Posted on 06/29/2002 4:57:12 PM PDT by kattracks
HEBRON, West Bank, Jun 29, 2002 (The Canadian Press via COMTEX) -- The grandfather of a Palestinian baby who was photographed in a suicide bomber's costume - replete with fake explosives, ammunition belt and red Hamas headband - said Saturday that the disguise was a joke. Initially denying the baby in the photograph - which was splashed across the front pages of Israeli newspapers and international television networks - was his grandson, Redwan Abu Turki finally admitted he was related to the child. "This picture was at a rally at the university. The picture was taken just for the fun of it," he told The Associated Press in an interview.
Redwan Abu Turki said his son, Nader Abu Turki, is the baby's father and is wanted by the Israeli army. He said Nader has been on the run since the army searched the family's home last week seeking to arrest him for involvement with the Islamic militant group Hamas.
The army said it found the photograph of the baby in a family album while looking for a current picture of Nader. The army distributed the photograph to the media. Military officials said they also found an assault rifle, grenades and explosives during the sweep of the house.
The picture incensed Israelis, who have been targeted in 71 suicide bombings in the past 21 months. Israeli newspaper headlines read Terror In Diapers and Born To Kill over the picture of the baby, who appeared to be 12- to 18-months-old.
Palestinian Labour Minister Ghassan Khatib said it was understandable that Palestinians living under Israeli occupation would teach their children violence toward Israelis.
The army, he said, distributed the picture to "tell the world that the Palestinians are teaching their children how to hate Israel and how to act against Israel."
Khatib said that he and the Palestinian Authority are against suicide bombings.
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Well, there you have it. I guess that settles the question.
Um, no, it is some kid I do not know
Er, no, it's my grandkid but it was a joke
Um, not a joke, OK, but it was just for a rally supporting suicide bombing of pizza parlors and bat mitzvahs
Oh, those grenades? They are just practice grenades
OK, so they're not practice grenades and they are real, but we didn't know they were real
All right, we knew they were real but they're not mine
Oh, you found my fingerprints all over them? Well, they were really part of a joke I was going to play on Ali
No, Ali probably wouldn't like it, I really meant they were for distribution at a rally.
As a matter of fact, the rally did have something to do with killing Jews, but my heart wasn't really in it.
Never mind that I was one of the organizers of the rally... I only showed up to half of the organization meetings because I was busy babysitting the doll- I mean my grandson.
It all depends on what 'is' is.
I don't recall.
For the price of a cup of coffee, you could sponsor a pony. Ponies For Peace. There's the friggin' answer.
19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?
It ain't funny.
And it ain't right.
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