11/06/2005

A Remarkable Act of Forgiveness

Instead of speaking words of revenge and death to Israelis, the parents of Ahmed Ismail Khatib, 13, a Palestinian who was mistakenly shot by the IDF, have made a most humane gesture and are donating his organs to six Israelis.

Ahmed was shot after soldiers mistook his toy gun for a real one. Still, his parents decided to donate the organs “for the sake of peace between the two people.”

Meanwhile, the boy’s father said he was invited to meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who offered to apologize for the killing, Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported.

According to the Palestinian report, Ismail Khatib said that “if this would serve the Palestinian problem and advance a just peace, I will meet with Sharon and bring him a message of peace.”

Ahmed's heart has been transplanted Sunday into the body of a 12-year-old girl at the Schneider hospital in Petah Tikva. His liver was donated to a six-month old baby and a 66-year-old woman at the Beilinson hospital in town.

Ahmed's lungs will be donated to a 14-year-old Cystic Fibrosis patient, and his kidneys to a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl.YNET

There isn't any more that I can add to this remarkable display of forgiveness.

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This kind of stories bring back some faith in humanity.

3:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

felis,

They do don't they.

3:25 PM  
Blogger Pat in NC said...

This proves the basic goodness of people no matter what their religion or ethnicity. May God bless those parents and help their hopes for peace flourish.

5:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

pat,

There is a lot of goodness and I'm hoping that peace will flourish!

5:49 PM  
Blogger Esther said...

OK, now I am going to be a bitch. While I think it is absolutely amazing what his parents have done, why was this kid at 13 holding a toy gun near where IDF soldiers were? This is what the PA does. They do this to provoke this exact kind of incident. I just feel sorry for the child and the family for being pawns in a deadly game.

9:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

esther,

I feel sorry for the family also and realize that the boy was being used by the PA. And it is amazing what his parents are doing.

4:04 PM  
Blogger SkiTheStars said...

I have set up a petition to have the Khatib family recognized as "Family of the Year," or for the Nobel Peace Prize. Please sign it at:

www.petitiononline.com/Khatib/petition.html

thanks,

Douglas Keachie

6:37 PM  

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