“The family of a Palestinian teenager who was killed earlier this week when an explosive belt he was wearing exploded prematurely is demanding the Palestinian Authority find out who recruited their son to carry out a suicide attack.” This from the Jerusalem Post, with thanks to Nicolei, who observes: “It is tragic that this Palestinian family lost another family member. It is also tragic that they seem to angry at the planners and recruiters for not planning it well rather than the agenda and philosophy of suicide bombings.”
Says the Post: “Iyad al-Masri, 17, of Nablus, was killed and no one else hurt on Sunday in the northern West Bank as he was on his way to carry out a suicide bombing inside Israel. Iyad’s brother, 15-year-old Amjad, was killed by the IDF two weeks ago during clashes with stone-throwers in Nablus. Hours later, during the funerals for Amjad and two others killed in clashes that day, the IDF opened fire on the procession, killing Iyad’s cousin, Muhammad al-Masri. . . .
“The paper quoted the family as saying that Iyad was dispatched on a suicide mission ‘that had no chances of succeeding. Those who sent him did not care about the prospects of him succeeding or failing, and they knew that death would be his fate.'”
So if Iyad had succeeded in blowing up some Israeli civilians, that would have made it all right?
“Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, Al-Quds Brigades, initially claimed responsibility for recruiting Iyad in an anonymous phone call to Hizbullah’s Al-Manar TV station. However, members of the group in Nablus later backtracked, saying they had nothing to do with the case.
“Bilal al-Masri, the father, accused those who sent his son of exploiting his grief over the death of his brother and cousin to recruit him for a suicide attack. ‘My son was sent on the mission under extremely dangerous conditions when the whole area was under curfew and strict military closure,’ he complained. ‘Iyad had never left Nablus before and he couldn’t move around on his own,’ the father said. ‘It would have been impossible for him to reach his destination alone.’
“The father said his son was killed when the explosive device he was carrying blew up near the village of Jainsafut in the northern West Bank. Residents of the village told the family they had spotted Iyad shortly before the explosion and that he appeared to be confused and unaware of where he was. One of the villagers said Iyad asked him for directions to get to the Kalandiya checkpoint on the Jerusalem-Ramallah highway.
“The family has deduced from this that Iyad was headed for Jerusalem, where he was planning to blow himself up in a crowded area.
“‘Those who sent him are heartless and have no fear of Allah,’ said Yasser al-Masri, a cousin. ‘His brother and cousin were just killed. How can we have three dead in the family in one week?’ The family said that Iyad’s mother, Abir, has been in a state of shock since the death of her two children, unable to talk or cry.
“‘We want a full investigation into this matter,’ said Bilal, who works in a local pharmacy. ‘Even if my son had volunteered to carry out an attack, they shouldn’t have allowed him to do so, because he had just lost his brother and cousin. We are very angry.’ He said that while his son did not belong to any Palestinian faction, he used to participate in stone-throwing attacks on IDF soldiers whenever they entered Nablus. Iyad was injured at least seven times by rubber bullets fired by the IDF in recent weeks, the father added.
“‘Many people in Nablus — and not only the family — are angry with those who recruited Iyad,’ said Ahmed al-Masri, another cousin. ‘We have written to President Yasser Arafat asking him to order an immediate investigation into the case. We hope that those responsible for this tragedy would be caught and punished.'”