Bassel al-Araj

Bassel al-Araj (Arabic: باسل الأعرج‎, 1984 — 2017) was a Palestinian activist, writer and author. Known for his writings about revolution and Arab nationalism,[1] al-Araj was killed on 6 March 2017 by an occupation unit belonging to Israel’s Yamam police force, after a gunfight lasting nearly two hours broke out as they attempted to raid his home.[2] He is known as "the educated martyr" among some Palestinian activists.[3]

Bassel al-Araj
Born
al-Walaja, Palestine
Died (aged 33)
NationalityPalestinian
Other names"The Educated Martyr"
OccupationPharmacist

Biography

Al-Araj was born in al-Walaja, a Palestinian village near Bethlehem.[4] He worked as a pharmacist and organized educational activities and lectures in which he narrated experiences of Palestinian resistance in tours of Palestinian landmarks.[5] Along with five others, al-Araj was arrested by the Palestinian Authority in 2016 and charged with planning armed attacks against Israel.[6][4] Having been tortured during their imprisonment, al-Araj and the others began a hunger strike that lasted nine days. Popular support for the men swelled, and the Palestinian courts ordered their release on bail of 500 Jordanian dinars.[7][8] Subsequently, al-Araj was tracked by Israeli forces, with his family's home in al-Walaja raided repeatedly.[8][4]

Death

During their imprisonment in the PA-administered Beitunia prison, al-Araj and his companions were subject to torture and mistreatment, leading them to commence a hunger strike in demand of their freedom.[8] During their nine-day hunger strike, al-Araj published a single sentence via his lawyer,[9] "The da`i and the son of the da`i (one whose parents are unknown but someone claims him as his son) has required us to choose one of two: a basket of gains or humiliation. Far away we are from accepting humiliation"[10] (Arabic: ألا إن الدعيّ بن الدعيّ قد ركز بين اثنتين، بين السّلة والذلّة.. وهيهات منّا الذلّة), a saying attributed to Husayn ibn Ali. After their release from prison, Israeli forces arrested several of the group, and al-Araj went into hiding for two months. Israeli forces repeatedly served warrants authorizing them to search his family's home and properties. The IDF located him on March 6, 2017 and surrounded him in an apartment near the Qaddura refugee camp in al-Bireh.[2] He engaged the Israeli forces in a two-hour gunfight, during which the IDF reportedly fired an ENERGA anti-tank rifle grenade, resulting in the partial destruction of the building. Israeli forces reportedly stormed the building and executed al-Araj after his ammunition was depleted,[2] although Israeli reports state that al-Araj opened fire after IDF troops were already in the building.[11] Palestinian reports note that Israeli forces removed al-Araj's corpse from the building by dragging him by his feet.[12][13]

In a handwritten letter published posthumously, al-Araj appeared to predict his own death and placed it within the context of the struggle for Palestinian liberation.[14] al-Araj's family had mixed reactions to Bassel's death at the hands of Israeli forces. al-Araj's brother, Saeed, called his brother a hero, further saying "I am eternally proud of him... he lived in honor." al-Araj's mother, Siham, condemned both the state of Israel and the Palestinian Authority for their treatment of Bassel, claiming “Israeli soldiers killed him, but the PA paved the way for them." Similarly, Bassel's sister Doha condemned the state's media for abandoning Bassel and his comrades, and called the PA "complicit in Bassel’s killing".[15]

In November 2018, Dar Rabal, a Palestinian publisher in Jerusalem, published the full works of al-Araj. The book's title, وجدت أجوبتي‎, was taken from the last letter he wrote prior to his death.[16]

References
  1. Mariam Mecky, 'Well known Palestinian writer and activist Basil Al-Araj was killed by Israeli police special forces on a raid at his house.', ahramonline (26 March 2017).
  2. Basil al-Araj assassinated by Israeli forces after PA imprisonment and months in hiding
  3. Arabs mourn ‘hipster terrorist’ killed in shootout
  4. "عامان على استشهاد باسل الأعرج.. المثقف المشتبك الذي وجد أجوبته". الجزيرة مباشر (in Arabic). 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  5. Videos of al-Araj on one of his educational tours of Palestinian landmarks, published by the Arabi21 network (Arabic)
  6. "Basil al-Araj: Police break up protest over court case". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  7. Muhammad Obeidat (2016-09-08). "قرار بالإفراج عن الشبان الفلسطينيين الستة من سجون السلطة". Al Araby Al Jadeed (in Arabic).
  8. Tahhan, Zena (2017-03-07). "'Basil al-Araj was a beacon for Palestinian youth'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  10. Al-Husain: Lessons of a Lifetime English translation
  11. PALESTINIAN SUSPECTED OF PLANNING ATTACKS ON ISRAEL KILLED IN GUNFIGHT WITH IDF, Jerusalem Post
  12. Palestinian activist 'executed' by Israeli forces after 2-hour shoot-out, Maan news
  13. http://www.arab48.com/%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/2017/03/06/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-
  14. In final letter, slain Palestinian activist Basel al-Araj ponders looming death, Maan news
  15. Never obey the occupation: the legacy of Bassel al-Araj
  16. "أعمال الشهيد المقدسي باسل الأعرج في كتاب". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). 2018-03-11. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
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