Monday, June 18, 2007
This is an old story, but worth a reminder:
Some of their offspring have even served in the Israeli army, the force responsible for decades of Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank, an occupation that the Islamist movement, Hamas, was founded to fight.
The Daily Telegraph tracked down the Haniyeh sisters, Kholidia, Laila and Sabah, to a town in southern Israel. That they live in Israel is a closely guarded secret and nowhere is it guarded more secretly than Tel Sheva, a town inhabited mainly by Israeli Bedouin on the edge of the Negev desert.
"There is no reason to speak to my wife,'' said Salameh Abu Rukayek, 53, who married Kholidia. "It is private business and you are not welcome asking questions about my wife.''
Blind since birth, Mr Abu Rukayek sat on a thin floor cushion and said he was happy living in Israel. "Our life is normal here and we want it to continue,'' he said.
Perhaps he felt discussion of his wife's family links might jeopardise his relatively comfortable lifestyle...
This is brillant. Almost as good as Yassar's Arafat's wife and daughter found to be living in luxury in Paris, whilst thousands of Palastinians live in poverty and squaler.
I love how people from the Middle East live by the cliche, do as I say not as I do. Which is why the Saudi Royal family's obsession with Western decadence fills me with mirth. Since they live in it every day they should know.