Hanadi Jaradat

Hanadi Tayseer Abdul Malek Jaradat ( _ar. هنادي تيسير عبدالمالك جردات) (September 22, 1975 – October 4, 2003), a Palestinian suicide bomber from Jenin, blew herself up on Saturday, October 4, 2003 in an attack on Maxim's restaurant in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Twenty-one people of various nationalities were killed and 51 were injured. Among the dead were four Israeli children and three Arabs. [David Blair, "Revenge sparked suicide bombing". The Daily Telegraph via The Ottawa Citizen, October 6, 2003: A9. Terminology as found in the article; citizenship of the "three Arabs", Israeli or otherwise, is not particularized. A complete list of deceased victims may be found at Maxim restaurant suicide bombing.] She was the sixth female suicide bomber of the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the second woman recruited by Islamic Jihad. [Arnon Regular, [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=346913&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y Profile of the Haifa suicide bomber.] October 5, 2003; www.haaretz.com.]

At the time of her suicide, Jaradat was a law student due to qualify as a lawyer in a few weeks. She had studied law at Yarmouk University in Jordan. Instead of going to the law firm where she was articling, she went to Haifa and blew herself up in a crowded restaurant. [David Blair, "Revenge sparked suicide bombing". The Daily Telegraph via The Ottawa Citizen, October 6, 2003: A9.] She was also a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Islamist organization, a senior commander of which was her cousin, Husan Jaradat. [Assassinated 2006. See Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.] According to a story in "Ha'aretz", based on Arab media and interviews with Israeli and Arab sources, she agreed to the bombing after Israel Defense Forces undercover operatives in Jenin killed her cousin (Salah, 34), who was wanted by Israel, and her younger brother (Fadi, 25), who was not, in their home, before her eyes, the evening before her brother's wedding. Both her cousin and younger brother were accused by Israeli forces of being Islamic Jihad operatives, with her cousin being considered to be a senior member of the Jerusalem Brigades group. [Arnon Regular, [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=346913&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y Profile of the Haifa suicide bomber.] October 5, 2003; www.haaretz.com.] Earlier, when she was 21, her fiance had been killed by Israeli security forces. Subsequent to the killing of her cousin and brother, she memorized every verse of the Koran and started fasting two days a week. [David Blair, "Revenge sparked suicide bombing". The Daily Telegraph via The Ottawa Citizen, October 6, 2003: A9.]

In response to his daughter's actions, her father Taisir declined all condolences, instead saying that he was proud of what his daughter had done, and that "I will accept only congratulations for what she did. This was a gift she gave me, the homeland and the Palestinian people. Therefore, I am not crying for her. Even though the most precious thing has been taken from me." [Vered Levy-Barzalai, [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=350272 Ticking bomb.] October 16, 2003; www.haaretz.com.]

In reprisal for her suicide bombing, Israeli forces conducted a raid at 3:00 a.m. on October 5, 2003, during the course of which they demolished the family home of Ms. Jaradat and the houses of two of her neighbours. [David Blair, "Revenge sparked suicide bombing". The Daily Telegraph via The Ottawa Citizen, October 6, 2003: A9.]

A photo of Jaradat was the central element in the artwork "Snow White and The Madness of Truth".

ee also

*Maxim restaurant suicide bombing

References