—

| Profile ofa
_ woman freedom fighter

FIRST OF TWO PARTS

An interview by Kerry McCuaig

I met Mai in October at a conference in Budapest,
Hungary. It’s hard to picture this beautiful woman
toting a gun, but she has. For most of her life she has

| fought to regain her homeland, for justice for her

People, as a member of the Palestine Liberation
Organization.

Before agreeing to this interview Mai asked that
only her first name be used, that no pictures be taken.
There have been too many cases of Palestinians
agreeing to speak with the foreign press, only to find
their words used against them, when captured and
interrogated. She tells me: ‘I have often thought of
writing this myself, because mine is almost the story
of every Palestinian woman’.

* * *

I was born in Gaza. My parents met in the revolution,
fighting against the British mandate. My father had been
condemned to death as a young man for his activities, but
his father, a judge, managed to save him at the last
Moment. My mother’s involvement began when she was
a student. Naturally, I participated, not only for my

family, but because of the situation since my birth.

I am now the graduate of three massacres. This first in
1956. The English, French and Israelis swarmed over the
Gaza Strip, in their attack on the Suez Canal. It was
October when the Israel’s entered our town. At five in
the morning they called with loudspeakers for the men to
leave the houses, then they entered. Now I was
frightened, I had known the enemy, but this was the first
time they had been in my home. Everything was ran-
sacked in their search and interrogation of my family.
They threatened to take my 12-year-old brother. My

for his identity papers; to prove he was only a child.

The Israelis left the men in the sun for two days, their
hands tied behind their backs, kneeling. If they moved,
they were shot. Their identity cards were checked. One

_ by one, some were led away. I remember my neighbor’s
son, a university student. He was home on vacation
when the fighting broke out and couldn’t return to

School. The Israelis chose him also.

At that time there was no organized resistance.
Everyone was unhappy. Poverty was the norm. Chil-
dren died of malnutrition. There is a United Nations
study which shows, 70 per cent of Palestinian children
Suffered from tuberculoisis at that time.

- Three weeks later it rained heavily. Outside the towna
Man noticed a human limb sticking out of the mud. The
round was opened and 70 bodies were found. They
Were already badly decomposed. My neighbor recog-
nized her son from his jacket.

The Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza on March 7,
that was the night they chose for most of their killing. My
eldest brother, he was 14, was taken that day. We were
Sure he had been shot. But a friend came by with his

| Mother and I ran frantically looking through the chaos .

Palestinian

clothes, to show he was still alive. They were full of
blood. My aunt went to wash them, before my mother
could see. But mother saw the basin, the water colored
red, and began fainting. At three that morning we
couldn’t revive her anymore. I ran to the door, outside
there were soldiers. I begged them to go for a doctor to
save my mother. They said, “‘let her die’’. I can still hear
the screams of my young sisters in my ears.

My first act in the struggle was with other boys and
girls in the town. We issued a hand written appeal, urging
our people to organize. We were all children; it was a
spontaneous action. The Israelis came and gathered all

the boys. One of our group was identified by his hand- -

writing. They tortured him, almost killed him. He con- &
fessed; naming us all. I had to leave Gaza. One of the =
fathers arranged for some to hide in the cemetery by the 3

sea and wait for a ship.

It was a fishing boat. We were lost in a storm for four
days. I was so seasick. We nearly sank. On Christmas
night, we arrived on Egypt’s shores, the night of the
French and English withdrawal from the Suez Canal. We
young people made a pact to never stop until Palestine
was free.

R

Suez 1967: residents of a town at the south entrance to
the Suez Canal clear up the debris after an Israeli air
attack.

cists entered our hospital, they killed all the medical
personal; butchered all the children in the children’s
hospital.

My oldest son was seven. The soldiers laid him before a tank and threatened to run over him if
he didn’t tell where | was. They mistook my sister for me. Her husband ran around the house
almost insane, he finally found their wedding picture, proving who she was. My husband
moved the children to his mother’s. It took two days to cover the two kilometres. My baby son

nearly died of thirst.

My work with the Palestinian Women’s Union began
in Jordan, 1967, following the occupation of the West
Bank. Ours was social work; gathering money and food
for the fighters and families of the marytrs. We did em-
broidery, sold it. Gathered money from the people. But
many were not content with our role.

During all my years in Jordan we were horribly harras-
sed. My husband was imprisoned three thimes. I joined
the Bath Party, but after the divisions between Syria and
Iraq, I couldn’t continue. I wanted to be part of the
struggle, not just a sympathizer. The solution came in
joining the PLO.

We women continued the social work, but that was
not to be our full role. Our own unit was organized and
the men were informed. There was a quarrel, but in the
end they accepted us, on the condition that we be kept
seperate from the male fighters and play an auxilliary
role. There was enthusiastic support for the women’s
unit. It grew quickly. In 1969, we were accepted as full
members of Fatah.

My first armed battle was Black September (1970 war
between the PLO and the Jordanian government). Our
militia blocked the advancing army for three days. Then
the massacre began. The planes came, bombing the city
(the capital Amman) regardless of strategic interest. We
were jumping over bodies. There was no time to bury the
dead. They were just placed in the doorways. The fas-

~My oldest son wai seven. The soldiers laid him before
a tank and threatened to run over him if he didn’t tell
where I was. They mistook my sister for me. Her hus-
band ran around the house almost insane. He finally
found their wedding picture; proving who she was. My
husband moved the children to his mother’s. It took two
days to cover the two kilometres. My baby son nearly
died of thirst.

The fighters were told if they left the city the attacks
would stop. The Arab countries implored us. King Hus-
sein gave his guarantees. We were gathered in the forests
of Jarush and Ajloun. They were set on fire, planes
dropped bombs; tanks moved in. Very few escaped.

Three days later I returned to Amman. A U.S. “‘ad-
visory’’ delegation was to arrive. The women gathered in
a sit-down demonstration, we chose 3:30 since that’s
when the men would be leaving the mosque and would
help. But the regime was nervous, they wouldn’t allow
the men into the mosque that day. The soldiers took the
broom sticks we had to hold our banners. They used
them and the butts of their guns to beat us.

We refused to move. They broke two sticks over my
head. I couldn’t believe it was actually happening, it was

‘my first experience with personal violence. A friend

dragged me to a nearby hospital. There were many in-
juries, but we were warned to leave, those who didn’t
were imprisoned. My family helped me escape to Beirut.

Next week: Israel invades Lebanon

Across Canada

Only Alberta Tories like user fees

_ EDMONTON — The Alberta Hospital Association, at
its annual convention gave prior notice to the Lougheed
Tory government, Nov. 30, it is entirely opposed to the

Sons given, the plans is unwieldy, not feasible, no money to
be made in it, differ from the straight rejection by the public
and sections of the labor movement who stand for medicare
Services free of surcharges, the effect of challenging the
80vernment move is widely welcomed.

_ Litton protester on hunger strike

TORONTO — Joanne Young, a mathematics teacher
from Exeter, Ontario, near London, is in jail in Toronto

and on a hunger strike. Arrested during a demonstration at

Province’s imposition of hospital user fees. While the rea-

the Litton Systems Canada Ltd., plant at nearby Rexdale,
Nov. 18, and charged with trespassing, Young refused to
cooperate with what she calls the international arms race,
and refused to give the police her name. She is booked as
Jane Doe. The 56-year-old mother of four has had her job
threatened, but told a reporter: “I would never stay away
from demonstrations just because they could fire me... ”

Canadians’ private lives on file

OTTAWA — Researcher Ken Rubin has forwarded to
Privacy Commissioner John Grace, his recent far-reaching
study, Prying Eyes, which claims the federal government
has 272 million files on Canada’s 25 million population.
Not just birth dates and social insurance numbers, but third

views or opinions about the “filee”.

Most of the files are in data banks in departments like ©
employment and immigration, health and welfare, and
national revenue. The information is garnered, Rubin says,
from passport and student loan applications, income tax
returns, criminal records, labor force statistics, old age

pensions, family allowance, etc. The point made in the
study is that the information is poorly protected from the
prying eyes of those who can use such information against
us. .

CMHC gives it to landlords

OTTAWA — If a confidential document submitted to
the federal cabinet by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing
Corp., wins its way, the federal government may hand over
money to subsidize ho-using for low income people, directly
to landlords.

Presently, Ottawa’s contribution makes it possible for
non-profit and cooperative bodies, and municipal govern-
ments to build housing at two per cent mortgage interest.
While these groups could, under the new scheme, receive a
one-time capital grant of $12,000 per unit, landlords would
come into the lucrative end of CMHC monies, receiving
monthly rent supplements in return for housing elderly
couples, single people between 50 and 64, or families with
children. Non-profit housing agencies are outraged.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE— DECEMBER 7, 1983—Page 5