I discovered this story watching this documentary: In the spider’s web, produced in 2004 by Al-Haq and directed by Hanna Musleh (http://thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?catid=11&id=1505&edid=108).
Maysoun and her daughter
The film, says the Youtube note, is part of Al-Haq’s campaign to stop collective punishment practiced by Israeli occupying forces against Palestinians. Bellow is the transcription of the English subtitles of Maysoun’s story:
I am Maysoun Salah Nayef Hayek. I was married to martyr Muhammad Abdallah Daoud Hayek. We has a very simple wedding because of the political events and checkpoints, and also because there were many martyrs. We respected the situation. Anyone who gets married dreams of having a baby who will carry his name. I got pregnant two months after the wedding. During the nine months of pregnancy, I never went for a checkup, because I was afraid of crossing the checkpoint or taking a bypass road. I was worried that I or my baby would be harmed. My late husband wanted so much to have a girl or boy with me.
I felt the first labor pain on 25 February 2002 at around 1 30 am. We had to take our car because there was no ambulance. I couldn’t wait then, the pain was unbearable. As we were about to leave, my father-in-law came out of the house. He wanted to come with us, he was worried about his son. He thought he could protect us. When we reached the checkpoint, an Israeli soldier stopped us and asked us to get out of the vehicle. They searched the car thoroughly, then allowed us to pass.
After we passed, we saw showers of bullets from all directions, from behind, from beside, I didn’t know where to look. I wanted to protect myself, I crouched down on the floor of the car, put my baby’s bag over me. The shooting lasted 3 to 4 minutes. The car stopped, the shooting stopped. There was a moment of extreme silence. I looked from the window and there were four tanks pointing their gun barrel at us, and soldiers coming out of them holding their machine guns. They were ready to shoot. I called to Mohammed to tell him they stopped shooting. I patted his face and talked to him, he didn’t answer. I thought he was unconscious. I started feeling his wounds to see if he was going to survive. I touched his neck. I started checking for serious wounds. I looked at his neck. A bullet from a tank had torn through his neck, making a big hole that reached the other side. His shoulder was torn from the bullets. His chest was riddled with the bullets, his black vest was torn. I felt his heartbeat, hoping that he would have a chance to see his baby. I didn’t want to be left with the soldiers.
The contractions became regular every five minutes, it was so painful. I looked at the soldiers and they were so many. I told them “Baby” in English. I thought they may help me. Someone opened the door of the car, and a bomb detection machine pulled me out, threw me on the floor. The soldiers came, asked what I was hiding in my belly. I said it’s a baby but they didn’t believe me. They told me to take off my clothes, I asked them how can I do that? He answered: take off your clothes. I removed my blouse, and was lef in my bra. He pointed to my trousers and said: remove them. I told him how can I? For god’s sake, I’m in labor. He kept repeating remove them until I took them off, then they forced me to remove the last item I was wearing, my underwear. I was left completely nude.
The soldiers brought a stretcher and moved me to an Israeli troop carrier. Inside there were about six soldiers. After I while they brought my father-in-law. I didn’t know him at first, then I recognized him from his face. They also left him nude. They put him with me in the troop carrier. They took us back to the checkpoint where we were at the beginning and threw us on the road. They didn’t leave me on a stretcher. Instead they dumped onto some stones on the street. I was left nude on the street from 2 to 4 am. The rain began to fall lightly, it was so cold. I asked them to cover me. They acted like they didn’t hear me or even understand me. I started calling on them: I’m cold, please give me a blanket. I was shivering with cold. I wanted myself covered, I wanted to cover my private parts. I was covering myself with my hands (it would have been better that she died instead. He least she should have been a martyr. But what happened will never be forgotten, comments her mother)
When I was in the hospital there were clashes in the city of Nablus. I started enjoying the sound of bullets because I wanted to die and follow Muhammad (all she wants is revenge, she will be at peace then. I would ask her what can you do against an army? She would say: Even throwing a stone would make me feel better. I got so worried about my daughter. I didn’t want her to go out and get hurt. So I made a door lock and I close the door with the key of the padlock and the sliding bolt.
So we came back here. I never imagined she will be raised at my parents’ house. I used to hate her, I used to stay away from her, refused to talk to her or even check on her. I didn’t change her clothes, I left all these tasks to my mom
The mom: She was very distressed, I took care of the baby. I used to nurse her even though there was no milk, so that she’ll be used to nursing from her mom later on when she becomes calmer.
The night before my baby’s birthday, I remembered this incident. I looked at her, she was playing, she doesn’t know what happened. I tried to pass her birthday without remembering. I couldn’t, I remembered every detail of that day. It seems I’m doomed by this date.
All I think of is death, I only want to die. The future has no place in my life. What happened will never be forgotten, it is irreparable. I want to secure my daughter, then die