|i 1 *7il »>fW WaKmdH'mkm M mm :;;tf f m @i if j iH mi ml k£v BASSAM SHAKA Portrait of a Palestinian Marion Woolfson T T THIRD WORLD CENTRE © THIRD WORLD CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND PUBLISHING 117 PICCADILLY LONDON W1 ISBN 0-86199-009-9 All rights reserved Printed in Beirut, Lebanon by MODERN PRINTING CENTER FIRST EDITION 1981 CONTENTS Introduction Strangers in Palestine Exile The Occupation Resistance The ‘Autonomy Plan’ Prison Conditions A Negative View Double Standards A Reign of Terror Expulsions Assassination Attempts Epilogue 7 Introduction The sufferings of Bassam Shak’a, mayor of the Pales¬ tinian town of Nablus, at the hands of the Zionist occupiers of his country focused the attention of the entire world on the subject of Palestine while his courageous struggle against tyranny ensured that the name of Bassam Shak’a would have a special place in the history books. The international outcry which was caused when the Israelis tried, first, to expel Bassam Shak’a from the land of his ancestors and, then, to kill him had the effect of illuminating very clearly many of the previously-hidden facts about Palestine. Because of the pretence that Israel was operating a ‘benevolent occupation’ — a pretence which was fostered in every way possible by Israel’s supporters in the West — and owing to the continual distortion and suppression of the facts, there has been little knowledge or understanding in the West of the plight of the people of Palestine. Now, however, thanks to Bassam Shak’a and other equally brave Palestinian martyrs, who have sacrificed their lives or their limbs for their country, the world is becoming aware of the tragedy of a people who are either living in exile after having been brutally expelled or forced to flee from their country, are second-class citizens in their own homeland or exist under an illegal, alien and hateful occupation, endur¬ ing bitter oppression, savage persecution and cynical enslavement as well as every imaginable kind of injustice and humiliation. By his fortitude, determination and heroic behaviour, the mayor of Nablus has demonstrated to the international community the nature of Palestine and its people. Those who read this, his story, will, at the same time, be acquainting themselves with the story of the people of Palestine. Strangers in Palestine 11 Bassam Shak’a was born in Nablus in 1930. He is the son of Ahmed Shak’a, a rich merchant and property- owner who owned a soap factory, a cinema and a petrol station. The young Bassam, who was one of eleven children — five boys and six girls — was educated in Nablus. He possessed the typical, fierce love of the Palestinian for his country and the equally typical Arab love of home and family. The Shak’as were a close-knit, united family who enjoyed nothing better than being together, especially when they set off on expeditions to other parts of their beloved Palestine. Sometimes, they visited Jaffa or Tel Aviv and, often, on these trips and also sometimes in the course of their daily lives, they encountered the indigenous Jews of Palestine who were Arabs in every sense of the word and who were looked upon by their Muslim and Christian neighbours as brethren and friends. Then, the young Bassam began to hear a strange, frightening and alien word: this word was ‘Zionism’ and, soon, it became associated in his mind with the East European Jews who had settled in the country and who, to his surprise and dismay, treated the Muslim and Christian Palestinians with hatred, contempt and disdain. It was not long before he became aware that the newcomers intended to take over his country. Looking back, now, he finds it strange that the entire world accepted, without question, the assurances of the Zionists — which are being made to this day — that it was never their intention to make the whole of Palestine into a Jewish State. The world, however, unquestioningly accepted then — as it has accepted until comparatively recently — statements which were illogical, contradictory and, obviously, untrue. It was pretended that the Pales¬ tinians had deprived themselves of statehood by refus¬ ing to accept the partition of their country with the larger and more fertile part being handed over to a