Yitzchak Frankental, one of the most radical left-wing Israelis to have ever lost a son to Palestinian terrorism, wishes to meet with Khaled Meshal to discuss the Israeli “occupation” as the “greatest act of terrorism in the world.”
Frankental, of the religious Moshav Gimzo, told the Palestinian Authority’s Maan news agency that he wishes to meet with the exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Syria in order to “get to know him and raise ideas for a diplomatic solution between Israel and the Palestinians.”
Maan reports that Frankental visited its offices in Bethlehem, and told reporters there that Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, which he called “the conquest,” is “the greatest act of terrorism in the world.”
Frankental further told Maan, according to Arab affairs correspondent Dalit HaLevy, that he is aware that he could be arrested for meeting with a terrorist leader, and that he is prepared to take that risk.
Son Kidnapped and Murdered in 1994
Frankental’s son Arik was serving in the army in July 1994 when, at the age of 19, he was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists. Following this, the bereaved father established a forum of parents who similarly lost children to terrorism, for the purpose of establishing dialogue with Arab leaders and finding a peaceful solution to the conflict. The forum now numbers hundreds of people, including Arabs.
Several years ago, a bereaved mother and member of Frankental’s group, Robi Damelin of Tel Aviv, wrote a conciliatory letter to her son’s murderer – but was rebuffed. Her son, Lt. David Damelin, was one of ten soldiers and civilians gunned down by a lone Palestinian terrorist sniper in 2002. After the murderer was caught in 2004, she wrote his family a conciliatory letter, in which she spoke of her pain and desire for peace:
“I understand that your son is considered a hero by many of the Palestinian people, he is considered to be a freedom fighter, fighting for justice and for an independent viable Palestinian state, but I also feel that if he understood that taking the life of another may not be the way and that if he understood the consequences of his act, he could see that a non-violent solution is the only way for both nations to live together in peace. Our lives as two nations are so intertwined, each of us will have to give up on our dreams for the sake of the future of the children who are our responsibility… I hope that you will show the letter to your son, and that maybe in the future we can meet. Let us put an end to the killing and look for a way through mutual understanding and empathy to live a normal life, free of violence.”
Terrorist: Our Violence is Here to Stay
The murderer, serving several life sentences in prison, was not immediately shown the letter, but ultimately responded as follows:
“The soldier’s mother says we must give up on our dreams for the sake of peace. This is an offensive, rude statement that equates the criminal occupation that expelled our nation from its land in 1948, with our expelled nation… It equates the owners of the land and its property who were expelled to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and other exiles, with the Ethiopian, Somali, Russian, American and European who left their countries of their own free will to make money and live on the ruins of another nation… Yes, I carried out the operation for the purpose [of seeking freedom, justice and a Palestinian state], with the understanding that killing and violence have been forced upon us by the occupation and its actions… There will be no retreat from our rights nor will we stray from our path; the negotiating table is the headline of revolutionary violence and armed resistance – and not its alternative.”