Operation: Tel-Aviv (Saimum Series #1)

CHAPTER 12

David Ben-Gurion's residence. Emilia's apartment.

Emilia's universe comprises a bedroom, a living room and a bath. A Greek girl, Venus, her attendant, is her only companion in this realm. Her parents sometimes visit her, but it's almost like a scheduled meeting. A student of Tel Aviv University, they have allowed their daughter the full liberty of her life.

It is 9.30 pm at night. The weather outside is quite hot. Inside her centrally air conditioned room, the weather's discomfort has no presence. Emilia is seated at her desk. She cannot seem to focus on the book lying open. Her mind is scattered. She goes to the bed and lies down. In an attempt to empty her mind of the thoughts, she closes her eyes. But she fails - and there is something that is pricking her.

Emilia's mother enters the room. She glances at the desk, then at her daughter lying on the bed. She sits next to Emilia. Slowly, she places her palm on the latter's forehead. 'Darling, are you okay?'

Emilia takes the hand on her forehead in her own. 'I am alright.'

'Why are you in bed at this hour?' Slightly anxious, her mother asks.

'I'm just tired, mom.'

'This means you're not alright, my dear. Besides, I have noticed you for quite some time now. You don't go outside as much and prefer to confine yourself here.'

'Would you like to have a trip to Europe, now that you don't have any exams nearing?' Her mother adds

'No, please don't worry about me. I'm perfectly fine. I'd prefer to study at home, is that okay?' She looks at her mother with a wide grin.

'Yes darling, that's even better,' her mother says, 'It is not really safe outside anymore. Our enemies are everywhere - within and without. It's almost suffocating.'

'Mom?' Emilia looks at her mother. 'Won't peace ever come back to us? Can we not make friends with our enemies?'

'How so? What if our enemies do not want to end their enmities?'

'But, we are not letting go of our enmities.'

'How is that?'

'The Arab Muslims that we have forcibly displaced, why don't we bring them back and return them their due rights?'

'What are their due rights?'

'The right to govern their land and form their own constitution?'

Her mother laughs. 'My naïve girl. If they are given the rights to govern and enforce laws, then where would the children of Israel stand?'

'Why, we form a minority of this population and minorities can attain their rights.'

'Do you not know what happened to the Jewish minority in Germany?'

'I do, but placing the Arab Muslims on Hitler's position - is this even rational, mom?'

'Definitely. You probably know how the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad, had banished the Jews from Medina, Khaybar and eventually from Arabia.'

'Still, Mom, what was the reason Prophet Muhammad did that for? Three times the Jews had violated their treaties with the Prophet. They had acted rather deceitfully. They took refuge in Khaybar when they were banished from Medina, but they turned those forts into their military camps and continued to conspire against the Muslims. How else should they have been dealt with if not expelled?'

Emilia's mother suppresses a smile. 'The reason why Prophet Muhammad expelled the Jews, we expelled the Arabs for the same reason.'

'But mom, the reasons do not synchronize here,' Emilia says, 'Prophet Muhammad converted the pagans and most naturally assumed the leadership of Medina and later Arabia. He did not snatch the rulership away from the Jews. On the other hand, we have displaced the Arabs and turned their homeland Palestine into the state of Israel.'