The sacrifice path

A short story written in June 21st 2014, through the incentive of the abduction and murder of Israeli teenagers in the West Bank.

The sacrifice path

The time was two am when the two Ja'abri brothers sat with Mahmoud Isawee and Jibril Abu Daud in the house living room in the ground floor; the rest of their family members were asleep in the first floor bedrooms, and thus the four gathered plotters could discuss their plans without any interference.

The starting code for their operation's preparedness has arrived before four months already, and they set out to check their field of operation on a daily basis; to plan the operation's methods and needed means, at the end of day and at night fall too. The execution code to execute the kidnapping arrived two weeks ago, but they kept putting it off as the right opportunity has not occurred yet. In one of their attempt to kidnap an Israeli soldier they have lost Halil Nuseiri, who was shot to death by the soldier they planned to kidnap. That's why they had to recruit the young and inexperienced Mahmoud Isawee to replace the deceased Nuseiri.

'Tonight's meeting purpose is to reach a final decision on the way our operation will be carried out.' Ja'abri their cell leader opened up after a short mutual preface of greetings and a traditional chat on how things are in each one's family and business. 'Taieb (good) we've a problem with the Zionists soldiers; they're equipped with their automatic rifles with open safety catches, and they move in groups of three or two at least. We're in deep trouble for we can't allow ourselves to end up with another failure.' He poured another round of coffee into the little cups of his associates, and waited to a possible contradicting comment by Abu Daud, who never agreed with his views. But Abu Daud did not react and kept quiet.

He too doesn't wish to be involved in another failure. Ja'abri thought with much relief.

'That's why I've decided after consulting my brother to kidnap one or two youngsters from the settlements, in one of the junction's bus stops. In our many mobile patrols we've seen several time two or three youngster, and sometimes even just one waiting at a bus stop in one of the junctions.'

'The question is whether Mahameed Rajab Horani will accept such a solution to our problem?' Abu Daud retorted with skepticism.

'We'll hide our identities with the usual means and keep the kidnapped youngsters stashed in a cave, and if Horani or his superiors wouldn't like the operation we'll simply set the kidnapped youngsters free; and we'll declare our willingness to continue our efforts to kidnap an Israeli soldier.

'You've said just now that kidnapping an Israeli soldier isn't feasible.' Abu Daud retorted once again.

'Alright we'll keep on trying to kidnap a soldier, until another group will manage to kidnap one inshalla (with Allah's will), and stop to interrupt me I'm the one that gives the orders here!' Hassan Ja'abri could not restrain himself and scolded Abu Daud rudely; but hastened to correct his mistake. 'Taieb if we'll be demanded to free the settlers' youngsters, we'll kidnap the soldier that sales us arms, the one in the Zionist army base near Ramallah.'

'This will be a wipe out of one of the organization's indispensable sources…'

'Alright I've said that it will be done just as our last resort, if we won't have any other choice….'

'We can surprise a couple of the Zionist soldiers and brandish our guns, after asking a match to light a cigarette, or asking them what time is it…' Abu Daud interrupted him again.

'Sure if we'll have such opportunity, but we'll use it as a secondary operation's plan.'

Abu Daud did not express his usual objections this time, and Ja'abri started to explain the operation methods.

As the hours in which the Zionist teenagers leave their Madrassa (college) aren't regular, and the chances to find one or two of them all alone in one of the bus stops are rare, we'll have to carry out mobile patrols with one car only; and thus we won't attract suspicion, from tomorrow evening up to midnight daily, on this road and to be ready to act with one more car with the rest of our group.

'So how exactly we're going to act?' The young and inexperienced Isawee asked, expressing an urgent need to have his say somehow too. 

'That's what I was about to explain.' Ja'abri scolded him in a low voice despite his anger.

'We'll set off with two cars with a gap of several hundred meters between the two cars, you'll drive the scouting car  Mahmeed, and you'll report to us when you'll see a suitable prey; we'll be driving in the second car if you'll see one or two lonely settlers' youngsters in one of the bus stops. We'll drive in the big Hyundai van the three of us. My brother Ahmed will drive it, and I and Abu Daud will hide between the rear and front seats.' Ja'abri stopped his monologue he had to yawn. The time was almost four am and he was tired.

'After you Mahmeed will notify us that you've seen our prey, you'll drive on make a u-turn; you'll pass the bus stop once again and stop and wait for a bit farther. We'll reach that bus stop and while the one or two youngsters will bent to ask you Mahmeed where to, Abu Daud and me will get off with our guns, and force the youngsters to board the van. We'll tie their hands during the ride, and hadau (that's it).'

The next day from sunset on the kidnapping crew started its mobile patrols along road 35, which is used mutually by settlers and West Bank Arab inhabitants. They made rest breaks every forty five minutes up to midnight almost, but without any positive results; two more days passed and on Wednesday night at ten pm, Mahmeed reported of the presence of three youngsters at the bus stop close to the Jewish settlement Alon Shvout. Mahmeed Isawee drove on a few hundred meters made a U-turn, and when he crossed that bus stop he saw the Hyundai van parked next to it and he managed to have a glimpse of Ja'abri and Abu Daud getting off with guns in their hands. He drove a couple of hundred meters on and stopped at the road side as planned, waiting for the kidnappers to arrive with their victims.

The kidnapping of the three teenagers passed rather easily, they were pushed into the rear seat with Abu Daud next the right rear door. The left rear was locked from inside. But one of the kidnapped teenagers managed to switch on stealthily his mobile, and the bigger teenager among next to Abu Daud tried to resist and overcome by force and almost grabbed Abu Daud's gun from his hand, it happened while Abu Daud tried to tie his hands. Abu Daud shot him and the bullet pierced the kid's chest and wounded the other kid, which sat next to him. The shooting noise and tumult behind alarmed Ja'abri up to panic.

'What the hell is going on back there?' He shouted angrily.

'One of them is dead and the other is mortally wounded.' Abu Daud shouted back.

'Get off the road as soon as we'll get to the first dirt road. Ja'abri ordered his brother.

'Aren't we driving to the cave?'

'No the operation failed, we must bump off the third one and get rid of the bodies.'

They passed Mahmeed's car waiting for them, and told him to follow them.

'So where are we driving?' Ahmed Ja'abri's brother asked raising his voice above the wounded kid's groans and the prayer whisper of the third kid.

'Take the trail near Idna there's a ruin with a well next to it, and shoot the third one in the head, shut him up for Allah's sake!' Hassan Ja'abri ordered Abu Daud.

'Not before we'll leave the main road Hassan…'

'The road is empty there's no one in front or behind us, shoot him now!'

After a quarter of an hour of high speed driving they reached the dirt road, and ten minutes later they got to their destination the ruined house. Ja'abri located the old well and they threw the three kid's dead bodies inside. They covered the dead bodies at the well's depth with dried branches, stones and the ruined house front door; to hide the bodies from future pursuers, and gain the needed time to reach a safe shelter.

'What are we doing now?' Abu Daud asked perturbed.

'We'll drive to Ramallah but first of all we've to burn the van away from here near Hebron to keep our pursuers from the well and the kids' hidden bodies.

Hassan Ja'abri and Abu Daud joined Mahmeed in the Toyota, and Ahmed Ja'abri drove the van after them; on a side road near the village of Dura they stopped abandoned the van and set it on fire, and hastened to leave the place the four of them with the Toyota.

They were driving on the main road to Ramallah at a maddening speed endangering the cars they overtook and the cars that came ahead of them, they had to reach a certain hideout apartment, to change their cloths and move straight away towards the river, and cross it with the assistance of an experienced smuggler. But the inexperience and young Mahmeed lost control and caused a chain reaction accident.

An emergency call was received in the Ramallah emergency center:

"A horrible chain reaction accident near Nialeen, urgent help is needed…"

The civilian rescue forces that reached the accident scene witnessed a horrid spectacle of crushed and burning cars, due to an accident caused by a Toyota sedan with four unidentified scorched bodies inside, and fourteen wounded persons including women and children in the other crushed cars.

© Haim Kadman 2014 " all rights reserved.