The rise of 'shahada'
The concept of shahid re-emerges in the Palestinian discourse.
On Nov. 1, at the conclusion of the funeral for Raed Jaradat, who carried out the Oct. 26 stabbing attack in Beit Hanoun, an event took place that astounded those in attendance. Jaradat's father turned to the father of Dania Arshid, the teenager shot a few days earlier after trying to stab an Israeli soldier at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, and on behalf of his dead son, he asked for the daughter's hand in marriage. Arshid had been buried the day before, but that did not stop her father from accepting on the spot. The two men kissed, and the audience cheered. The funeral turned into a bizarre wedding of “shahids” (martyrs).
This event is an example of the comeback “shahada” (martyrdom) has made in Palestinian Authority (PA) territories. After the end of the second intifada, in 2005, its presence in the Palestinian discourse decreased considerably. Now, however, it seems to have resurfaced to play an important role in the recent wave of violence.
Jaradat’s funeral in the highly volatile city of Hebron took place after Israel, rejecting a measure supported by the Security Cabinet, began turning over to the PA the bodies of Palestinians who had perpetrated terror attacks in the past month. Senior officials from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) supported their delivery, believing that it would calm tensions between the two sides while also reducing the motivation to kidnap Israeli soldiers as a bargaining chip in return for the bodies. In contrast, Shin Bet Director Yoram Cohen opposed the return of the bodies, fearing that their burial could result in violent flash points.
So far the funerals have not escalated into violence with the IDF. They have, however, turned into a kind of ceremony aimed at encouraging martyrdom via terror attacks. The mourners joyfully and loudly chant that the shahid is God’s favorite child. Interspersed with Islamic motifs, nationalistic songs exalt the choice to die as martyrs, promising them a life of eternity and bliss in the afterworld. Such messages are also routinely conveyed in the mosques, as well as in videos that flood social media and through radio broadcasts on Palestinian stations.
