operation.

On the one hand, Jaffa residents are afraid to protest against the war for fear of being perceived as identifying with the enemy, but on the other hand, many continue to mourn the loss of their own relatives in Gaza.

"Anyone who hasn't experienced the loss and death, cannot understand us," Jaffa café owner Zaki Abu Issa told Ynet. "I found out on television that my relatives were killed, my wife also got a message that her cousins were killed.

"What are we to do? We are not extremists that take the law into our own hands and try to hurt others. This is not our way, but we are not ashamed to say that we are hurting."

The Asmuni family of Jaffa suffered the greatest loss in the city, as they reported 31 members of their family living in Gaza were killed during the Israeli offensive. Four others are still missing.

Hassan Asmuni showed a long list of the names of his dead relatives that he managed to retrieve from the internet. "I don't know what to tell my children when they ask me difficult questions," Asmuni told Ynet.

"Throughout the whole war we couldn't contact them. We prayed that nothing would happen to them, but then we saw on television, and read in the media that this great tragedy came over them.

"It's hard for us to deal with this pain. On the one hand we are Israeli citizens, but on the other hand, these are our family members,' he explained.

During the war there were those who tried to blow off steam by holding demonstrations and setting up mourners' tents that were taken down shortly afterwards.

One of the demonstration's organizers, Omar Siksek, is a Tel Aviv Municipality council member who said he was even questioned by the Shin Bet on the matter.

"I felt the place was burning. I saw that people wanted to express their protest. This is the least they can do. It's legitimate, and it's within the confines of the law. But to summon me to the police station, as an elected representative, and to tell me I'm inciting, and to threaten me, this is called shutting our mouths," he said.

'Expressions of solidarity should not be reason to attack us'

The silent protest of the residents of Jaffa reached the educational institutions as well, where ceremonies and events were held to demonstrate solidarity with the civilian population in the Strip.

One Jaffa high school attracted the most attention when a mourners' tent was set up there for one day.

Verses from the Quran were read at Ironi Yud Bet high school, and students lit candles positioned to spell out "Gaza's children". The event ended in a donation campaign in which students collected money for those injured in the Strip.

The school's principal, Abd Elhalim Satel said this was a legitimate activity. "The children were asking difficult questions, and they needed to be expressed. We hesitated for a few days and decided to hold a joint meeting with the student council to decide what kind of events to hold.

"It should be remembered that many of these students have families in Gaza, and obviously, they are concerned for them," he said.

"We are in pain, and the fact that we are expressing our solidarity should not be used as a reason to attack us or our loyalty as citizens of the State.

"I am proud and appreciate the municipality and the Education Ministry for giving us full support in holding these events, out of an understanding for the distress these students are in."