A Very Special Family

The father, Bassem Tamimi, insisted that they are not a special family and no different from every other family that lived under this Israeli occupation. I believe what he was saying is that Ahed Tamimi is only doing what anybody should be doing when it comes to protecting their family. Someone said to him that he must be proud of his daughter. He said, “yes, I think any father would be proud of his daughter with the courage she has shown.” I held back tears several times. Not that I’m afraid to cry in front of folks but I didn’t want them to think I was crying out of sympathy. Bassem jokingly said, please don’t cry for them, they have enough tears from the IDF tear gas. They don’t want to be seen as victims because they are not. They are human beings that need to be treated with respect and dignity. The father also said that they have faith that this occupation will end, because every occupation eventually, ends. Simply put but so beautiful. An experience I will never forget. I wrote this when I woke up in the living room of their family house. What an honor. I guess when you love something or someone, you’re willing to fight and even die if you have to, in order to protect them. FREEDOM.