She stood firm defending her home, and, like an Olive tree, died standing

Monday September 22, 2008 01:39 by Maisa Abu Ghazala – Palestine News Network - Translated by; Saed Bannoura - IMEMC

The daughter of Mariam Ayyad, 60, tells the story of her mother’s last moments – she describes an argument that ensued when Israeli soldiers broke into her home in Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, and repeatedly hit the 60-year old woman and threw her on the ground until she dropped dead in front of her children and grandchildren.

File Photo

Mariam died on Saturday evening after a lengthy argument with Israeli soldiers and border policemen who invaded Abu Dis. The argument ended with the soldiers beating her and throwing her to the ground, killing her.

Her daughter, Hiba, 21, was standing next to her when she died. She could not express her feelings in words and with her eyes filled with tears she said, “Yesterday my mother became a martyr, as she died at the hands of the occupiers.  And it wasn’t enough for them to kill her in cold blood!  They also barred the ambulance from reaching our home!”

“Dozens of soldiers came yesterday evening to our apartment building, supposedly in order to kidnap students of the Al Quds University who live in the same residential building we live in”, Hiba stated. “When the soldiers got to the floor where my brother lives with his wife and children, my mother told  them that her daughter in law is alone at home with her kids.  “Please, for God’s sake do not go in there, leave them alone, the kids will be terrified”, the mother told them.

Hiba added that the soldiers did not care to what her mother said, and one of them pushed her to the ground.  Another soldier checked her vitals and said that she is still alive.  At that moment, I tried to rush to the street to ask the neighbors to call for an ambulance, and they did.  But while the army blocked the ambulance from arriving, the soldier told me that she was dead.”   

“I was shocked, really shocked, I could not believe this is happening.  Everything happened so fast, but now she is dead and there’s no bringing her back.”, the daughter added, “My mother died strong, as a martyr, but if the soldiers did not obstruct the ambulance, she would be alive now, we would have been able to save her life”.

In deep sorrow she added, “my sister Fida’, who lives in Jordan, could not say farewell to her, my mother was buried at 1 in the morning, because we did not let the soldiers take her body to Israel”.

Thousands of residents of Abu Dis, Al Sawahra and al Ezariyya (Bethany) participated in her funeral.

“We are currently in the holy month of Ramadan, so my mother spent her last days fasting and praying”, Hiba stated, saying she is glad for that fact and sure her mother is in heaven.  But she added, in sorrow, “How will my days, and my life be without her?!”

She also said that the soldiers broke into their apartment building several times in recent months, conducting raids of the apartments  in an attempt to kidnap Al Quds University students who live there.

Mousa Daoud, , head of the Al Makkased Charitable Society Clinic in Abu Dis, said that the body of Mariam Ayyad was brought to the hospital in a Red Crescent Society ambulance, and that the autopsy revealed that she suffered a fracture in her lower skull which also lead to brain hemorrhage.

“She was already dead by the time she got here, there was nothing that we could do to save her life”, Daoud stated, “Her skull was fractured when her head hit the ground”.

Fateh legislator, Jihad Abu Zeid, slammed the Israeli crime and said that the Israeli occupation is ongoing with its violations and crimes in direct violation of international laws and the basic principles of human rights.

“They committed this crime in Ramadan, this holy Muslim month.  This latest crime has revealed the real face of the occupation and its plans to avoid achieving peace and stability in the region – this is what they are doing on the ground at the same time that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are attempting to reach a peace deal”, Abu Zeid added.

She also stated that the occupation is actively acting against any opportunity for peace in spite of the international efforts to achieve a peace deal.

She voiced an appeal to the international community and human rights groups to intervene and expose the Israeli crimes and oblige Israel to respect human rights and be committed to the international treaties and principles.

“They should oblige Israel to respect human rights, they should force Israel to stop its illegal assaults against our people”, Abu Zeid said.

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