Dr. Suleiman Saleh
Sunday - February 4
Dr. Suleiman Saleh
Professor of Media at Cairo University and Member of Parliament during the Revolution
Once again, we are presented with a Palestinian narrative, sneaking its way out of the cracks of a dark prison cell to tell the world the story of a prisoner who played a significant role in his people's struggle for freedom. For this, Israel punished him with solitary confinement and a sentence spanning "thousands" of years.
This narrative answers a deeply emotional question posed by his daughter, who was left in a car during his arrest and hasn’t seen him since. She asked him: “Who are you? And why are you?” The narrative not only responds to these questions but also addresses the broader questions we all ask: How did we get here? And where are we going?
Here we find ourselves in the presence of Abdullah Barghouthi, an engineer and member of Hamas’s military wing, who has been held in solitary confinement in Ramon Prison in southern occupied Palestine since 2003. His story, smuggled out and published in 2013 under the title The Prince of Shadows: An Engineer on the Path, reveals a man who kept many secrets to protect the identities of resistance fighters who were not martyred or captured. Despite withholding much, the tales he shared depict heroes who sacrificed their lives for their homeland.
The details of Barghouthi’s narrative help us understand the present situation in Gaza, shaped by years of relentless struggle and learning what is necessary for survival. In the book, he chronicles the lives of martyrs and recounts how he selected and trained members of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades to manufacture and effectively deploy weapons and explosives.
Barghouthi's experiences led him to a profound conclusion: “Planting conviction is extremely difficult, but uprooting it once it has been planted is a thousand times harder, if not impossible.”
He details his training program, through which he selected the most capable young members of the Brigades, preparing them as future leaders. He writes, “We trained and prepared leaders for the next phase to avoid a leadership vacuum in case a commander was martyred, especially given the intense security pressure from the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s Shin Bet forces.”
Barghouthi’s expertise in mechanical and electronic engineering opened new avenues for innovation, helping the Brigades solve critical challenges. His ingenuity prompted his friend Ayman Halawa to ask: “Do you belong to this world, or the future? Did you come to Nablus on a time machine from the year 2050 or 2100?”
This question arose when Ayman witnessed Abdullah developing electronic tools to outwit Israeli intelligence, creating devices capable of remotely detonating explosives.
Why did Abdullah embark on this path? He answers, “Battles choose us; we don’t choose them.” The battle for Jerusalem chose him, making him the "Engineer of Resistance." He played a vital role in training Al-Qassam fighters, who regarded him as a mentor, leading a revolution of minds against the occupation and transforming the Brigades’ members into engineers, scientists, and leaders.
Barghouthi could have lived a peaceful and comfortable life. Educated in Korea, during its rise as an Asian Tiger, he mastered its language and English, proving himself professionally in Korea, Jordan, and Nablus, where he lived on a temporary visa.
He was also physically strong, practicing judo since his youth in Kuwait. Married to a loving Korean woman, Barghouthi could have distanced himself from “the cause.”
However, his emotions and destiny led him elsewhere. When his Korean wife left him due to his decision to remarry, he returned to Palestine at his mother’s insistence. Before meeting his new bride, he visited Jerusalem and prayed at Al-Aqsa Mosque. There, he felt his spirit revive, rediscovering his love for Palestine.
In Jerusalem, he found a renewed passion for life. After joining the prayer for martyr Yahya Ayyash at Al-Aqsa Mosque, he overheard a statement that defined his future: “Vengeance, vengeance, O Al-Qassam Brigades.”
He writes: “I was filled with anger and love. I fell in love with Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock, and Yahya Ayyash equally. Ayyash, the Qassam engineer, revived my spirit of resistance.”
The second Intifada erupted after Ariel Sharon desecrated Al-Aqsa Mosque. Barghouthi resolved to resist by praying at Al-Aqsa but was prevented and beaten by Israeli soldiers. Bloodied and enraged, he vowed to retaliate.
He sold his businesses and withdrew his savings to fund the purchase of materials for making explosives. Despite being arrested and having his funds confiscated by Palestinian Authority security forces, his wife gave him her gold jewelry to support the resistance.
After being betrayed by an informant, Barghouthi was captured by Israeli forces. While holding his sick daughter Tala, he was attacked by police dogs before being overpowered and arrested.
He recalls: “I knew this moment might come. For those who resist the occupation, there are only three outcomes: martyrdom, imprisonment, or victory.”
During interrogation, Israeli authorities used every inhumane tactic to break him, leaving him physically shattered. He writes: “I was a corpse with remnants of breath that God sustained in me. I spoke with death face-to-face and found solace in its company.”
Barghouthi was ultimately sentenced to 67 life terms and an additional 5,200 years for killing 67 Israelis in 188 operations.
To his daughter, he declares: “Life is either crowned with dignity and honor or sacrificed for God’s sake. Palestine, with its Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem, deserves everything I gave it and more.”
Barghouthi’s story intertwines personal sacrifice with a nation’s struggle for freedom, embodying the spirit of resilience and the quest for justice.