'Revenge' offers timely tale of hope

By Yasmine Bahrani
USA Today

In 1986 in Jerusalem, a Palestinian terrorist, Omar Khatib, shot Laura's father, wounding him slightly in the head. Though only a college student, she vowed to track down the shooter.

Her effort to understand Khatib and his motives is described in the best-selling "Revenge: A Story of Hope"(Washington Square Press, $14). An updated paperback edition is now in stores.

Prospects for normality in the Middle East may look unlikely these days, but "Revenge" offers a tale of reconciliation.

In the new edition, Blumenfeld, a Washington Post reporter, writes that Khatib, sentenced to prison for the shooting, is now free and working for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Director Julie Taymor is turning the story of "Revenge" into an HBO movie.

Over coffee in a Washington, D.C., cafe, Blumenfeld, a former colleague of this reporter, talks about transforming her anger into a kind of friendly relationship with Khatib that led him to regret the attempt on her father's life.

"The days I was writing about other people, I really enjoyed it. I learned that the need to get even is universal, and it made me feel connected. Whether it's a girl in a playground in Jerusalem or a crime victim in Italy."

Writing about her father was difficult, she says, because "I was feeling fear, guilt, confusion. On those days, I would procrastinate. I made phone calls, ate ice cream, looked out the window. To re-create a moment, you have to relive it. These were among the most difficult moments of my life."

The hardcover edition was translated into eight languages including Hebrew — but not Arabic. Yet Blumenfeld says she has received letters from Palestinians pleased to see themselves portrayed as more than just victims or terrorists.

"They were grateful to see a nuanced portrait."

She said she believes they liked "Revenge" because "it's a profoundly apolitical book."

Indeed, when she wrote about befriending the shooter's family, she says, "The Khatib family hated my dad, but they were nice people. It was confusing to me.

I had one question: Can I make my father human to them? When you look someone in the eye, it's hard to shoot him in the head.

"Even today, we can get past the animosity. And we will."

These are dark times, says Blumenfeld, "but my father is a good example. When he heard that Omar is speaking about peace, he said Omar should be careful: 'I hope he doesn't get shot.' "