In 1979 I met and started dating a charismatic Palestinian
whose parents had come to this country to get him and his siblings away from
the evil hands of the PLO. This much he
admitted to me. I, at the time, was not
particularly politically aware. I was
enjoying life and meeting people culturally different from me was par for the
course.
We were attending the same college but I met him at my job
in a restaurant. I did care a great deal
for him. His thinking was very American
and very level headed.
Because he was a Palestinian he found Palestinian friends at
college. Their families did not leave
Israel to get away from the political action but for a good life in
America. So they said.
One of his friends was of the Hawatmeh family.
I had heard his uncle was
Nayef Hawatmeh.
When we went out to the particular clubs they were fond of, young Hawatmeh was constantly chided by his older brothers to behave
properly in public because of their standing in the Palestinian community. I did enjoy his company – he was a
rogue. And rogues were de rigueur at
that stage in my life – perferrably on the edge of my everyday life. After all I was an art major.
Once I found out who he was I had no doubt that my life was
being watched by the CIA, FBI, military intelligence, whomever.
One of my reasons for cutting ties with the man I was dating
was because of Hawatmeh. My brother was
in the Navy, my father retired Army. I
also had my family to think of.
Not one of those I met through my then boyfriend was a
Muslim. They were all Catholics. However
they hated Israel all the same.
