It is an interesting touching human experience when a Palestinian the other day returned a lost Israeli child to his family. Honestly, I felt very optimistic and enthusiastic when I read about this story, first published by an Israeli weekly magazine 'Kul Huzman' on Sunday, December 29, 2002 What the Palestinian did was the very true human and right manner by any civilized person worldwide; it is a tragedy once a family loses one of its children somewhere. Perhaps none in the world can have such a feeling more than us, the bereaved who lost many of their children slaughtered and gunned down by a bullet, in fear of their tiny and small stones! Such a noble act, however, should be the model as to co-exist and live in peace rather than in pieces. It is high time for threats, egg-and-chicken debates and the like. The other side has to capitalize on such moves rather than on a prefabricated and self-made bombers lies.

Ismael Abu Hedayet saw a lost child, Nahom, 6 years old, in his neighborhood and when he started talking to the child in Arabic the child did not understand him. “When I offered him food again, he said he only wanted to drink, said Abu Hedayet. He then took the child to the nearby Israeli forces who were guarding the settlement in which the child lives” said Abu hedayet. "Islamic ethics are the reason", this is the response a Palestinian man gave to the Israeli occupation forces when they asked him why he returned a lost Israeli child to his family. It is indeed a strange question, isn’t it? He has naturally to return the child. Isn’t the child a universal treasure apart from his/her unwillingly acquired biological, hereditary and genetically nature. No family wants for its child to be lost in the unknown.

Abu Hedayet said that initially the soldiers were scared, but two days after the incident, he was surprised to see reporters of the magazine asking him for an interview and relaying to him the regards of the child's family. He added that he told them that any Muslim resident would have acted in the same way because these are the ethics of Islam and said that this has nothing to do with what the Israeli forces are doing to the Palestinian children on a daily basis. Indeed this is but some of the ethics, doctrines and commandments of Islam, “ not to kill any soul”, and even at times of war “ not to kill neither a child, woman nor an old Man”. These are among the very essence of Islam. Others’ misunderstanding and exploitation of this religion unfortunately at times create very deep gaps and misunderstandings.

According to Palestine Chronicle, Abu Hedayet asked the Israel reporter: "What would your Prime minister do if he found a Palestinian child?" To that, the reporter simply smiled and thanked the Palestinian for his ethics. Isn’t it a rhetorical question here; others would, however, once more misunderstand the situation and accuse the oppressed of just being anti-Sharon. It is not a matter of individuals and personal feelings; rather it is that of painful realities on the ground including Sharon’s rejection of Arab’s Peace Initiative and even of the up to the Israeli size tailored so-called ‘road map’! Be it Sharon or whatever, the need is for a reasonable rational peace interlocutor as to build a better future for generations to come, so that no child would once be lost.

Actually, the following might shed a glimpse of light on some of the recent crimes of hatred and Israeli state terrorism against Palestinian children, not to mention the hundreds of Arab children gunned and shelled by Israeli occupation forces. Can Sharon himself forget the tragic scene of Mohammad Al-Durra’s killing, can Peres forget the scene of a father carrying the flesh of his children in the aftermath of the 1996 Qana’s massacre……. An endless list of today’s ‘ new holocaust’. The need is however for honest answers and stances as not to repeat the tragic demise of our children, including some among the Israelis themselves, who have committed no sin rather than being born in an occupied territory, which their government adamantly rejects to withdraw from to June4, 1967 lines. Among the Palestinian children killed, not to mention the injured are: Burhan al Himouni, Iman Hijjo, Al-Tmaizi, Saliem El- Hamaida, Shadi Arafi, Ibrahim El- Qassas, Jehad Abu Sahme, Eiad Sha'at, Ibrahim El- Moqanan, Mohammed El Ijla- Bilal Tawfiq Ramadan, Mohammed El Dorrah, Sabber Brash, Mohammed Hajaaj, Nidal Al Debike, Karam El Kord, Abed El Rahman Al Dahshan, Karam Moqannan,Majdi Aabed, Medhat Jad Allah, sami Abo Jazar, Omar Al Bhaise, Mousa El Dabes Salah El Nejmi, Osama El Jerjawe, Fares Ouda, Jber Ahmed El Meshal, Ammar El Refaai, Mohammed Abu Gahlie, Hosnei El Najar, Wael Al Nasheet, Khalil Abu Saad, Hani El Sawafi, Ahmed Abu Taih, Mohammed Shorrab,Shadi Gahr Ouda, Mohammed Mash'harawi, Mohammed Al Arja,Eiad El Ashqar, Mohammed El Shareef, Mohammed El Shorafi, Ahmed Sh'hada Mohammed El Jaz'zar, Iman Wadi, Mohammed Abu Naji, Zohair Al Hat'tab, Saleh Al Reiati, Ibrahim Omar, Ahmed Samer Basal