Selected Detective
DEMONSTRATIONS

A large crowd, several thousand people in strength, huddled along the banks of Sultan Sulaiman Road, packed on a semi-circular rung to the male and female Damascus Gate, Old Young, packed into a half-circle, Israelis and Palestinians, some holding small candles lit and held high, others holding banners and placards, others holding framed photos of loved ones killed in violence between the two nations. All were looking at the temporary stage in front of the gate, where two figures of one wearing a white Yarmulke, the other wearing Keffiyeh were standing side by side in front of a microphone. There was a moment of applause, but overall the crowd seemed calm, watching what was being said.

Through the center of the crowd that Yunis Abu Jish slowly walked over, a vest filled with explosives tightly covered the middle of his body. His face was gray and wet with sweat. As per instructions he headed for a pay phone at the corner of Abu Talib and Ibn Khaldun, where his men Al-Mulatham had given him a final order: take a vest from an empty building that had been abandoned by its inhabitants, towards the Damascus Gate, take a position as close as possible to the stage, then pull the detonator wire.

“Allahu Akbar,” he muttered, stepping forward slowly, careful so as not to stomp the bomb. “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.” In front of him the two men spoke alternately, leaning forward into the microphone and then back out again.

“... end of violence .. sacrifice in the name of peace .. hatred or hope ... our last chance....” Yunis only listened to their voices at a glance, drifting in her own strange thoughts. He reached the bottom of the stairs, pulled across the open field in front of the gate, got to the stage and took a position right in the middle of it, directly below the speaker.

“Unequivocal withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip .. recognition of Israel's right to exist .. removal of the right to return .. compensation for refugees ... Jerusalem as a Common Capital .. respect and understanding.”

“Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar.” Sick, nauseated with fear, he slipped his hand into his jacket, pulled the first wire to jolt the explosive, pulled it down and grabbed the second wire.

“.... new world .. together as friends .. hope and not despair .. light and not darkness..”.

“Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar.” It pulls a little. Stop.pull again. Quiescent. And he remained silent, holding the detonator, while on stage the two men hugged each other and the whole crowd began to sing....

EXPIRE

*****

GLOSSARIES

Abba: Father (hebrew)

Abbas, mahmud: Yasser Arafat's successor as President of the Palestinian Authority. He was born in 1935, also known as Abu Mazen.

Abraham: Jewish patriarch, considered to be the father of the Jewish nation.

Abu Simbel: Archaeological site in southern Egypt. Location of one of the largest Egyptian monuments, the Sun Temple of Ramses II.

Abu za’abal: Egyptian prison near Cairo.

Abydos: The center of the worship of the god osiris and the burial area of several earlier Egyptian pharaohs. It is located 90 km north of Luxor.

Ahlul Kitab: By language, “people Kitab”. Muslim terminology for Jews and Christians, whose scriptures are mentioned in Islam.

Aish baladi: Breads like Pitta are made from pure flour.

Akhenaten: The eleventh dynasty pharaoh. Reign since 1353–1335 Sm. Tutankhamun's Father.

Al-Ahram: By language, “Pyramid”. Best selling egyptian newspaper.

Al-Akhbar: Egyptian newspaper.

Al-Quds: The Arabic name for Jerusalem.

Alim al-Simsim: Egyptian version for American children's show Sesame Street.

Aliyah: Linguistically, “Get to top”.emigration to mainland Israel.

Al-Wadi al-Gadid: Egyptian prison in Kharga oasis.

Amarna: The modern name for Akhetaten, the city built by the pharaoh Akhenaten on the east bank of the Nile in the middle between Cairo and Luxor.

Amenhotep I: pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Reign at 1525–1504 Sm.

Amenhotep II: pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Reign at 1427–1401 Sm.

Amenhotep III: pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Reign at 1391–1353 Sm.

Amir, Yigal: Jewish extremists killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.

Ankh: Symbol of the cross. Ancient egyptian life.

Arafat, Yasser: The main figure and de facto leader of the Palestinian people from the late 1960s until his death in November 2004. President of the Palestinian Authority since 1996. He was born in 1929, also known as Abu Ammar.

Arminius: Ancient German war hero.living at 18 Sm–21m. Famous for defeating Roman soldiers at the Battle of Teutoberger Wald (9m).

Hypostyle hall: A hall with a roof supported by several supporting pillars.

Verse: Sentences in the Quran.

Ayalon, Ami: Former Shin Bet leader (1996–2000).

Babaghanoush: egyptian food made from tahina and pounded eggplant.

Babi Yar: A ravine near Kiev, the site of World War II mass killings when hundreds of thousands of people, mainly Jews, were shot dead by Nazi firing units.

Banana Island: A beautiful area in Luxor. Known as homosexual.

Bar mitzvah: Jewish ceremonies mark the time boys become adults.

Barak, ehud: Former Israeli Prime Minister (1999–2001).

Barghouti, marwan: Famous Palestinian activist and politician. Born in 1958, imprisoned by Israel in 2002.

Basbousa: Egyptian sweet cake made from semolina, nuts and honey.

Batya Gur: Famous Israeli writer.

Beir zeit Univesity: Palestinian University in Ramallah.

Beni hasan: An important necropolis of the Middle Kingdom on the eastern bank of the Nile, halfway between al-nimya and mallawi.

Antonia Fortress: a fortress bordering the Temple complex in Ancient Jerusalem. Built by herod the Great.

Bezalel: The revered Jewish sculptor of the exodus, who created the first Ark of the Covenant and Menorah.

Star of David: The hexagon star, one of the main symbols of Judaism. Known in Hebrew as Magen David the Shield of David.

Borscht: Soup sugar beet root.

Buchenwald: Nazi concentration camp in Germany.

Butneya: An area in Cairo known for thieves and drug dealers.

Cabbala/Kabala: Jewish mystical teachings.

Caleche: Horse-drawn Pedati.

Camp David: The resting place of the President of the United States in Maryland. The site of the failed peace talks in July 2000 between then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat.

Cardo: The road is closed in Jewish territory in Old Jerusalem. It was the main Roman road in Jerusalem.

Carter, howard: British archaeologist, inventor of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. lived 1874–1939.

Champollion, Jean francois: The French scholar who invented hieroglyphics. lived 1790–1832.

Chicago house: Archaeological mission house of Chicago in Luxor

Chicken kneidlach: Chicken soup with ball cake.Famous Jewish cuisine.

Dahlan, Muhammad: Palestinian politician and activist. Born 1961.

David: Hero and King of the Jews. lived from the 11th to 10th centuries BC. Sulaiman's Father.

Debir (Holy of the Holy): The most sacred part of the ancient Temple.

Dar al-Bahri: The site of Queen Hatshepsut's mortuary temple (ruled 1473-1458 BC, located on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor.

Dar al-Barsha: The Middle Kingdom necropolis on the east side of the Nile, opposite the modern city of Mallawi.

Dar Yassin: An earlier Palestinian village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The area of the heinous murder by Jewish militarists in 1948.

Deutsche orient-Gesellschaft: oriental society of Germany. An institution devoted to the study of the history and archaeology of the Near East.

Djellaba: Traditional robes worn by Egyptian men and women.

Djellaba suda: Black robes worn by Egyptian peasant women.

Djoser: Third Dynasty of pharaohs. Reign in 2630-2611 BC. Its pyramid at Saqqara is the world's first monumental stone building.

Dunum: the size of the soil, equivalent to a quarter of an acre.

Ecole Biblique: An institution founded in 1890 to study the Bible and the archaeology of the Holy Land.

Eid al-Adha: the Feast of Sacrifice, one of the most important anniversaries in the Muslim calendar.

Eighteenth Dynasty: The ancient history of Egypt is divided into several Kingdoms (Old, Middle, New) which in time were divided into several dynasties. The Eighteenth Dynasty consisted of fourteen governments spanning the period 1550-1307 BC. It was the first of three New Kingdom dynasties (1550-1070 BC).

Elijah: The Jewish Prophet.