Chapter 35 (1/2)
PALESTINE
APRIL 1948
GEORGE HADDAD'S PATIENCE ENDED AS HE GLARED AT THE MAN bound to the chair Like himself, his prisoner possessed the swarthy skin, aquiline nose, and deep-set brown eyes of a Syrian or a Lebanese But there was so about this man Haddad simply did not like
"I'll only ask one more time Who are you?"
Haddad's soldiers had caught the stranger three hours ago, just before dawn He'd been walking alone, unarmed Which was foolish Ever since the British decided last November to partition Palestine into two states, one Arab, the other Jewish, war had raged between the two sides Yet this fool had walked straight into an Arab stronghold, offering no resistance, and had not said anything since being bound to the chair
"Did you hear me, imbecile? I asked who you are" Haddad spoke in Arabic, which the man clearly understood
"I'm a Guardian"
The answerto him "What's that?"
"We're keepers of knowledge"
He was not in the round had attacked a nearby village Forty Palestinianunusual Arabs were being systematically murdered and expelled Land that their fa confiscated The nakba, the catastrophe, was happening Haddad needed to be out fighting the ene to nonsense
"We're all keepers of knowledge," he made clear "Mine is hoipe from the face of this earth every Zionist I can find"
"Which is why I've come War is not necessary"
Thisthis place We're being crushed War is all we have left"
"You underestimate Jewish resolve They've survived for centuries and will continue"
"This land is ours We shall win"
"There are things more powerful than bullets that can provide you victory"
"That's right Bombs And we have plenty of those We'll crush every one of you thieving Zionists"
"I'm not a Zionist"
The declaration came in a quiet tone, then the man went silent Haddad realized that he needed to end this interrogation No time for dead ends
"I've come from the library to speak with Kamal Haddad," the man finally said
His rage bowed to confusion "That's my father"
"I was told he lived in this village"