Jamal al-Dura — Father of twelve-year-old Mohammed al-Dura, who Palestinians say was killed by IDF soldiers during a demonstration by Palestinian security forces in Gaza
Jamal al-Taweel — Hamas leader in the West Bank
Jamal Salim — Hamas leader killed in assassination of Jamal Mansour in Nablus
Jamil Hamami — Cofounder of Hamas in 1986
Jibril Rajoub — Head of security for the Palestinian Authority
Juma’a — Gravedigger in cemetery near Mosab’s childhood home
King Hussein — King of Jordan (1952–1999)
Kofi Annan — Seventh secretary-general of the United Nations (1997–2006)
Leonard Cohen — Canadian singer and songwriter who wrote “First We Take Manhattan”
Mahmud Muslih — Cofounder of Hamas in 1986
Majeda Talahme — Wife of Hamas terrorist Saleh Talahme
Mohammad — Founder of Islam
Mohammad Daraghmeh — Palestinian journalist
Mohammed al-Dura — Twelve-year-old boy allegedly killed by IDF soldiers during a Fatah demonstration in Gaza
Mohammed Arman — Member of Hamas terrorist cell
Mosab Talahme — Oldest son of terrorist Saleh Talahme
Muhammad Jamal al-Natsheh — Cofounder of Hamas in 1986 and head of its military wing in the West Bank
Muhaned Abu Halawa — Member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
Najeh Madi — Covert leader of Hamas
Nissim Toledano — Israeli border policeman killed by Hamas
Ofer Dekel — Shin Bet officer
Rehavam Ze’evi — Israeli tourism minister assassinated by PFLP gunmen
Saddam Hussein — Iraqi dictator who invaded Kuwait in 1990
Saeb Erekat — Palestinian cabinet minister
Saeed Hotari — Dolphinarium suicide bomber
Salah Hussein — Covert leader of Hamas
Sami Abu Zuhri — Hamas spokesman in Gaza
Shada — Palestinian worker killed by mistake by an Israeli tank gunner
Shimon Peres — Ninth president of Israel, who assumed office in 2007; has also served as prime minister and foreign minister
Shlomo Sakal — Israeli plastics salesman, stabbed to death in Gaza
Tsibouktsakis Germanus — Greek Orthodox monk murdered by Ismail Radaida
Yahya Ayyash — Bomb maker credited with advancing the technique of suicide bombing in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Yasser Arafat — Longtime chairman of the PLO, president of the PA; died in 2004
Yisrael Ziv — Israeli major general for the IDF
Yitzhak Rabin — Fifth prime minister of Israel (1974–1977; 1992–1995); assassinated by right-wing Israeli radical Yigal Amir in 1995
Zakaria Botros — Coptic priest who has led countless Muslims to Christ, via satellite television, by exposing the errors in the Qur’an and revealing the truth of Scripture
Glossary
abu — Son of
adad — Number
adhan — Muslim call to prayer, five times a day
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades — Terrorist group, formed during the Second Intifada out of various resistance groups, that carries out suicide bombings and other attacks against Israeli targets
Al-Aqsa Mosque — Islam’s third holiest site from which Muslims believe Mohammad ascended into heaven; located on the Temple Mount, Jews’ holiest site and believed to be the location of the ancient Jewish Temples
Al-Fatihah — The opening sura (passage) of the Qur’an, read by the imam or religious leader
Al-Jazeera — Arab satellite television news network; based in Qatar
Allah — Arabic word for God
Allenby Bridge — Bridge across the Jordan River between Jericho and Jordan; originally built by British General Edmund Allenby in 1918
baklava — Rich pastry made with layers of dough, filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey
Black September — Bloody confrontation between the Jordanian government and Palestinian organizations in September 1970
Caliphate — Islamic political leadership
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) — Secular Marxist-Leninist organization opposing the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza
dinar (dee'-nahr) — Official currency of Jordan, used throughout the West Bank in addition to the Israeli shekel
emir — Arabic for chief or commander
Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades (Eza-deen' al Kas-sam') — Military wing of Hamas
Fatah — Largest political faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization
fatwa — Legal opinion or decree concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar
feda’iyeen (fedai-yeen') — Freedom fighters
Force 17 — Yasser Arafat’s elite commando unit
hadith (hah'-dith) — Oral traditions of Islam
hajj — Pilgrimage to Mecca
Hamas — Islamic resistance movement in the West Bank and Gaza, listed by the United States, European Union, and others as a terrorist organization
Hezbollah — Islamic political and paramilitary organization in Lebanon
hijab — Head covering or veil worn by Muslim women in some cultures
IDF (Israel Defense Forces) — Israel’s military force, including ground forces, air force, and navy
imam — Islamic leader, usually of a mosque
intifada — Rebellion or uprising
Islamic Jihad — Islamic resistance movement in the West Bank and Gaza, listed by the United States, European Union, and others as a terrorist organization
jalsa — Islamic study group
jihad — Literally means “struggle” but interpreted by militant Islamic groups to call for armed struggle, even terrorism
Kalashnikov — Russian AK-47 assault rifle; invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov
Knesset — Legislative branch of the Israeli government
Ktzi’ot — Israeli tent prison in the Negev where Mosab spent time
Kurds — Ethnic people group, most of whom live in Kurdistan, which covers parts of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey
Labor Party — Socialist/Zionist left-wing political party of Israel
Likud Party — Right-wing political party of Israel
maj’d (mah-jeed') — Hamas security wing
Maskobiyeh (mahs-koh-bee'-yah) — Israeli detention center in West Jerusalem
Mecca — Islam’s holiest site, located in Saudi Arabia, where the prophet Mohammad founded his religion