A Palestinian deportee tells Michael Jansen, in Nicosia, that his expulsion from his homeland is an indication of Sharon's ethnic cleansing plans Click to view caption While a dozen Palestinian deportees from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem flew to six European countries on 22 May to begin a year's exile in closely supervised freedom, Abdullah Dawoud, the 13th man, chose to stay behind in Cyprus. Dawoud, 40, the most senior among the deportees and former head of Palestinian intelligence in the Bethlehem area, felt he would find it easier to cope with the uncertainty of having no country of asylum for the time being than younger comrades would. "It will be arranged in a few days or a few weeks," he told Al-Ahram Weekly in an interview. Born in 1962 to refugee parents from the Lydda area, Dawoud grew up in the Balata camp near Nablus. He was first arrested for anti- Israeli political activity when he was 16. After that, he was imprisoned for three years and underwent numerous six-month stretches of detention without trial. This is his second deportation. During the first Intifada, Dawoud was a student of political science and public administration at Al-Najah University in Nablus. "The university was under siege, like the church, and it was agreed that certain students should be sent into exile," he said. He went to Tunisia where he joined the Committee for the Occupied Areas established by the late Khalil Al- Wazir (known as Abu Jihad), a top PLO figure who was assassinated by Israel in Tunisian capital, Tunis, in 1985. Dawoud returned to Nablus in 1995 and completed his first degree. It is hardly surprising that he should top Israel's list of the men it wanted exiled, but it is ironic that he was also among the Palestinian Authority regional intelligence commanders coordinating security with the Israelis. According to an Israeli army background paper, he is accused of organising and executing "multiple terrorist attacks," manufacturing explosives, smuggling weaponry and cooperating with Tanzim activists. Dawoud dismissed the accusations, saying that he and the others in the "Nativity 13" were resisting occupation and fighting for independence. He said Israel demanded that a large number of men be deported to justify the siege of the church. "Israel has turned us into international figures," he joked. Dawoud hopes to go back to Palestine soon. If his entry is barred by Israel, he will use the opportunity to do further studies. Once he is settled, he would ask his wife, eight-year-old daughter, Heba, and five-year-old son, Youssef, to join him. "The Israeli invasion of Bethlehem was expected," he said. "A comprehensive plan had been prepared well beforehand. The Israelis cut all coordination with Palestinian security forces, including the liaison office, and massed troops in the area. There were 250 armoured vehicles and tanks and thousands of troops. On the evening of 29 March, they attacked the adjacent town of Beit Jala and Al-Khader village. It was obvious that they would besiege Bethlehem." Dawoud went on to describe how the Israeli forces advanced on 1 and 2 April. "The attack began with helicopters. The church was the obvious refuge for the policemen and security agents based at the Peace Centre on Manger Square. Palestinians firmly believed there was a slim possibility that [the Israelis] would enter the old town and the church square, because of the religious sensitivities of the Western Christian world." According to Dawoud, the church had always been respected as a sanctuary by the conquerors of Palestine, including Israel when it occupied the West Bank in 1967. "The Israelis have been the only ones to attack the church," he said. "The Persians did not attack it in 630; they did not destroy anything." During the 39-day siege, the Israelis shot into the church and set fire to several rooms in the compound, killing eight Palestinians and wounding 25. The ordeal of the church's 250 inmates was harsh on both the material and spiritual levels. "We suffered from a lack of food, electricity, potable water and toilets. We had to sleep on the floor. Although the monks and nuns provided blankets, there were not enough to go around," he said. Dawoud was full of praise for the Catholic and Orthodox clerics. "They played a very constructive role. 'This is our church and we will not leave,' was the stand of the priests. Their bedrooms were exposed to Israeli fire to force them out of the church, but they stayed on till the siege ended on 10 May," Dawoud said. The presence of Christian laymen, as well as Muslims amongst those who had taken refuge in the church cemented relations between Christians and Muslims, Dawoud thought, "because the Israeli aggression did not differentiate between them." He does not fear extradition by Israel from his place of asylum. "The European Union [EU] and each member state has its own laws and independent decision- making. These states know very well that none of us are involved in any criminal activity. We are demanding our freedom. Our deportation is a political issue. We are going to countries with democratic systems and respect for human rights. Never has a host handed over its guest [in these circumstances]. There is no precedent, as such. The Europeans are well known for their good intentions and they will deal with us accordingly. The EU is not like Israel with respect to breaking agreements," he said. He did not also give much weight to the protest made by the International Committee of the Red Cross against the deportation of the 13 men on the grounds that it was a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention. "In principle, the occupation is a violation of all conventions to start with. The occupation is a denial of the presence of the Other. It is an attempt to obliterate the presence of the Palestinians on their land. Deportation is one of the means used by Israel to achieve its end," Dawoud said. Dawoud believes Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies clearly show his intention of transferring the Palestinians from their homeland. He denied that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat agreed to the US-brokered deal for lifting the siege. "We appealed to the president to accept this arrangement for two reasons," Dawoud said. "First, the church is a holy place. Failure to lift the siege could have meant its destruction. Second, because of the church siege, 140,000 Palestinians living in the Bethlehem governorate were subjected to the same siege. That's why we appealed to President Arafat. The proposal protected the church and protected our people, even if some of us were sacrificed by being deported." He said the deportation decision was not taken by the Palestinian Authority; all those present in the church signed the appeal document to Arafat to accept the deal. While Spain, Belgium, and Portugal have not identified their Palestinian guests, Italy is playing host to Ibrahim Mohamed Abayat, Mohamed Said Atallah Salem and Khaled Abu Najme, while Greece agreed to host Mohamed Muhanna and Mamdouh Wardiyan. Ireland is providing refuge to Jihad Jaara, who is receiving medical treatment for a leg injured by an Israeli bullet, and Rami Kamel. Belgium has said it will grant its unnamed deportee political asylum.
