Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

Ibtisam flashes back to 1967. It is June 5, and Ibtisam is three and a half years old when war erupts. While her older brothers Basel and Muhammad play outside and her mother cooks the evening meal and cares for her infant sister Maha, Ibtisam waits for her beloved father to come home. Instead of his usual smile and pocket of treats, her father brings news that war has started. Mother is shocked and terrified. Father calms her but explains that Israeli planes are bombing Palestinian houses. The family sits in the garden irrigation ditch as night falls and forms a plan. People escaping from other villages tell Ibtisam’s family that after the bombings soldiers sweep through villages, killing anyone left alive. They urge the family to flee to the caves, then cross into Jordan. Father declares they must leave. Although shots ring out as Mother returns to the house to get food for their journey, she is unhurt. They gather food, blankets, clothing, and Mother’s wedding dowry of gold bracelets. Mother tells them to put on their shoes, which they only wear for special occasions. Ibtisam gets one shoe on, cannot tie it, and discovers her family has already vanished in the darkness and sea of villagers.