Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., July 15, 2008 Tamuz 12, 5768 | | Israel Time: 20:48 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 17:43 14/07/2008 New film tells tale of Palestinian killed in error by IDF who went on to save Israeli lives By Reuters Tags: Israel, IDF, Jenin, film Of the hundreds of tragic tales of children killed during decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ahmed Khatib's must rank among the most remarkable. Khatib was shot dead in 2005 by Israeli soldiers who mistook him for a gunman in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Still grieving, his father agreed to donate Ahmed's heart, liver, lungs and kidneys to save the lives of Israeli children. Advertisement Offering a startling vision of hope while laying bare the deep divisions between Israelis and Palestinians, "The Heart of Jenin", a new German-Israeli documentary film, recounts the story of Ahmed, his father, and three of the five people who received the donated organs. "It's not about politics, about Jews or Arabs, it's about human beings," said Ismail Khatib, Ahmed's father, in an interview after the film's premiere in Jerusalem. "I see my son in these children." Khatib and his wife decided to donate Ahmed's organs after doctors at an Israeli hospital in Haifa were unable to save him. Palestinian hospitals lacked the facilities to treat their dying son or make use of his organs. They hesitated at first over whether to include his heart, but eventually agreed, and now it beats in the chest of Samah Gadban, a pretty Druze Muslim teenager from northern Israel. One of Ahmed's kidneys saved the life of Mohammed Kabua, a Bedouin child who lives in Israel's southern Negev desert and rarely stops grinning in the film. Two other Israeli recipients of his organs requested to remain anonymous. His kidney also saved Menuha Levinson, the toddler daughter of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family in Jerusalem. But her father's initial discomfort at the idea of an Arab donor betrays the deep personal suspicion that stokes this conflict, and gives the film a darker undertone. Yaakov Levinson remarks shortly after his daughter's life-saving operation that he would would have preferred a Jewish donor and remarks that he would never allow his children to be friends with Arabs for fear of "bad influence". Message of hope "The Heart of Jenin" splices original interviews with news footage from the bloody suicide bombings and army raids that marked the second Palestinian Intifida, or uprising. The German and Israeli filmakers hope to show it internationally. One of its most touching, and disappointing, sequences is toward the end of the film, when, two years after Ahmed's death, Khatib and his brother embark on a road trip around Israel in a beat-up car to visit the children whose lives they saved. The climax is a confrontation with the Levinson family, who, in an awkward exchange at their Jerusalem home, apologise for their earlier comments and thank Khatib, but betray a deep misunderstanding about life in the occupied West Bank. Co-director Marcus Vetter argued the Levinson family showed personal progress in their treatment of Khatib during the making of the film, offering hope for reconciliation. He said he purposely ended with a shot of Menuha on a playground swing. "That was our message of hope," Vetter told Reuters. "She has the power to change things." Bookmark to del.icio.us   History undersea Israeli lifeguard stumbles upon ancient relic during morning swim. Elections, Hebrew style U.S. presidential hopefuls use Hebrew to woo the Jewish community.   1.   Wasted gesture and possibly counter productive 17:17  |  Natallie Durson 14/07/08   2.   Heartless 17:33  |  Random 14/07/08   3.   notice Yaakov Levinson reaction! 18:26  |  bashar 14/07/08   4.   Yet another example of Israeli savages 18:26  |  Mike the American 14/07/08   5.   Orthodox Zionists the most racist 18:33  |  Chanalau, Tova 14/07/08   6.   The family of the donor are saints and # 1-5 are beasts 19:55  |  CM 14/07/08   7.   Jewish donors 20:17  |  m 14/07/08   8.   organ donation is forbidden in Islam 20:18  |  moshe 14/07/08   9.   Further shows that we are all ONE PEOPLE 20:25  |  Talk Backer 14/07/08   10.   Natallie Durson - What type of animal are you??? Don`t worry 20:41  |  Ben 14/07/08   11.   great gesture 20:45  |  rm 14/07/08   12.   #1 Terrible comment, Natallie 21:03  |  Aphemia 14/07/08   13.   Jews must reform their religion 21:08  |  Khalid 14/07/08   14.   CHANALAU you have to inject your venom don`t you 21:13  |  PETER SM 14/07/08   15.   DURSON is that your view when Israelis donate organs to Arabs 21:16  |  PETER SM 14/07/08   16.   Yaakov Levinson is despicable 21:19  |  David 14/07/08   17.   Spare me your mindless rants 21:23  |  Gilles 14/07/08   18.   Western Anti-Zionists vs. Arabs 21:48  |  Slibovitz 14/07/08   19.   Notable absence of the usual rabid zionists 22:19  |  Labhras 14/07/08   20.   not typical pali reaction 22:20  |  paulo2005 14/07/08   21.   This is unbelievable. 22:37  |  Ben 14/07/08   22.   Haaretz Balanced Objectivity 22:41  |  Jane 14/07/08   23.   Haaretz Balanced Objectivity 22:41  |  Jane 14/07/08   24.   Khalid 22:58  |  Jane 14/07/08   25.   #14 peter s and m re venom 23:43  |  Labhras 14/07/08   26.   The IDF mistook him for a gunman 23:45  |  Jim 14/07/08   27.   Another story 23:46  |  Peter 14/07/08   28.   #13 01:27  |  1bigtzionist 15/07/08   29.   #13 - Khalid Must Reform his Racism 01:32  |  Slibovitz 15/07/08   30.   I wonder... 02:08  |  observer 15/07/08   31.   Wonderful story 02:33  |  Palestinian 15/07/08   32.   Ben, you need a refresher course 02:58  |  wibism 15/07/08   33.   # 19 Couldn`t have formulated it any better 07:11  |  Kris Lazar 15/07/08   34.   # 15 Peter SM we would surely appreciate if you 07:18  |  Kris Lazar 15/07/08   35.   Khatib/Levinson.What a difference in attitude 17:07  |  Jean Pierre 15/07/08   36.   nice ultra-orthodox guy 20:44  |  deborah 15/07/08

Read & React VIDEO: Olmert, Assad dodge unwanted handshake in Paris Responses: 53 Obama camp slams New Yorker cover of him in Muslim garb, wife as terrorist Responses: 126 Ahmadinejad: Direct U.S. talks possible in 'near future' Responses: 92 Report: One of soldiers held by Hezbollah died during abduction Responses: 27 Rosner's Domain The new 'Obama advisor' problem: Senator Chuck Hagel Attacking Iran to get the world's attention? U.S. pressures Israel: No bombing of Iran (WTR) Poll: The more religious the Jewish voter, the more pro-McCain More Headlines 20:42 Court pardons, releases three Hezbollah prisoners 20:36 Victim's mother to Peres: How could they pardon Kuntar? 20:17 Report: One of IDF soldiers to be swapped was killed in kidnapping 17:07 Bradley Burston/ The pleasure that Hezbollah takes in torture 19:18 Anti-terror unit warns: Israelis in Sinai face abduction threat 20:30 Shin Bet warning of attack causes Blair to nix Gaza visit 20:37 Obama campaign slams New Yorker cover showing him in Muslim garb, wife as terrorist 20:14 VIDEO: Lawyers release first-ever footage of Guantanamo interrogation 09:12 Key witness in Olmert graft probe silent under questioning 16:45 Haifa court convicts man of raping, imprisoning prostitute 09:33 Tremors felt across Israel after 6.8-scale quake hits Greek isle 13:49 Palestinians: IDF arrests three Hamas officials in Nablus raid 14:59 Ex-IDF generals: Is bellicose Israeli prattle on Iran strike necessary? Previous Editions Select Day 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul 08 jul 07 jul 06 jul 04 jul 03 jul 02 jul 01 jul

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Dan Hotels Israel Live the Legend & experience an Unforgettable Summer Vacation Yossi Avrahami Presents: New Luxurious Projects in North Tel Aviv & Eilat Holyland Park Jerusalem Apartment Tower World Class Luxury Right In the heart of Tel-Aviv The Meier on Rothschild tower Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy |