The parents of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy killed on November 3 by Israeli soldiers decided that despite their great tragedy, they would donate their son's organs to help save the lives of sick Israelis who required organ donations.
The parents of Ahmed Ismail Khatib said that they made their decision “for the sake of peace between the two people,” according to media sources.
Khatib was reportedly killed by crossfire during an Israeli raid in the West Bank town of Kabatiya near Jenin. The Israeli army claimed Khatib had held a plastic toy gun which soldiers mistook for a real weapon. This claim was dismissed by eyewitnesses.
As a result of the donation, Khatib's father, Ismail, was invited to visit Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who expressed the desire to apologize for the killing. Mr. Khatib responded 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 organs have so far saved the life of a six-month old baby, a 12-year-old girl who received his heart, and a 66-year-old woman--all of whom are Israeli. His 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, also Israeli.
The Khatib family will be given 10,000 Israeli shekels (about US$2,100) from an Israeli foundation which promotes organ donations in gratitude for their extraordinary deed.
"Because of the complexity of the situation, we decided to contribute money to the Khatib family, although they did not carry our donor card," said Gad Ben-Dror, a representative of the organization. "The whole of society benefits from organ donations, and we have a moral obligation to express significant gratitude, which can also take the shape of a financial contribution," he added.
Ben-Dror said that he had thanked the family for their donation, to which they responded that they did not do it for the money. Ben-Dror said that this was obvious, especially since they did not know of the contribution beforehand.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
