A Palestinian Boy's Death Gives 5 Israelis The Gift Of Life (VIDEO)

By Wide Angle

When a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in the West Bank city of Jenin by Israeli soldiers who mistook his toy gun for the real thing, it could have been just one more blip on the news: one more war, one more child, one more human tragedy that ripped the heart out of a family and a community, but rippled no further into the world's consciousness.

But something extraordinary happened that turned Ahmed Khatib's tragic 2005 death into a gift of hope for six Israelis whose lives were on the line: while overwhelmed with grief, Ahmed's parents consented to donating their son's organs. Suddenly, amid the violence and entrenched hatred surrounding an intractable conflict, a simple act of humanity rose above the clamor and captured worldwide attention.

Heart of Jenin tells the story of Ahmed's tragic death and his father Ismael Khatib's journey to visit three of the organ recipients two years later. One of Ahmed's kidneys went to an Orthodox Jewish girl and his other kidney went to a Bedouin boy. While his parents hesitated to donate Ahmed's heart, it now beats in the chest of a Druze girl.

"I see my son in these children," Khatib says.

Crossing from northern Israel to the Negev desert and ending up in Jerusalem, Khatib encounters every complexity of the conflict: deep-seated animosity, hardened judgments, and heartfelt generosity. While laying bare the deep divisions between Israelis and Palestinians, Heart of Jenin offers a rare vision of common humanity and hope.

Comments

[Aussieposter]

Pardon my cynicism but knowing how the Palestinians are treated in the occupied territories. My question is when the organs were harvested was their any chance at all that a Palestinian child might have been eligible to be a recipient.

[JerryLevy]

This is tragic. But it is the invariable result when a society trains its youngest children on guns and how to fight. When a society lauds and supports having teens become suicide terrorists and commit suicide by blowing up as many innocents as possible, their youth become very skewed. Many schools in the West Bank and Gaza are named after suicide terrorists, their clergy and media extol the virtues of suicide terrorism, and their politicians use kids as pawns in the war. Hamas often uses kids as human shields hoping they will die and can be held up to the international media. Now this kid drew a toy gun on a soldier in a war zone and he reacted the way anyone would. The Palestinian government and clergy owes this family a big apology.

[Turtleposer]

Hmm. And the Israelis? The Israeli soldiers kill a Palestinian child, & it's the Palestinian governments fault? Please.

[Prattvictory2]

Speaking of terrorists the Israelis voted a couple of terrorists to Prime Minister.

Speaking of how you raise your kids to embrace terrorism:
http://djiin.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/israel_bombs_girls.jpg

[TheFriendlyAtheist]

Hmm....funny how the IDF has no problem with shooting right through those human shields.

[JerryLevy]

Finally, someone on the HP admits that the Palestinians attack the Israelis from behind innocent women and children. Thanks Friendly Atheist. I agree with you. The use of Mosques, Children, Schools, and hospitals as launching places for attacks on Israel is a crime.

[DGeorges]

thank you for posting this!

little prove that hope is still alive.

[laminators]

Now let's listen to what Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad has to say: http://www.governmentalityblog.com/my_weblog/2009/07/building-palestine-tom-friedman-palestinian-pm-salam-fayyad-at-aspen-ideas-festival.html

[gus hagelberg]

There is also a website available (http://www.cinemajenin.com/cj/index.php/en) with background information on "Heart of Jenin" and also the related project "Cinema Jenin".

[King Cashaw]

This proves once again, race is a social construct. Under the skin, and within, we are all the same. BUT, that social construct is a bitch to destroy.

Until the colour of a man's skins means no more than the colour of his eyes, we have to have war, Robert Nesta Marley.

[LucieLee]

It seems only the slightest of things can bring families together as well as draw them apart. This is so very emotional, so very tragic, so very nerve-racking!!

[Yonas ዬናስ Yonni]

The last commented the man made, it really hurts!! I think he should have forced himself and said he wish he would met the boys parent and thank them for their generous donation.

[PeaceIsMyName]

The most recent bombing of Gaza by Israel just a few months ago, killed hundreds of innocent civilians and at least 20% of them were children.
Even so, Palestinians still find it in them to be generous in their actions. That little boy's family are an inspiration.
I wish the Palestinians well.

[VillageReader]

wow.

[Turtleposer]

Many people don't realize how kind the Palestinian people really are. What happened above doesn't surprise me at all. There's this stereotype that they hate Jew.s because they're Jewish, when all they want is not to have their land taken away. They would even be surprised that some Palestinians wouldn't mind being a part of a greater Israel if they were given the same rights (including the right of return) and opportunities as the Israelis. Israel needs to take care of the people within it's borders rather than importing people from other countries in order to increase it's size.

[piul05]

Exactly; it's very convenient for people to make it about ethnicity/religion, when it's, in fact, about resources - land, water - and the right to control one's destiny.

[Khirad]

Nicely said.

[peacegurl48]

One people one world; what a beautiful story.

[jollyelle]

Will Israel be able to acknowledge this extreme act of KINDNESS?

Soldiers..­.......kil­l a 12 year old boy.

Security for Israel, how sad and tragic for all.

[LiberalBuzz]

Very touching.

[fcsakes]

Amen to every word.