Operation Olive Tree by Metti Jemil

Author:Metti, Jemil
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.
Published: 2018-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-NINE

Irith was grounded for a week.

Two Tel Aviv University voice sessions had to be cancelled on account of her parents’ grounding; that also meant a week-long Neve Shalom absence. So whenever the phone rang, it was assumed to be school-originated, which prompted Professor Goldman to enforce his phone embargo.

None of the authoritative voices from Tel Aviv University’s music department, Neve Shalom, or even the police, particularly Captain Golda Shamir, could say anything to prevent the professor’s determination to sternly punish his daughter.

Shlomo and Yael took their turns trying to reach out to their sister, to console and boost her morale, only to be confronted with barricades of disinterest and domestic seclusion.

Irith’s news blockade drove Susan Roth to gamble on the risk of being shot by any one of the three volunteer guards posted outside Professor Goldman’s Ehlon Moreh residence. She showed up unannounced and uninvited.

Julia was home at her daughter’s urging. However, it didn’t take long for her to betray her daughter’s confidence. The project had put them on a collision course the moment she set foot inside her estranged home. It was like stepping on the soil of a foreign country; a heavy price extracted for licensing her journalistic career to include indefinite absences from the family nest she helped create in partnership with embittered Professor Goldman.

The national spotlight on her divorce, and subsequent family feuds sabotaged her ability to enjoy even the crumbs of divorce-granted custody rights. Despite her reputable journalistic savvy and endless streams of national awards, Julia couldn’t escape the irony of being in the news instead of reporting it.

Shlomo and Yael echoed Irith’s scorn and disdain for their mother’s acceptance of overseas assignments that kept her away from important family occasions.

Professor Goldman had approved his ex-wife’s visitation because they shared a common ground on two important issues: permanently discontinuing the voice training and expediting Irith’s school transfer from Neve Shalom to Jerusalem.

By May 2, Irith was already into her fifth day under father-imposed incarceration by the time Julia showed up.

“Irith, it’s your safety we’re concerned about,” Julia insisted. “We would never stand in the way of your singing, but it has now become too risky.”

“Yes, we’ve had a lot of mean things said to us since we started this project,” Irith agreed. “But this kind of change is understandably risky because nothing like it has ever happened before.”

“I think you’re missing the point Irith,” Julia said. “The boy had to be rushed to the hospital because of a beating he got from thugs just like him, and like his uncle-a terrorist suspect.”

“He was attacked,” Irith said. “Didn’t you read the police report?”

“And now you’re defending this Palestinian,” Julia said in disbelief. “Before you know it, you’ll be announcing that you’re eloping with this person.”

“You speak of him like he’s some kind of crazed maniac,” Irith said. “We’ve already held a number of Tel Aviv University concerts together. Where’ve you been? Don’t you read the papers?”

“You kept those events secret from your father,” Julia said. “You lied to him.

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