Murder Under the Bridge

by Kate Raphael

  “Chloe!” Dilal, the grocer, was walking toward the house with a young girl. The girl was strangely dressed, in a long denim skirt and a long-sleeved turtleneck. As they got nearer, Chloe realized it was Malkah. She walked out into the road to intercept them.

  “Shuftha fi tariq,” Dilal explained. I saw her on the road.

  “Shukran,” she thanked Dilal and quickly ushered the girl up to her apartment.

  “Malkah, it’s nice to see you, but you should have called first.”

  “I brought your phone.” Of course. Gelenter’s phone had been taken from Chloe at the airport. She had gotten a new one, but Malkah didn’t know the number. Malkah produced Chloe’s old phone from her pocket and held it out.

  “Thank you,” she told the girl. “Why don’t you keep it? I have a new one now.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. You don’t have to tell your dad. It can be our secret.”

  “Will you give me your new phone number?” Malkah was already pressing the button to add a contact to her address book.

  “Um, Malkah, I have to go back to the States for a while. But I tell you what. When I get home, I’ll send you a text message, and then you can text me back sometimes. Okay?”

  Beaming, Malkah carefully put the phone into the front pocket of her backpack.

  “Is that the reason you came?” Chloe asked her. “It was really nice of you, but you know, it’s not so safe for someone who looks like a settler to just walk into a village, with no one knowing they are coming.”

  She swallowed her feelings of disloyalty. Malkah was thirteen and on a learning curve—not so different from her own a few years back. The girl wasn’t quite ready to understand that international law guarantees the right to resist occupation by force of arms. She did need to understand that the daughter of a high Israeli military official could not go walking into Palestinian villages on her own. She would be perfectly safe in Jaber’s house, but on the street, someone might see an opportunity.

  “I know,” Malkah said, “but I needed to see you. Since I met you in Tel Aviv, my father watches me all the time. The only place he won’t find me is a Palestinian place.”

  “You must have something very important to tell me,” Chloe said.

  Malkah opened her backpack and pulled out an envelope.

  “After I told Nadya what the letter said, she used my father’s fax machine to make a copy,” she said. “She asked me to keep for her.”

  Chloe pulled out the letter. “It’s in Hebrew,” she stated the obvious. She had forgotten that she, like Nadya, wouldn’t be able to read it.

  “It is from a soldier named Yuri Shabtai,” Malkah told her. “It says, ‘I cannot live with what I did. I killed Arabs in… Jenaan’?” She looked at Chloe for confirmation.

  “Jenin,” Chloe corrected. “Killed them how?”

  “‘I killed women and children, not terrorists,’” Malkah translated. “‘I did it on Colonel Wilensky’s orders. Then I lied to the Knesset and said the Arabs shot the women and babies.’”

  Malkah’s voice was wobbly. Chloe thought maybe it would be good for her to cry, but she didn’t want her to be embarrassed.

  “Thank you, Malkah. It was right for you to give me this. Is there something else?” she asked. Malkah still seemed close to tears.

  “If Nadya died because of this letter,” Malkah struggled, “my father must have killed her because Uncle Israel was in Italy.”

  Chloe mentally smacked herself. She’d forgotten what it was like to be a thirteen-year-old girl.

  “Malkah,” she said. “Your father did not kill Nadya.”

  “You know that for sure?”

  “I’m absolutely positive.” The girl’s face broke into a happy, toothy smile. Chloe put an arm around her shoulder.

  “Chloe?” Someone was banging on her door. She opened it to Tina and Rania.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Tina said. “Everyone’s waiting for you.”

  “Tina, this is my friend Malkah. Malkah, Tina’s phone number is in my phone, and if you need something sometime, something important, you can call her. Right?”

  Tina didn’t look too happy. An Israeli settler girl wasn’t her idea of a suitable protégée. But Chloe was confident that when Tina learned what Malkah had done, she would be happy to be her friend. As it was, she was too polite to hurt a kid’s feelings.

  “Of course,” she answered.

  “Hello, Malkah. It’s nice to see you.” Rania held out a hand for Malkah to shake.

  “We’d better find Malkah some transportation,” Chloe said.

  Avi drove Malkah home in his parents’ car, and returned just in time to drive Chloe to the airport. Rania walked to the car with her and Tina. Rania’s handsome, serious husband watched from the porch while their son ran constantly back and forth from one to the other. Chloe tried to gauge if Rania understood her relationship to Tina, and if so, what she thought about it.

  “I wish I could have gotten to know you better,” Chloe said.

  “Inshalla, when you return,” Rania said. She kissed Chloe twice on each cheek. The one extra kiss meant they were really friends, Chloe decided.

  * * *

  Rania entered the police station and headed straight for the coffee pot. Cup in hand, she strolled to her desk. Abdelhakim’s chair was empty, his desk devoid of any traces of occupancy.

  “Where is Abdelhakim?” she asked the men who sat nearby.

  “Don’t know,” one answered.

  “Haven’t seen him today,” said the other.

  Captain Mustafa emerged from his office and joined them. “I suggested to Abu Ziyad that Abdelhakim might be happier working in his office,” he said.

  She tried not to look too happy. She could gloat later, at home with Bassam. The captain handed her a manila envelope.

  “Benny asked me to give you this.”

  She waited for him to walk away before she opened it. She withdrew a folded sheet of paper containing two newspaper clippings. “Thought you would be interested,” the note read.

  The first article was several columns long, from the English edition of the left-wing Israeli newspaper Haaretz. It said that an anonymous source had uncovered a letter written by the soldier, Yuri Shabtai, before he committed suicide in April, 2003. The letter, the article continued, charged that Col. Israel Wilensky (ret.) of the air force had ordered his unit to fire on unarmed civilians during the Battle of Jenin. Wilensky denied the allegations.

  “These are very serious charges. The Ministry of Defense will investigate them thoroughly,” said Deputy Minister Nir Gelenter.

  The other clipping was barely one inch high, cut from a bottom corner of the Jerusalem Post.

  The murder of Uzbek national Nadya Kim remains unsolved, three weeks after her body was discovered in an abandoned olive grove near Elkana. According to police spokesman Benny Lazar, there are no suspects and no clues as to why the young woman was killed. “Kim was one of thousands of Uzbek and Moldovan women who fall prey to criminal consortiums in their home countries which bring women to Israel against their will,” said Lazar. Israel’s immigration police have vowed to increase their efforts to locate and repatriate trafficked women.

  Glossary

  Abbreviations:

  Ar. = Arabic

  Heb. = Hebrew

  fem. = feminine m. = masculine

  ajnabiya (Ar.) foreigner (fem.)

  Al Jazeera Arabic television network based in Qatar

  Aleikum Salaam (Ar.) Peace to you all (said in greeting).

  Allah maakum (Ar.) God be with you all (said in parting).

  Allah yirhamha (Ar.) God’s mercy on her (said when a woman has died).

  Allah ysalmak (ysalmik fem.) (Ar.) response to “Hamdililah asalaam”

  allo (Heb., Ar.) hello

  Ana maak (Ar.) I am with you (m.)

  Ana mush kanghara (Ar.) I’m not a kangaroo.

  anachnu (Heb.) we

  Anglit (Heb.) English


  Aravim Hachutzah (Heb.) Arabs get out!

  argila/nargila (Ar./Heb.) flavored tobacco

  Artzot Habrit (Heb.) United States

  Asfi (Ar.) I’m sorry.

  Assalaamu aleikum. (Ar.) Peace be unto you. (Arabic greeting)

  at (Heb.) you (fem.)

  At makirah otam? (Heb.) Do you know them?

  At po? (Heb.) Are you here? (fem.)

  At yeshenah? (Heb.) Are you sleeping? (fem.)

  Atah kevar yodea et zeh. (Heb.) You already know this.

  Atah tamut hayom. (Heb.) You are going to die today.

  Atini shantatik (Ar.) Give me your handbag.

  Atzri (Heb.) Stop! (to a woman)

  ayfo (Heb.) where

  ba’id (Ar.) far

  babayit (Heb.) at home; in the house

  bachutz (Heb.) outside

  baladiya (Ar.) city hall

  banot (Heb.) girls

  baregel (Heb.) on foot

  barra (Ar.) outside

  beemet (Heb.) really; in truth

  beit hawwiya (Ar.) ID card container

  belagan (Heb.) mess

  boi (Heb.) come (to a woman)

  Boker tov (Heb.) Good morning.

  bseder (Heb.) okay; fine

  Btihki Arabi (Ar.) Do you speak Arabic?

  Btselem Israeli human rights organization

  caffe shachor (Heb.) black coffee

  chaverim (Heb.) friends

  chayalim (Heb.) soldiers

  Chiif halach (Ar.) How are you? (rural form of “Kiif halak”)

  da (Russian) Yes

  debka Palestinian dance

  Diiri baalik a la haalik (Ar.) Take care of yourself.

  Diiri baalik, fii jesh honak. (Ar.) Be careful, the Army is there.

  deportatsia (Heb.) deportation

  doorna (Ar.) our role

  Efshar l’kanes (Heb.) May I come in?

  eid (Ar.) holiday

  Ein b’ayah. (Heb.) No problem.

  Ein b’ayot? (Heb.) There are no problems?

  eser dakot (Heb.) ten minutes

  etzim (Heb.) trees

  Falastinait (Heb.) Palestinian (fem.)

  fii (Ar.) there is …

  fok (Ar.) up; upstairs

  haAmerikayit (Heb.) the American

  Haaretz an Israeli newspaper

  habibi/habibti (Ar.) my dear

  hachaverah shel … (Heb.) the friend of …

  haajes (Ar.) roadblock

  Hai mushkele kbiire. (Ar.) This is a big problem.

  haj/haji (Ar.) An elder; one who has made pilgrimage to Mecca.

  Hakol bseder? (Heb.) Is everything all right?

  hamdilila assalam (Ar.) Good wish for a person who has returned from a journey, recovered from an illness, or been released from prison (response: “Alla ysalmak/ysalmik”).

  hamdililah (Ar.) Thank God (response to “Kiif halak?”)

  hamel (Ar.) pregnant (literally, carrying)

  haram (Ar.) shame

  hawiyya (Ar.) ID card

  he (Heb.) she

  hijab headscarf worn by many Muslim women

  Hinei hu (Heb.) Here he is.

  hitnachlut (Heb.) colony; settlement

  hon (Ar.) here

  Hu lo po. (Heb.) He is not here.

  Huwwa hon. (Ar.) He is here.

  Il banat ajau. (Ar.) The girls have arrived.

  imi (Ar.) my mother

  Imi fi matbach. (Ar.) My mother is in the kitchen.

  Inglizi (Ar.) English

  Inshalla (Ar.) God willing; hopefully.

  Inta qawi. (Ar.) You are strong.

  irhabi (Ar.) terrorist

  Jamiyat Ittadamon Iddawliya fi Falastin International Organization in Solidarity with Palestine (fictional group)

  jasoosia (Ar.) traitor

  jesh (Ar.) army

  Jesh bifattash ala Fareed. (Ar.) The army is looking for Fareed.

  jilbab traditional long coat worn by many Palestinian women

  Kadima (Heb.) Let’s go; come on.

  ken (Heb.) yes

  ketubah Jewish marriage contract

  Khaife min jesh (Ar.) I’m afraid of the Army.

  khalas (Ar.) enough; stop

  khara (Ar.) shit

  Kiif halik?/Kiif halak? (Ar.) How are you?

  kippa headcovering worn by Jewish men (Yiddish: yamulke)

  Kol hakavod (Heb.) Good for you.

  Kul ishi tamam hon? (Ar.) Is everything okay here?

  kum (Heb.) get up

  L’an (Heb.) Where to?

  L’hitraot (Heb.) See you later.

  laa (Ar.) no

  labneh (Ar.) cheese made from yogurt

  lo (Heb.) no

  lo po (Heb.) not here

  maalesh (Ar.) never mind

  Maamoul Date cookie

  Maayfo atem (Heb.) Where are you all from?

  mafraq (Ar.) crossroads

  mah (Heb.) what

  Mah at rotzah? (Heb.) What do you want? (fem.)

  Mah he omeret (Heb.) What is she saying?

  Mah kara/mah koreh? (Heb.) What happened?/What’s going on?

  Mah zeh (Heb.) What is this?

  majnoon (Ar.) crazy

  mMakluube Palestinian dish made from rice, vegetables, nuts, and normally chicken

  marhaba Arabic greeting

  marhabteen Arabic greeting in response to marhaba (literally “two marhabas”)

  masa il warad (Ar.) evening of flowers (possible response to “masa il-kheir”)

  masa il-kheir (Ar.) good evening (literally “evening of joy”)

  matai (Heb.) when?

  mawjood (Ar.) present; here

  Mi at? (Heb.) Who are you?

  Mi zot? (Heb.) Who is this? (fem.)

  Miin inti? (Ar.) Who are you?

  miit shekel (Ar.) one hundred shekels (shekel = Israeli currency, also used in the Occupied Territories)

  Min Azzawiya, inta? (Ar.) You are from Azzawiya?

  mish shughlik (Ar.) not your business

  Mishehu rotzeh hachutza? (Heb.) Does anyone want to go outside?

  mishmar hagvul (Heb.) border police

  mishtara (Heb.) police

  mitnachlim (Heb.) settlers; colonists

  mjaddara Palestinian dish made from lentils and rice

  mlochia Egyptian spinach, usually used to make a creamy soup

  muhabarat (Ar.) secret police (normally referring to Palestinian secret police)

  mumkin (Ar.) possible; perhaps

  Mush khaif (Ar.) Don’t be afraid.

  mush mawjood (Ar.) not here

  mush tawbaane (Ar.) not tired

  mustahil (Ar.) impossible

  Njarrab bil Arabi. (Ar.) We’ll try to speak Arabic.

  nos hilwe (Ar.) half sweet (in ref. to coffee)

  Nsiyah tovah. (Heb.) Have a good trip.

  Pelephone (Heb.) mobile phone

  politsia (Russian) police

  Qaddesh? (Ar.) How much?

  ruhi (Ar.) Go (command) (fem.)

  Sabah al-kheir, ya banat. (Ar.) Good morning, girls. (literally, “morning of joy”)

  Sabah an-noor. (Ar.) Morning of light. (response to “sabah al-kheir”)

  sayara (Ar.) car

  schvitz (Yiddish) sweat, be sweltering

  schwei (Ar.) a little

  sea (Ar.) one hour

  sea w nos (Ar.) an hour and a half

  seateen (Ar.) two hours

  shabab (Ar.) young men

  shalom (Heb.) hello; peace

  sheesha flavored tobacco; also knows as argila (Heb. nargila)

  sherut (Heb.) shared taxi

  shetach sagur (Heb.) closed zone

  shnia (Heb.) second

  shorta (Ar.) police

  shu (Ar.) what

  Shu biddo? (Ar.) What does he want?

  Shu bisir? (Ar.) What is happening?

  Shu sar? (Ar.) What happened?

  Shuftha fi tariq. (Ar.) I saw her on the road.

  shukran (Ar.) thank you

  Sinit (Heb.) Chinese
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  skol Russian toast

  Sobbi shai. (Ar.) Pour the tea.

  souq (Ar.) market (Heb. shook)

  taboun (Ar.) clay oven built into the earth for baking bread

  taht (Ar.) down; downstairs

  tamam (Ar.) okay

  Tanach Jewish religious book comprising the Torah, Prophets, and Writings

  Tawjihi Exams taken by Palestinian youth after high school; a full year of study is required and college acceptance is based on it

  tayeret (Heb.) tourist

  teudot (Heb.) identification

  tfaddali (Ar.) Welcome; please join us.

  tik alaafia (Ar.) A version of “Allah ya tik alafia,” God grant you health, said to one who is working

  tishvi (Heb.) sit down (to a woman)

  todah (Heb.) thank you

  todah rabah (Heb.) thank you very much

  tov (Heb.) good

  tsilum (Heb.) copy

  ulpan an Israeli school for intensive Hebrew instruction

  ulpena an Israeli religious girls’ high school

  Um aysh? (Ar.) Mother of whom? (a way of asking a woman how she wants to be addressed)

  usquti (Ar.) shut up

  w ideek(i) (Ar.) response to “yslamu ideek”

  wahad (Ar.) someone

  Wallah! (Ar.) Oh my God!

  walla kilme (Ar.) not a word

  walla wahad (Ar.) no one

  Weyn rayha? (Ar.) Where are you going? (fem.)

  ya (Ar.) often used for emphasis, as in “ya haram,” or an indication of friendship, as in “ya shabab.”

  Yahud (Ar.) Jews (usually meaning Israelis)

  Yahudia (Ar.) Jew (fem.)

  yalla (Ar.) let’s go; come on

  yesh (Heb.) there is

  Yesh Gvul Israeli war resisters’ organization (There Is a Limit)

  yesh la (Heb.) she has

  yishuv (Heb.) settlement; community

  Yslamu ideek(i). (Ar.) Bless your hands (said to someone who serves you something).

  zaatar wild thyme grown in Palestine, a condiment usually dried with sesame seeds

  zaki (Ar.) delicious

  zeh (Heb.) this

  zonah (Heb.) whore

  zuruf (Ar.) circumstances

  Acknowledgments

  This is a work of fiction. It is the product of my imagination and experience—the experience and imagination of a white, Jewish American who spent around eighteen months in Palestine, with brief forays into Israel. It is not a book that a Palestinian or an Israeli would write. During my time in Palestine, I was privileged to get to know many impressive and caring people. They took me, and other international visitors, into their homes, shared their food, warmth, space, and lives with us, asking only one thing in return: that we go home and tell the world their stories. Bits and pieces of those stories have found their way into this book in some form, but no Palestinian character is based in whole or in part on any real person. A few people to whom I owe particular thanks are Intisar, Hanan, Fatima, Shams, Mayisa, Um Rabia, Abu Rabia, Issa, Iltezam, Abu Ahmed, Um Ahmed, Fareed, Riziq, Tayseer, Abed, Fares, Naima, Um Fadi, Munira, Asia and Amal.