Ang was born in Penang, Malaysia but raised in Singapore.[1]The family had also one son and two other daughters.[3] She attended Kwong Avenue Primary School, Raffles Girls' School, and the National University of Singapore where she studied medicine. She then received a master's degree in Occupational Medicine in 1976.[1]
Career
Medical career
After graduating from NUS, she worked in Singapore's public hospitals.[2] After joining her husband, Francis Khoo, in London, Ang trained to be an orthopaedic surgeon in Britain, where she obtained her FRCS (Eng) and completed her training in Newcastle. She later became the first female consultant orthopaedic surgeon at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London.[1]
With her husband, Francis Khoo, and some friends, Ang helped to form the British charity, Medical Aid for Palestinians, following the 1982 massacres.[5]
In 1988, Ang made her first trip to Gaza, where she worked as an orthopaedic surgeon at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital. During her time there, she also served as an ambulance driver amid ongoing conflict.[9][10]
In 2018, Ang joined the Just Future For Palestine Flotilla, which attempted to run the blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel, to tend to the medical needs of Palestinians there. The boat that she was on was seized by Israeli forces before it could arrive at its intended destination. She was briefly detained before being deported back to United Kingdom.[11]
On 24 September 2014, TheTelegraph reported that Ang had forwarded a video entitled "CNN Goldman Sachs & the Zio Matrix" featuring Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.[12] Ang responded by saying "I am concerned that if there is any truth in the video, that Jews control the media, politics and banking, what on earth is going on? I was worried." [13]
In 2024, Ang returned to Lebanon to treat patients injured by what she described as "pager attacks" linked to Israeli operations. These explosive devices caused extensive trauma, including mutilated limbs, facial injuries, and brain damage. Reflecting on the spirit of her patients, she described a conversation with a man who had lost his hand but expressed no regret, saying it was the price he paid "for standing with humanity and justice in Gaza."[14]
As of 2025, Ang has worked nearly 50 years in the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), and over 43 years in support of the Palestinian people through direct medical care, advocacy, and education.[14]
Personal life
In 1977, Ang married Singaporean human rights lawyer Francis Khoo. Two weeks after the marriage, she was briefly detained during a government crackdown on dissidents as the authority attempted to arrest her husband. She fled to London to be with her husband and they were granted asylum there.[15]Khoo died on 20 November 2011 in London of a suspected heart attack.[16]
Ang received her British passport in 1992, after applying for it in 1990 having had faced difficulties in her earlier travels to countries in Middle-East region to support or conduct humanitarian missions there as she was travelling on a refugee travel documentation. Singapore does not allow dual citizenship and would typically ask a dual-citizen to renounce one citizenship. However, she resisted renouncing her British citizenship as it would lose her her home and work in United Kingdom, and had also promised her husband that she would not give up on her Singaporean citizenship.[2][17] Her Singaporean citizenship was stripped after a committee of inquiry was held in Singapore in 2020.[2]
In 2016, Ang was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.[19] She was not able to receive the award in person due to the issue over her dual-citizenship at that time.[2]
In 2024, Ang received the HCS Fellow Award from Harvard Club Of Singapore.[2][20]
Talks and public engagements
Ang has spoken publicly on numerous occasions about her experiences in war zones, the responsibilities of medical professionals in conflict, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine. Her talks emphasize the power of compassion, justice, and small acts of resistance in the face of large-scale suffering.[citation needed]
On 6 December 2013, she delivered a TEDx talk at University College London (UCL), titled Making a Small Difference, during UCL's first-ever TEDxWomen event. In the talk, she drew from her work in hospitals and conflict zones, particularly Palestine and Lebanon, to illustrate how seemingly small actions can have a profound impact on people's lives. The talk received a standing ovation and was described as "refreshingly honest and incredibly moving."[21]
She has also participated in other speaking engagements, interviews, and humanitarian forums to raise awareness about medical ethics, refugee crises, and the Palestinian struggle.[citation needed]
从贝鲁特到耶路撒冷 (in Chinese). Translated by 林康. ISBN9789670960050. (Chinese translation)
"War surgery: Field manual. H. Husum, Swee Chai Ang & E. Fosse. Penang: Third World Network, 1995. 764 pp. Price US$100 (softcover), US$ 140 (hardcover) plus postage. Available to 'Third World' countries at US$ 25 (softcover), US$ 35 (hardcover) plus postage. ISBN 983-9747-14-2". Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 91 (3): 368. May–June 1997. doi:10.1016/S0035-9203(97)90116-4.
From Beirut to Jerusalem: A Woman Surgeon with the Palestinians is a book by Swee Chai Ang, an orthopaedicsurgeon who worked with civilians during the Lebanese Civil War.[1][2] The book details her eye-witness account of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Ang, a graduate of the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Britain, testified before the Kahan Commission. The commission was responsible for investigating the nature of the Israeli involvement in the massacre of perhaps 800 to 1000 Palestinians. Ang established a British charity following her first hand account of the massacres known as the Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) which she discusses in her work. The book was first published January 1, 1989. A 25th anniversary edition was published in 2007 with additional content, and a 40th anniversary edition was later published as well.[3]
Ms Ang is an engaging personality very self-effacing in some respects in others abrupt and overly forthright but always very human . This book was a pure delight to read and I recommend that others obtain a copy and enjoy
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Gregory Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars the Truth
Reviewed in Canada on 24 September 2025
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Very hard to read, as I could not believe what has been going on Now, it is even worse - we have had a very one sided history of the region- shame on us all
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Mike D
5.0 out of 5 stars A volunteer surgeon’s insightful glimpse into Palestinian suffering in 1980’s Beirut.
Reviewed in the United States on 27 March 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This book is mostly dedicated to describing events that occurred during a series of visits to Beirut in the 1980’s by a volunteer surgeon.
She went to offer medical aid in support of Palestinian exiles and refugees living (existing?) in various refugee camps in Beirut.
I have to admit to being quite ignorant to the history of the suffering and tragedy that has befallen the Palestinian people. A co-worker said to me some months ago , “Oh there’s always someone at war over there in the Middle East, They’re always at war with each other.”
And that’s basically how I had always thought it too.
You cant help but applaud the incredibly courageous efforts of those who have tried to deliver aid, and medical assistance despite the camps sometimes being under a state of siege, and the great risk these doctors and nurses and administrators faced.
The book also describes the formation of an aid organization that’s still very active today.
It also details the great resilience and steadfastness of the Palestinian people despite their tragic circumstances.
This book is not a set of historical facts, though it encompasses many, it is rather a very personal description of the author’s journey in trying to deliver some measure of humanity or human aid to people desperately in need.
It also describes the amazing work of the PRCS (like Red Cross) organization, and their skill and professionalism under crushing pressure, to keep on trying to deliver the highest standard of care possible to everyone, be it friend or foe, while often terribly under resourced.
Finally the author also describes the great generosity of especially the less well off people in the U.K. who donated so much of what little they had in order to help provide supplies and essential medical equipment to assist with the care in the refugee camps of Beirut.
I found the book to be very uplifting but also incredibly sad.
Uplifting because of the great lengths volunteers will go to in order to offer aid and assistance against great odds and personal danger to self. So very sad because of the descriptions of the treatment meted out to and deaths of so many Palestinian people.
Highly recommended.
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Tish
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking tales of everyday courage. Ang Swee Chai is a Singaporean heroine.
Reviewed in the United States on 7 August 2015
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Utterly inspirational. Dr. Ang is intelligent, precise, humble, and a person of great compassion (both for the Palestinians and for the Israelis, and the Lebanese and Syrians and everyone caught in between). She’s done so much for the Palestinians, she even received the Star of Palestine from Yasser Arafat. It’s a transformative, universal story because Dr. Ang went into the conflict with no political preconceptions – in fact, she believes God called her to it – and ended up dedicating decades of her life to helping the Palestinians out of an instinctual human response to suffering. Initially it sent her into a crisis of faith because her Church seemed to be telling her different things from what God was telling her, but Ang Swee Chai was born with so much pluck and gumption, the reader delights in seeing how this tiny woman outwits, outplays, and fearlessly charges her way through some of the most life-threatening situations.
The fulcrum on which her story turns is the massacre at Sabra and Shatila refugee camps while she was working at the hospital there. In 1982, Israel had invaded Lebanon in an attempt to "flush out the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) from its bases in Lebanon". After the end of this invasion, under a peace agreement the PLO fighters (mostly men) were evacuated from Beirut, then the international peacekeeping forces convinced the remaining women, children and old folks in Sabra and Shatila camps to disarm themselves, surrendering their pistols, machine guns and other weapons to the Lebanese Army for the promise of peace. Then Israel announced it was "invading West Beirut to flush out 2,000 terrorists left there by the PLO”, giving time for Palestinian hospital workers to leave Gaza Hospital (where Dr. Ang worked), then Sabra and Shatila camps were bombed from overhead for 5 kilometres in any direction around Gaza Hospital, gradually giving way to Northern Lebanese gunmen coming into camp homes and shooting residents. Injured people streamed into Gaza Hospital and Dr. Ang operated for 72 hours straight on the victims, after which she and other foreign medics were escorted out of the hospital by gunmen who were poking her with their machine guns, and saw the camp transformed into heaps of rubble and mutilated corpses. Meanwhile other soldiers went into Gaza Hospital with machine guns and finished off the patients. Dr. Ang soon comprehended the true horror of the situation, and realised that her surgical work had probably not made any difference, saving dozens of people while they were dying by the thousands outside.
One of the most difficult parts of this book for me was a few days after the massacre, when some of these militiamen who had been killing her Palestinian friends and patients had the audacity to come to her hospital and demand treatment. Dr. Ang was so tempted to “get even” and refuse them treatment, but then Azziza, the Lebanese Palestinian hospital administrator, begged her to remember the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s principle of treating everyone equally. I can’t have been the only reader to want to shake Azziza in disbelief. What a saintly capacity the Palestinians have for humanity and forgiveness, instead of justice – the book overflows with examples of this. So Dr. Ang treated their injuries, gained the militiamen's goodwill and saw them as human beings too.
As a Singaporean, it hurts me to know that the country I share with Dr. Ang has exiled her and her husband, but I am so proud of her, and as someone who also fell in love with the Levant the first time I visited, I understand her pain.
Negative: If you're buying the Kindle edition, unfortunately it is riddled with tonnes, tonnes, tonnes of typos. I'm guessing they scanned it with an OCR and nobody proofread it after.
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dhn21
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 December 2018
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A fascinating book. Highly recommended.
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Mollykat
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye witness account
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 August 2014
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Brilliant read!
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MP
5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Ang is a selfless heroine
Reviewed in the United States on 2 July 2019
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Down to earth, truthful, eye witness account of the 1982 invasion of the Sovereign nation of Lebanon by the Israelis and the tremendous suffering inflicted on the Lebanese AND Palestinian people
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars is a brilliant testimony of her journey This is a very intense ...
Reviewed in the United States on 24 October 2015
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
The title of the book, ” From Beirut to Jerusalem: A woman surgeon with the Palestinians”, is a brilliant testimony of her journey This is a very intense book from a aid worker, a surgeon, who also has strong meanings about who is to blame for the Palestinian tragedy. Her book makes a powerful impression on us. I highly recommend this book either you share her political reflections or not.
Swee Chai Ang give the readers a powerful and indignant eyewitness account about what really happened in the massacres in Sabra and Shatila in 1982. Swee Chai Ang was one of the doctors who was trapped in Sabra and Shatila camps during the massacres. So her motivation for writing this book is clear: ”To be alive, to have survived, meant that I had a duty to speak up on behalf of those who were dead, whose bodies were buried under the rubble, and who could speak no more; to speak on behalf of those alive and suffering every mortal day, in silence, without voice.”
Swee Chai Ang description of the massacres is definitive the hub of the narrative told from her point of view, as ”a survivor of the 1982 Sabra-Shatila massacres”, When she tells about her own work as surgeon is splendid art of storytelling.
She writes that first came she came to Sabra and Shatila she was ”a bigoted, selfrighteous fundamentalist Christian”, afraid of Palestinians. But her experiences in Beirut and Jerusalem has, made her an ardent advocate for the Palestinians fight. For her work Swee Chai Ang, herself a an exile from Singapore, was giving the honorary ”Star of Palestine”,
She write herself that ”I often wondered if I was crazy – that was the only way I could explain my obsession with the Palestinians.” I don’t think so, I believe strongly she is a person who stand up for what she think is right and for the people who are being bullied and oppressed, whatever the cost to herself.
ANDAINYA Dr Ang Swee Chai memperincikan perjuangan dalam misi kemanusiaannya di Lubnan dalam Dari Beirut ke Jerusalem, pastilah memoir ini tidak akan menemukan kesudahannya dan kita tidak berupaya mengempang air mata.
Pembaca lelaki dimaaf dan dibenarkan untuk menangis ketika membaca catatan sukarelawan sehingga tiada siapa pun yang akan menimbulkan soal kejantanannya atau sekurang-kurangnya berasa sebak ketika memamah catatan pandangan pertama doktor bedah yang bertugas ketika kem pelarian Palestin di Sabra dan Shatila, Lubnan itu disembelih.
Kita didedahkan dengan wajah derita kem pelarian Palestin yang berulang kali dikepung dan dihujani peluru sehingga pada satu tahap para ibu mencium anak-anaknya berkali-kali hanya untuk keluar mengambil air kerana merasakan ia seolah-olah pertemuan kali terakhir sebelum nyawa dirampas penembak tepat yang bersembunyi dari bangunan tinggi.
Dengan penuh rendah hati dan diri, Dr Swee Chai bercerita tentang pengalamannya dalam membina hospital daripada puing runtuhan kepada bangunan yang serba daif tetapi terpaksa menguruskan belasan ribu warga pelarian - beliau seolah-olahnya beberapa kali memulangkan kekaguman kita kepada rakyat Palestin dan rakan sukarelawannya.
Dari Beirut ke Jerusalem adalah memoir wajib dibaca oleh rakyat Malaysia kerana perjuangan Palestin tidak boleh mati dalam jiwa kita selepas umat Palestin beberapa kali hidup kembali selepas kematian kem pelarian mereka yang sangat dahsyat.
Tahun 1982, Dr. Ang terpanggil oleh satu dorongan yang sangat kuat untuk membantu mangsa peperangan di Lubnan dengan professionnya sebagai seorang doktor. Dia mengambil keputusan berani untuk meninggalkan comfort zone-nya dan menyertai Palang Merah Antarabangsa sebagai sukarelawan perubatan di Beirut. Keputusan ini menjadi titik permulaan perjalanan yang penuh dengan transformasi diri dan pengorbanan dalam hidupnya.
Di Beirut, Dr. Ang ditempatkan di Hospital Gaza, yang terletak di kem pelarian Sabra dan Shatila. Kem ini sesak dengan pelarian Palestin yang hidup dalam keadaan yang sangat sukar dan serba kekurangan. Setiap hari, Dr. Ang berhadapan dengan realiti pahit peperangan. Dia merawat pesakit yang cedera parah, berlubang di kepala dan bocor di perut, kanak-kanak di kem menjadi kurus kering kerana kekurangan zat makanan, dan macam macam penderitaan lain yang tidak terungkap dengan kata-kata.
Salah satu pengalaman paling mengerikan yang dialami Dr. Ang ialah pembunuhan beramai-ramai di Sabra dan Shatila pada September 1982. Ribuan rakyat Palestin terbunuh, tubuh mereka hancur berkecai sekelip mata apabila militia Kristian Lubnan, dengan sokongan Israel, menyerbu kem pelarian tersebut. Dr. Ang yang berada di situ ketika itu, berusaha sedaya upaya merawat mangsa-mangsa yang terselamat daripada keganasan ini. Pengalaman traumatik ini meninggalkan kesan yang sangat mendalam pada dirinya, membuka matanya kepada ketidakadilan yang dialami oleh rakyat Palestin.
Sebelum datang ke Beirut, Dr. Ang adalah seorang Kristian yang menyokong Israel. Namun, setelah melihat dengan biji mata sendiri penderitaan rakyat Palestin, pandangannya berubah secara drastik. Dia mula melihat konflik ini dari sudut pandang mangsa dan mula memahami betapa beratnya penindasan yang mereka hadapi. Pengalaman ini turut membangkitkan sisi kerohaniannya, membuatnya lebih empati dan berkomitmen untuk memperjuangkan keadilan.
Dia mula menyedari bahawa dalam apa sekalipun konflik politik, orang awam yang tidak bersalah adalah mangsa paling teruk sedangkan yang memegang kuasa hanya penat tunjuk jari telunjuk sahaja. Sebagai seorang doktor, Dr. Ang menegaskan bahawa tugasnya adalah untuk menyelamatkan nyawa tanpa mengira latar belakang politik atau agama pesakit. Integriti dan dedikasi profesion perubatan menjadi amat penting dalam situasi peperangan dan dia sendiri menunjukkan komitmen tertinggi terhadap kemanusiaan dan keadilan yang boleh membawa perubahan yang besar dan menyeru kita semua untuk tidak hanya menjadi penonton pasif, tetapi terlibat secara aktif dalam membantu mereka yang memerlukan. Dia lantang mengkritik ketidakadilan yang dialami rakyat Palestin, dan mendesak masyarakat antarabangsa untuk bertindak untuk menamatkan ketidakadilan ini melalui tulisan - tulisannya kepada publisher media popular pada ketika itu.
"Dari Beirut Ke Jerusalem" adalah sebuah memoir yang menyentuh hati, mengajak kita melihat konflik di Timur Tengah melalui mata seorang doktor yang berkhidmat di barisan hadapan. Buku ini adalah seruan untuk empati dan tindakan bagi menangani penderitaan manusia yang sering kali diabaikan dalam konflik global.
Walaupun ditulis pada era 80an, dan yang paling memilukan adalah, hari ini, cerita dan senario yang sama masih berulang tayang di Palestin. Rakyat Palestin masih menderita akibat peperangan dan penindasan yang tidak berkesudahan. Ramai di antara kita masih fikir bahawa tindakan kecil dari individu yang berani dan berkomitmen tidak akan memberi impak besar dalam memperjuangkan keadilan dan kemanusiaan. Sedih kan?
"Kita hanya bisa menciptakan perdamaian jika ada keadilan," kata2 ini yg terus saya inget dr buku ini.
Buku ini merupakan kesaksian dr. Swee tentang Pembantaian Sabra-Shatila, kamp pengungsi Palestina di Beirut, Lebanon, pada 1982. Pembantaian Sabra-Shatilla merupakan salah satu tonggak paling tragisdalam konflik Israel-Arab; dan merupakan jejak Israel yang berlumurandarah dalam konflik yang sampai hari in belum juga kunjung usai.
Yang paling menarik dari buku ni adalah penulisnya, Dr. Swee adalah seorang nasrani dan beliau bukan seorang wartawan, jurnalis, politisi ataupun analis politik, melainkan seorang dokter bedah ortopedik.
Dr. Swee Lahir di Penang, Malaysia, Ayah-ibunya pernah dipenjarakan karena perjuangan mereka melawan penjajahan Jepang pada Perang Dunia II. Pengalaman itu terlalu pahit sehingga keduanya memilih menjadi ateis meski membiarkan Swee tumbuh dewasa dalam lingkungan Kristen yang taat.
Swee menyelesaikan sekolah kedokteran di Singapura berkat dorongan ibunya, yang mengatakan penting bagi perempuan untuk mencapai gelar yang umumnya hanya disandang kaum lelaki. Sang ibu juga selalu mengingatkannya, bahwa "belum lama lalu, di Daratan China, bayi perempuan yang baru lahir ditenggelamkan karena dianggap tak berharga."
Dia mengambil spesialisasi bedah ortopedik di The Royal London Hospital, Inggris, dan menjadi warga negara itu sejak 1977. Bersama Francis Khoo, seorang pengacara beragama Katolik, Swee kelak mendirikan Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), selepas Sabra-Shatila.
Di London itulah, pada musim panas 1982, dia membaca koran dan menonton televisi yang memberitakan bagaimana pasukan Israel menggempur Lebanon. Dia nekad mendaftar sebagai sukarelawan untuk berangkat, mengatasi rasa takutnya sendiri terhadap kemungkinan mati, dan kemungkinan bertemu dengan "bangsa teroris" Palestina.
Membantu & hidup bersama orang2 palestina bahkan menyaksikan sec langsung pembantaian Sabra-Shatila mengubah pikiran bagi dr.Swee. "Sebagai seorang Kristen fundamentalis dulu aku mendukung Israel... Pengalamanku di Sabra-Shatila menyadarkanku bahwa orang Palestina adalah manusia."
ini buku sebenarnya sudah diterbitkan tahun 1989 di inggris. tahun 1996 sempat diterbitkan di amerika namun mendapat berbagai protes sampai akhirnya penerbitan di Amerika dihentikan. dan tahun 2002 buku tersebut akhirnya diterbitkan lagi di Kuala Lumpur, oleh Penerbit The Other Press. dan baru pada 2006 lalu buku ini diterbitkan oleh MIZAN di Indonesia dalan versi bahasa indonesia.
An honest - at times touching, at times horrifying - eyewitness account by a Christian British-Singaporean woman surgeon on the Sabra and Shatila massacres and what followed them. A heavy read, but also an amazing, amazing, amazing book that gives you hope - there are still some good people out there.
"I am not an Arab, nor am I a Muslim. I am not a European, and I have neither the difficulty of living with the guilt of Nazism, nor the responsibility for the British Mandate in Palestine. For me, supporting the Palestinians is not a political matter: it is my human responsibility." - Dr. Swee Chai Ang
1982-1988; Malaya: Aku sibuk main masak-masak; aku sibuk main polis sentri dengan kawan-kawan; aku belajar kenal huruf, kenal angka, muqaddam dan Al Quran; aku kumpul setem dan duit syiling sebagai hobi.
1982-1988; Sabra & Shatila, Beirut: Kanak-kanak sebaya aku tak cukup air dan makanan, kanak-kanak sebaya aku main baling-baling batu dengan tentera Israel, kanak-kanak sebaya aku kenal erti jihad, erti survival dan belajar menentang penjajahan; kanak-kanak sebaya aku kumpul serpih-serpih bom dan peluru dalam tubuh mereka.
*kesat air mata dan air hidung yang berjelejeh*
*lari ke pojok dinding lalu duduk peluk lutut erat-erat*
Buku yang amat menarik. Dr Swee menulisnya dengan teliti dalam memperincikan setiap peristiwa yang beliau lalui bersama masyarakat Palestin. Perlu dibaca untuk benar-benar menjiwai apa sebenarnya yang berlaku di sana. Apa yang disiarkan oleh media terlalu sedikit. Saya percaya ada lagi buku-buku catatan peribadi seperti ini yang berkaitan dengan topik yang sama. Saya teruja untuk mencari hasil-hasil tulisan yang lain. Namun dalam masa yang sama, saya berfikir, apa yang saya boleh lakukan untuk mereka?
Sad, angry, depressed, hopeful, were few of the thousands of emotions aroused reading ‘From Beirut to Jerusalem’, a memoir by Ang Swee Chai. Through her passion, love, perseverance, bravery, and determination, the world is indeed greatly indebted for her work both as a doctor and also as a witness to the massacre suffered by Palestinian refugee in Sabra-Shatila during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
Her maternal grandfather was a conservative and traditionalist, he believed that an educated woman will not make a good wife. But her mother was a defiant daughter, register herself to school and went to become a teacher. Her father ran away from his grandfather in mainland China refusing to marry a girl arranged for him and went to became a journalist in Singapore. During the Japanese invasion on Malaya, both of them met in the Outram Road prison in Singapore.
After Japan was defeated, they settled as a family. When her mother was pregnant, she went back to her hometown in Pulau Pinang to give birth to her. She was raised in Ayer Itam district in Pulau Pinang with her younger brother, Lee Cyn. They eventually moved back to Singapore following their father’s work. Raised in poor family, her mother raised her with discipline, she then continues her studies in medical school. She married Francis Khoo, a lawyer and activist. Francis was accused to be a communist, he fled Singapore in 1977 avoiding arrest under Internal Security Act (ISA) and took refuge in Britain.
Her parent was areligious but they allowed their children to choose a religion of their own. She embraced Christianity during her studies in medical school.
Ang was well versed about Israel even before volunteering. The church has taught her that Israel was God’s chosen people, and the return of the Jew to Israel was a verification of biblical prophecy. There are many reasons why she supported Israel, one of it was the oppression of the Jew by the Nazis, and the Nazis were Japanese ally during world war, with the creation of Israel the Jew can defend themselves, its a realization of justice from God.
She was prejudiced towards Palestinians, the church has told her that they were terrorist, an old foe, the Philistines of the Old Testament. She was a bigoted, self-righteous fundamentalist Christian, like many Christians she rejoiced in the military triumph of Israel. But that morning in Sabra and Shatila, God destroyed that self-righteousness.
In her memoir, she recreated that journey, from a bigoted Christian fundamentalist to peace activist and friend of the Palestinian people. It started in 1982 when she watch the horror of Israeli invasion and bombardment of the people of Lebanon through British television. The killing of women and children shook her to the core, she resigned prom her hospital in Britain, pack her bag, and went to Beirut as a medical surgeon volunteer.
In Beirut, Dr. Ang Swee Chai served at Gaza Hospital, Palestinian refugees named their hospital with their town in Palestine, its a symbol of longing to their homeland from where they were expelled by the Zionist colonialism. Many of the camp residence were refugees who fled the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948. The hospital situated near the Sabra and Shatila camp. Here, she witnessed the kindness of Palestinian people, the gentleness they showed toward their guest, she also saw their courage, resolution, patience, and resistance against Israeli aggression and occupation.
Before the Sabra and Shatila massacre, Palestinian fighters from Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) agreed to evacuate from Beirut as a condition of a ceasefire. Dr. Ang noted “this is the first time that I realized that PLO fighters (who she preconceived as a terrorist) have a home and family in Lebanon, they withdraw and left their wives, children, siblings and parents”. The Palestinian gave away their weapon, the roads are cleared from any barrier. On 14 September 1882, water and electricity supply were restored. They believed in the promised of United States and western powers, that they will be let to live unharmed. They were wrong.
The next day, the camp were encircled by Israeli army and under siege, Israel coordinated Phalangist militia to enter the camp and massacred the people, children, baby, women, old people were brutally murdered. Dr. Ang realized the scale of barbarity and hope that the PLO did not withdraw on the first place, so they can defend the camp people. But it was too late. She recollected this barbaric massacre in her memoir which was first published by Grafton Books & Times Book International in 1989.
Reading her memoir really shock reader’s emotion to the core, your tears will be flowing like a river as she collected her horror, by page 70 your tear will run-out dry, there is so much to take. The story of a people exiled from their homeland in 1948 only to be massacred again by the Israelis in 1982, Dr. Ang could not help but ask, where should they go?
She recalled a story on the height of the killing, there was a woman and a child brought into the hospital, the woman was shot on her stomach and badly wounded. After operation, she needed a blood transfusion. She overheard that the nurse told the doctor that the blood pint given to her was the last, and the child need blood transfusion of the same blood type. She refused the blood pint so that the child can have it and asked for painkiller instead. She died shortly after.
She also written a story about a boy named Mahmoud, who was her patient before the massacre, he injured his wrist whilst helping his father rebuilding their house. After the massacre, when she walked down the road in the camp, Mahmoud appeared, ran toward her and hug her, he was so happy to know that she was alive. Soon, children began to appear around her, they saw her camera and asked for a photo, they wanted the world to see that although their house have been destroyed, their parent massacred, they still can smile and raised their hand with victory sign. Their courage was astonishing.
Dr. Ang Swee Chai then became a co-founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), she became an activist and regularly invited to talk about the plight of the Palestinians. Her experience in Lebanon changed her life completely, she became the witness of Sabra-Shatila massacre which taught her to never relent in the face of injustice. In her letter to her husband, Francis Khoo she wrote “we are just two small persons in the history of liberation..I saw the face of death, I saw their power and ugliness, but I also saw fear deep inside their eyes, the children of the new generation will come, and they are not afraid”.
astaqfirullah.... buku ini bener-bener menyentuh... bagian yang bikin aku bener-benar kena di hati, saat salah seorang temen dr. swee cerita kalo ada anak kecil umur 3 tahun yang nglemparin batu ke tentara israel, tentara israel-nya siapamarah "Anak kecil tidak seharusnya ngerti cara seperti ini!!siapa yang ngajarin kamu?..anak kecilnya menjawab "kakakku"...trus tentara tadi minta anak kecil itu nganterin ke rumahnya dan bertemu dengan kakaknya..ternyata kakaknya adalah anak kecil umur 4 tahun.. see..siapa yang bisa disalahkan atas semua itu??!!! buku ini membuat aku membuka mata atas nama yang sudah kusandang sejak lahir (chatila)..asal kata dari shatila...kamp pengungsian palestina di lebanon...
Settembre 1982. Il mondo scoprì il massacro dei campi profughi palestinesi di Sabra e Shatila. Tre giorni di massacri continui a Beirut, da parte delle milizie cristiane libanesi, aiutate e coordinate dell'esercito israeliano che bloccò con i propri carri armati tutte le uscite dai campi e lanciò razzi per consentire la visione notturna ai massacratori. Questo libro è il resoconto di quei tristi giorni da parte di una dottoressa volontaria in uno degli ospedali dei campi, che ha vissuto dall'interno dell'ospedale l'orrore e poi è tornata ogni anno a Beirut per onorare la memoria dei caduti di quella immane carneficina e delle tante che si sono susseguite in questi 44 anni. Con una sola costante: i morti sono palestinesi, donne, bambini, anziani, chi uccide sempre soldati con la stella.
Kisah yang luar biasa yang di tuliskan oleh dr Ang Swee Chai selama menjadi dokter ortopedis di Beirut dari tahun 1982, saat terjadi pembantaian warga Palestine besar2an di Shatila dan Sabra. Perjuangannya untuk memberikan kesetaraan, kebahagiaan yang seharusnya di miliki oleh setiap warga Palestine yang ada di sana, yang terus menerus mengalami siksaan baik fisik maupun mental, tekanan yang tak kunjung berakhir dan beribu penderitaan lain yang begitu menyakitkan dan menyedihkan. dr. Swee menemukan banyak hal yang luar biasa tentang rakyat Palestine yang tak pernah di temui sebelumnya, tentang semangat, rasa sayang kepada sesama, ketabahan, perjuangan tanpa akhir, cinta dan masih banyak makna hidup yang luar biasa yang terus menerus menguras air mata pembaca. Beliau menuliskan kisah ini dengan sangat jujur, terurut, mudah untuk di pahami. Dengan sedikit menampilkan dokumentasinya di tengah2 halaman, dan map beirut di awal, dr Swee membuat emosi pembaca kian terkuras. Terakhir buku ini sangat inspiratif, memberikan semangat dan dorongan untuk melakukan hal yang sama yang d kerjakan oleh dr. Swee. Saya sedang mengusahakan mencari versi bahasa inggrisnya, karena saya masih ada yang kurang dalam terjemahaan Indonesianya.:)
Buku yang bagus, layak dibaca. Selesai saya membaca buku ini, membuat saya banyak bersyukur pada Tuhan YME bahwa, di hidup saya yang biasa-biasa ini ternyata adalah hidup termahal yang harus dibayar di Shabra-Shatilla. Di sisi lain, saya belajar tentang toleransi agama, bahwa bukan agama yang menjadikan seseorang jahat, akan tetapi, memang sifat yang ada pada dirinya.
Simply put, I don't like books pretending to tell history while they are full of lies and political views. If you want to know the truth about what happened in Sabra and Shatila, simply go to wikipedia. The "zionists" did not murder all those people, the Lebanese did. To be more accurate, it was the Christian Lebanese who murdered all those people as revenge for the assassination of their leader who became the president of Lebanon.
I was almost at the end of this book when the news on Shireen Abu Akleh's assassination was reported. It felt surreal. This book was written almost 40 years ago and the Palestinians are still fighting for their human rights and dignity. A lot of things had changed in the international arena, but the treatment by Israel towards the Palestinians sustained. The elaboration on Sabra-Shatila massacre was hard to read (as it was so inhumane), yet I'm glad the author penned this down for her readers.
Salah satu bagian yang tak terlupakan dari buku ini, ketika dr. Ang terpaksa harus mengoperasi pasien Palestinya, tanpa ketersediaan obat bius. Tapi sang pasien menabahkan dr. Ang dengan perkataan, "Doctora, Anda lupa? Saya seorang Palestina": One of must-read-books.
Pas tadi bongkar-bongkar, mendadak nemu buku ini. Agak lupa-lupa ingat sih ceritanya. Pokoknya ada dokter yg dikirim ke medan perang dan buku ini tentang pengalaman beliau selama di sana, ngerawat anak-anak korban perang.
Kalau ada yang tanya, "takda ke orang Cina yang sokong perjuangan Palestin?", maka aku akan suruh dia baca buku ini, 'From Beirut To Jerusalem'. Ang Swee Chai lahir di Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Dibesarkan di Singapura. Kemudian, berpindah, bekerja, dan menjadi warganegara British.
Beliau dibesarkan sebagai seorang penganut kuat Kristian, dan di awal hidupnya menjadi penyokong kuat negara Israel. Namun, segalanya berubah apabila beliau menyahut seruan untuk menjadi doktor sukarelawan ke Beirut, Lubnan pada tahun 1982.
Beliau ditugaskan di Gaza Hospital, berdekatan dengan kem pelarian di Sabra dan Shatila di Beirut yang dipenuhi dengan pelarian Palestin yang dihalau keluar dari tanah air sejak 1948.
Segala pandangan beliau terhadap Palestin dan Israel berubah apabila beliau menjadi saksi hidup kepada pembantaian (massacre) kem Sabra dan Shatila yang membunuh lebih 3,000 nyawa tidak berdosa orang Palestin.
Membaca buku 'From Beirut To Jerusalem' seolah-olah membaca peristiwa-peristiwa yang baru je berlaku dalam setahun dua ini. Padahal buku ini menceritakan, ditulis dan diterbitkan pada 1980-an.
Sesungguhnya segala kezaliman, keangkuhan dan kebangsatan yang Israel lakukan pada hari ini, sama sahaja seperti yang mereka lakukan sejak berdekad-dekad lamanya.
Ang Swee Chai menjadi saksi hidup, insan yang menyaksikan sendiri dengan mata kepalanya, bagaimana Israel dan proksi-proksinya menyembelih lebih 3,000 nyawa yang tidak bersalah.
Buku ini menceritakan bagaimana beliau dan rakan-rakan doktornya -- yang datang dari pelbagai negara timur dan barat -- dihalau keluar dari kem, hanya meninggalkan orang Palestin di dalam kem, mengepungnya, dan menyembelih.
Sebelum dihalau itu, Swee Chai sempat dihalang oleh salah seorang pesakitnya untuk mengambil anaknya keluar dari kem sebab dia tahu apa yang akan jadi kepadanya selepas itu. Swee Chai telahpun mendukung bayi tersebut, namun diacukan senapang oleh tentera proksi Israel ke kepalanya untuk dikembalikan kepada ibunya.
Selepas pembataian Sabra-Shatilla 1982 itu, beliau dan dua rakannya bersama-sama mengasaskan Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). Sepanjang hidupnya selepas itu, beliau berulang alik di antara UK, Lubnan dan Palestin, menjadi aktivis yang bertungkus-lumus mendukung perjuangan rakyat Palestin yang terkurung di tanah air sendiri dan juga pelarian yang tersebar di negara sekeliling.
Itu hanyalah secebis daripada kisah yang diceritakan dalam buku ini. Memang best baca buku ini. Tulisan dan bahasa beliau juga kemas dan sedap. Very highly recommended.
Aku harus membaca ulang buku ini dalam keadaan lebih fokus. Tokoh-tokohnya sangat banyak. Datang dan pergi, lalu muncul lagi di bab-bab yang jauh sesudahnya.
Dari buku ini aku jadi sedikit tahu sudut pandang orang Kristen yang mendukung Israel. Bagi mereka orang-orang Yahudi itu berhak mendapatkan rumah setelah mengalami pembantaian oleh NAZI. Dr. Ang Swee Chai ini tadinya pun menganggap PLO adalah teroris dan orang Palestina adalah orang-orang yang patut diwaspadai. Namun, anggapannya segera berubah saat dia mendaftarkan diri untuk jadi sukarelawan di Lebanon yang saat itu digempur Israel karena menampung para pengungsi Palestina dan anggota PLO.
Dr. Ang Swee Chai mendengar pejabat Israel berkata di media bahwa ia menyayangkan perang di Lebanon. "Namun untuk membuat telur dadar, kita harus memecahkan telur," kata pejabat itu untuk menjustifikasi serangan Israel. Dr. Ang Swee Chai yang melihat sendiri kehancuran di kamp Sabra-Shatilla di tahun 1982 bertanya-tanya, telur dadar macam apa yang sedang dibuat Israel. Apakah para korban dari Palestina dan Lebanon ini adalah telur-telur yang harus dipecahkan?
Situasi Lebanon pun rumit. Tadinya semua orang bersatu. Tapi setelah kejadian di Sabra-Shatilla, orang-orang terbagi menjadi milisi muslim dan milisi Kristen. Milisi muslim pun terpecah menjadi milisi sunni lawan milisi syi'ah. Korupsi terjadi di mana-mana. Pejabat Lebanon harus disuap untuk mempermudah proses birokrasi bagi seluruh tenaga medis sukarelawan ini.
Masalah-masalahku berasa sangat receh jika dibandingkan dengan berbagai bencana dan malapetaka yang digambarkan dalam buku ini. Dan dalam kondisi sangat kekurangan ini pun para pengungsi ini masih berusaha agar bisa memberi pada dr. Ang Swee Chai.
Usaha Ang Swee Chai agar kesaksiannya didengar terhalang dengan kenyataan bahwa ia hanyalah wanita keturunan Tionghoa Asia Tenggara. Para awak media lebih memperhitungkan suara dari orang-orang kulit putih. Apalagi kesaksian dr. Ang Swee Chai berbeda jauh dengan kesaksian IDF.
Ya Allah. Kaget dengan para pasien dan tenaga medis yang dibantai Israel di tahun 2023-2024? Sejak tahun 1982 pun mereka sudah melakukannya!!!
Sabra dan Sathila 2 nama yang (awalnya) terasa asing bagiku. Di mana lokasinya? Apa yang spesial? Tapi karena lembar demi lembar buku ini, membuatku merasa semakin dekat dengannya.
Buku ini kubeli 11 tahun yang lalu, pernah baca beberapa bab terus gak kuat dengan kesedihan dan kepedihan yang tertulis di sana😭. Ah terlalu banyak ketidakadilan di dunia ini. Rasanya kisah ini asing dan jauh, lalu buku ini berakhir tersimpan rapi di rak.
4 Agustus 2020, peristiwa ledakan di Beirut mengingatkanku pada buku ini. Ada versi yang berbeda tentang apa yang menjadi penyebab ledakan itu. Membuatku penasaran, bagaimana kisah Beirut di buku ini? Dan buku ini kubangunkan lagi dari tidur panjangnya.
Buku yang ditulis tahun 2002, berisi kisah di tahun 1980an ini sangat mengaduk-aduk jiwa kemanusiaan kita. Tidak perlu harus menjadi Muslim untuk merasa empati dengan apa yang terjadi di sana.
Penulis beragama Kristen, tapi yang ia bantu adalah Muslim. Penulis awalnya pro-Isr43L tapi setelah apa yang ia saksikan sendiri bertahun-tahun di Beirut membuat ia berpikir ulang. Siapa yang seharusnya ia bela?
Penulis awalnya tidak tahu apa-apa tentang Palestina, ia termakan media barat yang mengompori bahwa saudara kita adalah "teroris", tapi akhirnya ia berinteraksi dg Palestinian yang pemberani, optimis, dan sangat memuliakan tamu. Jauh dari kata teroris!
Buku ini membantuku untuk "melihat" apa yang saudara kita lakukan di sana! Ketika mereka diusir dari negeri mereka sendiri lalu tersebar ke berbagai negara Timur Tengah, mereka tidak serta merta menjadi pengungsi di tenda-tenda yang hanya bisa diam menunggu belas kasihan.
Apa yang mereka lakukan? Mereka bangun dari reruntuhan, rumah baru, sekolah, yayasan, tempat usaha bahkan RS! Ketika semuanya dihancurkan lagi dan lagi, mereka pun membangunnya, lagi, lagi, dan lagi! Begitu terus siklusnya.
Kamp. Sabra dan Shatila bukan tenda-tenda tapi tumbuh dari reruntuhan. Puing-puing dicat ulang, ditambahi bagian yang bolong karena bom. Didekorasi seperti rumah mereka di Palestina.😭
Ketika orang-orang Isr43L "berhasil" menghancurkan milik mereka, itu tidak pernah memadamkan semangat mereka.
Fisik bisa mereka ratakan dengan tanah dan bantai tanpa kenal belas kasih hingga tak berbentuk, tapi semangat dan senyum saudara-saudara Palestina selalu melangit dan menggetarkan siapapun yang melihatnya.
Semangat mereka untuk menolong orang lain tetap menyala dan hidup dalam diri mereka. RS yang berada di negeri seberang juga mereka namakan dengan kota-kota yang mereka sayangi di Palestina. Ada RS Gaza, RS Akka, RS Haifa.
Bagaimana kondisi RS di sana? Mereka berikan pelayanan dan perawatan yang terbaik. Fasilitas terbaik. Keramahan. Dan gratis. Masya Allah!
Hei bukankah mereka yang tertindas? Tapi mengapa mereka juga yang menolong?
Karena mereka memiliki hati yang begitu luas. Mereka begitu mencintai tanah air mereka. Mereka begitu ingin pulang ke sana. Dan Allah janjikan bagi mereka kemenangan. Palestina pasti akan merdeka!
Bagiku yang paling berkesan adalah saat dr. Swee menuliskan pengalamannya berinteraksi dengan saudara-saudara Palestina kita. Suatu bentuk keramahan dan kehangatan yang di luar nalar. Dia diajak masuk ke rumah seperti layaknya telah lama kenal, disuguhi makanan dan kopi Arab. Kalau bilang suka sesuatu langsung diberikan, padahal mereka pun gak punya barang berharga lagi. Sangat memuliakan tamu, tanpa kenal suku, ras, budaya, agama.
Dr Ang Swee Chai adalah seorang doktor berbangsa Cina Malaysia yang dilahir di Pulau Pinang, belajar di Singapura dan berkerja di London. Beliau menceritakan pengalaman hidupnya berkhidmat pada rakyat Palestin dan Lubnan sebelum, semasa dan selepas pembunuhan beramai-ramai di kem Sabra dan Shatila pada tahun 1982.
Peristiwa penyembelihan rakyat Palestin beramai-ramai amatlah sedih lagi menyayat hati. Dimana selepas anggota PLO lelaki dikeluarkan dari Lubnan, rakyat Palestin menyangka selepas itu mereka akan diberi harapan untuk teruskan hidup. Malangnya harapan tinggal harapan, rakyat Palestin dibunuh beramai-ramai, ada dicungkil mata, ada ditembak bertubi-tubi, dirogol, diseksa dan pelbagai lagi kekejaman lain turut dilakukan oleh para askar yang menindas.
Buku ini seharusnya dibaca untuk kita mengetahui lebih mendalam apakah yang dilalui oleh Dr Ang Swee Chai. Sayup hati apabila mengetahui kekejaman yang tidak berkemanusiaan yang telah dilakukan oleh Israel. Ditambahkan lagi kepungan demi kepungan dilakukan terhadap kem pelarian yang diduduki oleh para pelarian Palestin.
Dalam buku ini juga kita boleh belajar sikap tidak mudah putus asa rakyat Palestin apabila tindas, dijajah dan diseksa. Rakyat Palestin sentiasa kuat semangat. Kanak-kanaknya yang sentiasa menunjukkan logo V tanda kemenangan dan para wanitanya yang sentiasa membantu berjuang membina semua kawasan yang dimusnahkan walaupun dimusnahkan berkali-kali.
Akhir kalam, buku ini telah berjaya menebalkan keinginan saya untuk terus mengetahui kisah keperitan penduduk Palestin yang telah lama berlaku sejak 1948 sehingga 1982. Dan sehingga kini pada tahun 2026.
From Beirut to Jerusalem, terbit 22 tahun yang lalu. Merupakan memoar yang ditulis oleh Dr Ang Swee Chai. Bercerita tentang kehidupannya sebagai seorang relawan dokter di tengah kubangan perang yang terjadi antara Israel dan Palestina. Ia seorang Kristiani, dibesarkan oleh cerita-cerita rohani. Bagi sang penulis, Israel sedang melakukan misi tuhan, memberantas para teroris. Menjadi sebuah kenyataan bahwa ia sama sekali tak memiliki kosakata 'Palestina' dalam kamusnya.
Ia terbang dari London menuju Lebanon pada tahun 1982 sebagai seorang relawan di rumah sakit Gaza. Hari-hari yang ia lalui di tempat paling tercekam semasa hidupnya ia tumpahkan dalam buku ini. Novel ini bercerita dengan lantang, dengan bahasa medis yang tak disederhanakan, dan diksi yang tak dilebih-lebihkan. Mengenai setiap darah yang tumpah, tercecar dimana-mana. Atau seorang anak yang menangis sendirian di kamp pengungsian. Segala tentang Palestina adalah hal baru baginya, bahkan fakta bahwa selama ini yang ia yakini sebagai teroris, adalah orang buangan dari negeri mereka sendiri.
Dan segala apa yang telah kita saksikan hari ini, mengenai darah yang sengaja ditumpahkan, dan nyawa-nyawa yang sengaja dihilangkan, telah berlangsung berpuluh tahun lamanya. Buku ini sangat bagus dalam menarasikan perjuangan, bahkan dari seorang wanita berbeda ras dan agama sekalipun. Teman-teman bisa pinjam buku ini di aplikasi ipusnas ya.
Buku ini benar-benar membuka mata pembaca bahwa peperangan yang terjadi antara Israel dan Palestina bukan lagi semata-mata tentang issue agama, melainkan issue kemanusiaan. Penulis menceritakan secara detail mengenai perjalanan kemanusiaannya. Berangkat sebagai seorang relawan dengan profesi dokter, penulis menceritakan mengenai suasana dan kondisi yang terjadi di Beirut. Tentang pembunuhan orang-orang Palestina, penyiksaan, penangkapan, hukuman tanpa dakwaan, dan bagaimana cara bertahan hidup. Tak jarang Israel menerobos masuk dan menyerang rumah sakit-rumah sakit yang notabene adalah salah satu tempat yang dilarang untuk dimasuki oleh tentara pada saat perang menurut hukum internasional. Tak jarang pula pers yang memiliki hak untuk meliput menjadi salah satu korban. Ang Swee Chai membuka secara gamblang bagaimana peristiwa yang terjadi, penanganan rumah sakit dengan fasilitas yang minim, termasuk ketakutan-ketakutan akan menjadi korban selanjutnya. Sudut pandang Ang Swee Chai dengan latar belakang kepercayaan yang berbeda dengan mayoritas penduduk asli Palestina, seharusnya membuat kita tersadar bahwa peperangan ini merupakan issue kemanusiaan yang sudah sepatutnya disudahi sejak lama.
Tears of Heaven, "From Beirut to Jerussalem" merupakan kesaksian dr. Swee tentang pembantaian Sabra - Shatila, kamp pengungsi Palestina di Beirut, Lebanon. dr. Swee sendiri merupakan seorang dokter bedah ortopedi kelahiran Penang, Malaysia. Dia adalah seorang kristen yang tumbuh dengan keyakinan mendukung Israel, membenci orang-orang Arab, dan memandang PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) sebagai teroris yang harus dikutuk dan ditakuti. Menjadi relawan dokter di Palestina, melihat kondisi yang sebenarnya, telah mengubah paradigma-paradigma dr. Swee sebelumnya. Ia berbalik memihak rakyat Palestina, memihak keadilan dan kemanusiaan.
Jadi benar, "toleransi tidak bisa hanya diajarkan melainkan harus dialami dan dirasakan".
Pengalaman dr. Swee yang ia tuangkan dalam buku ini telah membukakan mata saya tentang banyak hal, dua di antaranya toleransi dan kemanusiaan. Buku ini telah menyihir saya menjadi pribadi yang lebih peka terhadap isu-isu kemanusiaan, bermimpi menjadi wartawan untuk menyampaikan keadilan, dan menjadi manusia yang bermanfaat bagi sesama.
Dr Ang is a heroine, and her account of the struggles of the Palestinian people and the selflessness of the people who tried to help is harrowing, compelling and inspiring. What she saw after the massacre was absolutely gruesome and heartbreaking... That the Israelis had sent the PLO fighters away, persuaded everyone to lay down their arms, and then orchestrated the massacre of the remaining civilians is totally unacceptable... It is a war crime... You cannot help but agree with Dr Ang that the Palestinians' decision to fight back from them on was absolutely justified. I loved her account of the generosity of the British public, especially those who gave even though they had little themselves; and her account of the Palestinian and international friends and co-workers through the years - really heartwarming amid all the tragedy.
As most of its readers - bar one from ironically South Africa who seeks to defend the racist apartheid and cruel fanatic regime of Israel - I found this book a totally truthful and accurate depiction of what was an indefensible slaughter of men women and children in Sabra Chatilla by the Falangists, a 'christian' militia aided and abetted by Ariel Sharon's IDF - another brutal and cowardly army which dropped cluster, white phosphorus, and 'vacuum' bombs on civilian areas and on palestinian run hospitals in Beirut. Any suggestion that Israel was defending itself is rubbish and shown to be so by its subsequent slaughter of Gaza's civilians in 2004, 2008.2014 not to mention its ongoing killing of unarmed civilian protestors on the Gaza frontier by its brave sharpshooters.
"Di Yad Vashem, aku menonton sebuah film tentang bagaimana Nazi mengindoktrinasi anggotanya dengan semangat anti-Yahudi. Nazi menganggap bangsa Yahudi sebagai ras yang lebih rendah dari manusia. Sebagian tentara Israel kini menganggap orang-orang Arab sebagai makhluk yang lebih rendah dari manusia. Mengapa mereka tidak belajar dari masa lalu? Apakah upaya menciptakan sebuah rumah bagi para korban penganiayaan Nazi dan rasialisme Eropa harus menimbulkan penderitaan orang-orang lain, yaitu rakyat Palestina?" (Hal. 214)
Perjuangan saudara kami di Palestina digambarkan nyata oleh dr. Ang Swee Chai, tidak hanya menulis cerita...dia pelaku cerita dan nyata berada di TKP saat itu, ditulis tanpa berat sebelah (menurutku), salah satu buku kesukaan ku, membacanya berulang kali pun aku tetap menangis dan teriris dibuatnya, saudaraku Tuhan menyertai kalian....Glory Palestina....
Satu buku yang harus dibaca kerana penulis adalah malaysian dan bukan muslim yang mana beliau menyaksikan di depan mata tragedi sabra dan shatila. Beliau memainkan peranan aktif membantu mangsa tragedi tanpa mengambil kira agama. Membacanya sungguh meracik hati membuat banyak kali berhenti dan buku terbiar kerana kekejaman yang tak terbayangkan Tk penulis.. anda adalah hero kemanusiaan
Membaca buku ini saat Israel dengan brutal dan tanpa moral menggenosida rakyat Palestina di Jalur Gaza, seperti menelusuri kembali kejahatan demi kejahatan Israel yang hanya mengulang, bahkan lebih gila. Bukan hanya dari 1982 yang merupakan setting waktu buku ini (Pembantaian Sabra Shatila, September 1982), tetapi dari 1948.
An amazing account of the Sabra and Shatila massacres in Lebanon. How anyone who knows of these atrocities is surprised about the onslaught on Gaza beggars belief. Starvation, bombing, snipers and confinement used in the 80s, only this time the world is watching in real time
Like the good doctor, I am a Singapore citizen, so this book is refreshing. However, it is a sad memoir. It will open your eyes and declutter the prejudiced mind.
I personally loved her style of writing. Dr Ang is inspirational, she's amazing and just an angel.
==
세진님, 요청하신 수이 차이 앙(Swee Chai Ang) 박사의 <베이루트에서 예루살렘까지: 팔레스타인 사람들과 함께한 여성 정형외과 의사의 기록>에 대한 요약과 평론입니다.
설정해 두신 원칙에 따라, 책 제목은 한국어로 번역하였으며 저에게 하시는 말씀 외에 본문(요약 및 평론)은 철저히 하라체(반말)로 작성했습니다. 또한 TTS 리더기의 작동을 방해하지 않도록 모든 강조 표시는 별표 대신 < > 기호를 사용했습니다.
<베이루트에서 예루살렘까지: 팔레스타인 사람들과 함께한 여성 정형외과 의사의 기록> 요약 및 평론
1. 서론: 편견에서 목격자로의 여정
<베이루트에서 예루살렘까지>는 싱가포르 태생의 정형외과 의사 수이 차이 앙이 1982년 레바논 전쟁 직후 베이루트의 팔레스타인 난민 캠프에서 의료 봉사를 하며 겪은 참상과 연대의 기록이다. 저자는 독실한 기독교인이자 한때 이스라엘의 건국 신화를 전적으로 지지하던 인물이었다. 미디어를 통해 팔레스타인 인들을 그저 <테러리스트>로만 인식했던 저자는 레바논 전쟁의 참상을 목격한 후, 영국의 기독교 의료 구호 단체의 부름에 응하여 베이루트로 향한다. 이 책은 한 의사가 가졌던 개인적 편견이 무너지고, 역사의 가장 어두운 구석에서 고통받는 이들의 생생한 목격자이자 대변인으로 거듭나는 과정을 담은 내밀한 고백록이다.
2. 본론 1: 요약 — 사브라와 샤틸라, 그리고 인간성이라는 전장
저자의 여정은 1982년 8월, 이스라엘의 레바논 침공으로 폐허가 된 베이루트에 도착하면서 본격적으로 시작된다. 저자가 배치된 곳은 가자 병원(Gaza Hospital)이었으며, 이곳은 사브라와 샤틸라 난민 캠프 주민들의 생명선이었다. 저자는 난민들의 비참한 현실 속에서도 그들이 보여주는 따뜻한 인간성과 존엄성에 깊은 감명을 받는다. 그들은 단순한 난민이나 테러리스트가 아니라, 조국을 잃고 유랑하는 평범한 어머니, 아버지, 아이들이었다.
그러나 이 짧은 교감은 인류 역사상 가장 잔혹한 학살 중 하나로 꼽히는 <사브라·샤틸라 학살 사건>으로 인해 피로 물든다. 1982년 9월, 이스라엘 군의 비호 아래 레바논 우익 기독교 팔랑헤 민병대가 캠프를 봉쇄하고 사흘 동안 무차별 학살을 감행했다. 병원 안에서 밀려드는 부상자들을 치료하기 위해 잠도 자지 않고 수술을 집도하던 저자는 창문 너머로 자행되는 학살의 공포를 실시간으로 겪는다. 임산부, 노인, 어린이 할 것 없이 수천 명의 민간인이 처참하게 목숨을 잃었다.
이스라엘 군에 의해 병원에서 쫓겨난 저자는 학살이 끝난 캠프의 처참한 풍경을 목격한다. 잔해 속에 나뒹굴던 시신들과 악취, 그리고 살아남은 자들의 절규는 저자의 영혼에 깊은 낙인을 남겼다. 저자는 이 사건의 국제적 목격자가 되어 카한 위원회(Kahan Commission) 등에서 학살의 전말을 증언했다. 이후 저자는 영국으로 돌아갔으나 팔레스타인 사람들을 잊지 못하고, 뜻을 함께하는 동료들과 <팔레스타인 Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)>를 설립하여 의료 구호 활동을 지속한다. 책의 후반부는 베이루트를 넘어 가자 지구와 서안 지구(예루살렘)로 확장되는 저자의 의료 연대와, 1980년대 후반 팔레스타인 민중 봉기인 인티파다(Intifada)를 거치며 겪은 억압과 저항의 역사를 다룬다.
3. 본론 2: 평론 — 인도주의의 한계와 정치적 목격의 힘
역사적·정치적 가치: 왜곡된 서사에 대항하는 생생한 기록
이 책의 가장 큰 문학적, 역사적 성취는 거대 권력과 미디어가 왜곡해 온 팔레스타인 잔혹사에 대해 매우 구체적이고 사적인 반론을 제기한다는 점에 있다. 저자는 거창한 정치적 이데올로기를 앞세우지 않는다. 대신 자신이 집도한 수술, 자신이 만난 환자들의 이름, 아이들의 웃음소리를 통해 거대한 역사적 비극을 철저히 인간의 얼굴로 환원시킨다. 사브라·샤틸라 학살이라는 중대한 역사적 사건을 내부자의 시선으로 묘사함으로써, 이 책은 단순한 회고록을 넘어 국제 정치적 범죄를 고발하는 강력한 법정 증언대의 역할을 수행한다.
윤리적 가치: 중립이라는 환상과 연대의 의무
수이 차이 앙의 태도는 소위 <기계적 중립>을 지키는 일반적인 국제 구호 단체의 접근법과 궤를 달리한다. 저자는 고통받는 이들 편에 서는 것이 의사로서의 윤리적 의무라고 확언한다. 가해자와 피해자가 명확한 구조 속에서 중립을 지키는 것은 가해자의 폭력에 묵인하는 것과 다름없음을 온몸으로 보여준다. 싱가포르 출신의 기독교인 여성 정형외과 의사라는 이방인으로서의 정체성은, 오히려 국가나 민족, 종교라는 장벽을 뛰어넘어 오직 <인간의 고통>에만 반응하는 보편적 인류애의 가능성을 증명한다. 애국심이나 특정 국가에 대한 충성심이 아닌, 고통받는 타인에 대한 책임감이 어떻게 한 인간을 역사의 중심부로 이끄는가에 대한 훌륭한 예시이다.
문학적·내러티브적 한계: 감정적 과잉과 구조적 단순성
비록 이 책이 가진 진정성과 고발의 가치는 압도적이지만, 문학적인 관점에서는 몇 가지 아쉬움이 존재한다. 저자가 겪은 감정적 충격이 워낙 컸던 탓에, 텍스트 전반에 걸쳐 감정적 서술과 종교적 심상이 다소 과도하게 반복되는 경향이 있다. 이는 독자에게 상황의 참혹함을 전달하는 데는 효과적일지 모르나, 때로는 냉철한 상황 분석이나 비판적 거리를 유지하는 데 방해가 되기도 한다. 또한, 팔레스타인 사회 내부의 복잡한 정치적 역학 관계나 레바논 내전의 다층적인 원인 분석보다는, 저자가 직접 목격한 선과 악의 이분법적 구도에 서사가 집중되어 있어 거시적인 정치학적 통찰을 기대하는 독자에게는 다소 평면적으로 느껴질 수 있다.
4. 결론: 인간 존엄성을 향한 끝없는 이정표
결론적으로 <베이루트에서 예루살렘까지>는 전쟁의 참상 속에서 피어난 가장 아름다운 연대의 기록이다. 저자는 베이루트의 피비린내 나는 학살터에서 시작하여 예루살렘이라는 평화의 상징적 공간을 향해 나아가며, 폭력이 지배하는 세상에서 의학이, 그리고 인간성이 어떻게 저항의 수단이 될 수 있는지를 웅변한다. 이 책은 국가라는 울타리를 넘어 세계인으로서 타인의 고통에 응답하고자 하는 모든 이들에게 깊은 울림을 주는 인간 존엄성의 이정표이다.
추가적으로 이 책이 다루는 시대적 배경이나, 사브라·샤틸라 학살 사건에 대한 이스라엘 내부의 반응 등 더 깊이 알고 싶으신 부분이 있다면 언제든 말씀해 주세요, 세진님.
Medical Aid for Palestinians' stated aim is to meet the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. The organization and its programmes have been supported by the British public, the UK Government (DfID), the European Union and international aid organizations. They deliver basic health and medical care to Palestinian refugees and they strive to establish permanent medical infrastructure in Palestinian communities by training health care practitioners, teaching medical vocational skills and addressing the requirements of particularly vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities.
In July 2023, due to a reported increase in "attacks on healthcare workers and ambulances by Israeli forces and settlers", MAP diverted from its usual strategy of providing healthcare to supplying bulletproof vests and helmets for the protection of Palestinian health workers.[6] Later that year, in response to the Gaza war, the organisation launched an emergency appeal to provide essential healthcare and medical aid in Gaza.[7] The appeal was supported by London mayor Sadiq Khan.[8][9]
MAP actively campaigns in the UK to raise awareness about violations of the Palestinian right to health,[14] which is threatened by ongoing conflict, prolonged occupation and displacement. Working in coalition with other NGOs, the scope of MAP's advocacy programme ranges from raising public awareness to advocating on salient issues with governments and policy makers.
수이 차이 앙(Swee Chai Ang) 박사의 <베이루트에서 예루살렘까지>는 출간 이후 수십 년 동안 전 세계 독자들에게 강렬한 감정적 충격과 윤리적 각성을 안겨주었다. 제공된 독자 리뷰 데이터는 아마존과 굿리즈를 아우르며, 특히 인도네시아와 말레이시아를 비롯한 동남아시아권 독자들의 뜨거운 반응을 담고 있다. 이 리뷰들은 단순히 책에 대한 문학적 평가를 넘어, 이방인의 눈을 통해 드러난 팔레스타인의 비극이 어떻게 전 세계 평범한 대중의 보편적 인도주의와 연대감으로 확장되었는지를 보여주는 생생한 증거이다.
2. 리뷰 내용 요약: 독자들이 찾아낸 핵심 서사와 감정
가. 변화와 각성의 여정: <근본주의 기독교인>에서 <행동하는 의사>로
많은 독자는 저자의 극적인 사상적 변화에 깊은 인상과 매력을 느꼈다. 수이 차이 앙은 원래 이스라엘의 건국을 성서적 예언의 성취로 믿고 팔레스타인 인들을 <테러리스트>로 여기던 완고한 기독교 근본주의자였다. 그러나 1982년 베이루트 가자 병원에서 목격한 참상과 사브라·샤틸라 학살 사건은 저자의 편견을 완전히 무너뜨렸다. 독자들은 저자가 자신의 오류를 솔직하게 인정하고, 종교적·정치적 경계를 넘어 고통받는 인간을 위해 헌신하는 <진정한 영웅>으로 거듭나는 과정에 큰 감동을 표현했다.
나. 사브라·샤틸라 학살의 끔찍한 현장성
리뷰어들은 책에 묘사된 1982년 9월의 학살 사건을 읽으며 큰 정신적 충격과 슬픔을 토로했다. 이스라엘 군의 봉쇄와 방조 아래 레바논 우익 기독교 민병대에 의해 저질러진 무차별적인 살육, 임산부와 아이들을 향한 잔혹 행위는 독자들을 분노케 했다. 72시간 동안 쉬지 않고 수술을 집도했던 저자의 시선으로 묘사된 무너진 캠프와 훼손된 시신들의 기록은, 독자들에게 단순한 역사가 아닌 <피할 수 없는 진실>로 다가갔다.
다. 팔레스타인 민중의 품격과 일상적 용기
독자들은 비극 속에서도 빛나는 팔레스타인 인들의 존엄성과 환대 문화에 주목했다. 자녀를 치료해 준 의사에게 다정하게 아랍 커피를 대접하고 없는 살림에도 선물을 건네는 따뜻함, 마취제도 없는 극한의 상황에서 수술을 견뎌내는 인내심, 그리고 무너진 잔해 속에서도 카메라를 향해 승리의 자를 그리며 웃는 아이들의 모습은 많은 독자의 눈시울을 붉혔다.
라. 동남아시아(인도네시아·말레이시아) 독자들의 연대감
리뷰의 상당수를 차지하는 인도네시아 및 말레이시아 독자들은 저자의 배경에 강한 유대감을 느꼈다. 저자가 말레이시아 페낭 태생이며 싱가포르와 영국을 거친 인물이라는 점은 이 지역 독자들에게 남다른 자부심과 친근감을 주었다. 이들은 무슬림이 아닌 기독교인 아시아 여성 의사가 이슬람교도가 다수인 팔레스타인 인들을 위해 목숨을 걸고 싸웠다는 사실에서, 이 갈등이 단순한 종교 전쟁이 아닌 <보편적 인humanitarian 비극>임을 깊이 깨달았다고 고백했다.
3. 독자 리뷰에 기반한 평론: 기억의 투쟁과 지속되는 비극
가. <비선점된 목격자>가 가지는 서사의 힘
이 책이 전 세계 독자들에게 수십 년간 생명력을 유지하는 비결은 저자의 <탈정치적 시작점>에 있다. 저자는 중동의 역사적 이해관계나 Nazism에 대한 부채감이 없는 동남아시아 출신의 의사였다. 그렇기에 이스라엘과 서방 언론이 구축한 <테러 대 방어>라는 프레임에 갇히지 않고, 오직 현장에서 훼손되는 인간성과 생명의 가치만을 올곧게 증언할 수 있었다. 독자들은 이러한 저자의 순수한 인도주의적 헌신 덕분에 텍스트의 <진실성>을 전적으로 신뢰하게 된다.
나. 과거의 기록과 현재의 거울: 2020년대 독자들의 현재적 공명
리뷰 중에서 특히 주목할 점은 2023년에서 2026년에 이르는 최근 독자들의 반응이다. 많은 이들이 1980년대 베이루트 난민 캠프에서 자행된 봉쇄, 굶주림, 의료 시설 폭격, 민간인 학살이 오늘날 가자 지구에서 벌어지는 현실과 무서울 정도로 똑같다고 지적했다. 책은 단순한 과거의 회고록이 아니라, 수십 년간 묵인되어 온 국제 사회의 직무유기와 폭력의 구조를 폭로하는 <지속되는 고발장>의 역할을 하고 있다.
다. 비판적 시각: 서사의 주관성과 편집의 한계
드물게 나타나는 부정적 의견이나 한계점 역시 존재한다. 어떤 독자는 이 책이 객관적인 역사적 사실보다는 저자의 강한 주관적 Blame(책임 공방)과 정치적 견해에 치우쳐 있다고 비판하며, 학살의 일차적 주체인 레바논 기독교 민병대의 역사적 맥락이 이스라엘 책임론에 비해 가려져 있다고 주장하기도 했다. 또한, 킨들(Kindle) 전자책 버전의 경우 오타와 오인식(OCR) 오류가 너무 많아 훌륭한 텍스트의 몰입도를 해친다는 실무적인 아쉬움도 제기되었다.
라. 동남아시아 수용 맥락의 다층성
인도네시아와 말레이시아 독자들이 보인 폭발적인 공감은 종교적 연대감(움마, Ummah)과 식민지 경험이라는 두 가지 층위에서 이해할 수 있다. 비록 저자는 기독교인이지만, 억압에 저항하는 팔레스타인의 서사는 과거 제국주의 세력(일본 등)에 맞서 싸웠던 동남아시아 민중의 역사적 기억을 자극한다. 이 지역 독자들은 저자가 책을 통해 던진 "우리는 무엇을 할 수 있는가?"라는 질문에 직면하며, 자신들의 일상적인 평화에 감사하는 동시에 국제적 연대의 책임감을 느끼는 윤리적 주체로 확장되는 경험을 보고하고 있다.
4. 결론: 침묵을 깨는 목격의 영속성
<베이루트에서 예루살렘까지>의 독자 리뷰들은 이 책이 단순한 종이 위의 기록이 아니라, 독자의 마음속에서 끊임없이 재해석되는 하나의 <살아있는 유기체>임을 보여준다. 싱가포르와 영국의 경계에 선 이방인 의사가 남긴 고백은, 특히 동남아시아 독자들의 뜨거운 심장과 연결되면서 종교와 국경을 초월한 인류 보편의 연대 전선을 형성했다. "살아남은 자에게는 죽은 자를 대신해 말해야 할 의무가 있다"라는 저자의 집필 동기는, 이제 책을 읽고 함께 눈물 흘린 전 세계 독자들의 마음에 지울 수 없는 <목격자의 의무>로 이어지고 있다.
리뷰 원문을 분석해 보니, 세진님께서 말씀하신 대로 인도네시아나 말레이시아 독자분들이 남긴 감동적인 개인적 소회와 종교·민족을 초월한 연대의 메시지가 아주 뚜렷하게 드러나 있었습니다. 분석 내용과 관련해 더 궁금한 점이 있으시다면 편하게 말씀해 주세요
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『From Beirut to Jerusalem』 독자서평 자료 요약+평론
자료: Amazon/Goodreads 리뷰 모음
이 리뷰 모음의 특징은 분명합니다. Amazon 리뷰는 주로 영어권 독자들이 “전쟁 현장 의료 증언”으로 이 책을 평가하는 반면, Goodreads 리뷰는 말레이시아·인도네시아 독자가 많아 보이며, 그들은 이 책을 더 강하게 <팔레스타인 연대의 증언>, <무슬림 세계의 상처>, <식민주의와 전쟁폭력의 기억>으로 읽습니다.
내용 요약
리뷰들이 공통적으로 강조하는 책의 핵심은 세 가지입니다.
첫째, 스위 차이 앙은 원래 팔레스타인 문제에 깊이 관여한 사람이 아니었다. 싱가포르/말레이시아계 기독교인 여성 의사로서, 처음에는 서방 언론과 기독교권 담론의 영향을 받아 이스라엘 쪽에 더 호의적이었다고 여러 리뷰가 설명한다. 그러나 1982년 레바논 전쟁과 베이루트, 사브라·샤틸라 난민촌 경험이 그녀의 세계관을 바꾸었다.
둘째, 책의 중심은 사브라·샤틸라 학살이다. 여러 리뷰는 이 책을 “목격 증언”, “가슴 찢어지는 기록”, “팔레스타인 고통의 생생한 현장 보고”라고 부른다. 특히 독자들은 어린이, 여성, 노인, 부상자, 병원, 시신, 난민촌의 장면을 가장 강하게 기억한다. 이 책은 전쟁을 전략이나 외교의 언어가 아니라 부상당한 몸과 죽은 민간인의 얼굴로 보여준다.
셋째, 책은 단순한 비극 기록이 아니라 저자의 변화 이야기다. Goodreads의 말레이/인도네시아어 리뷰들은 특히 이 점을 강하게 읽는다. “나는 아랍인도 무슬림도 아니지만 팔레스타인을 지지하는 것은 정치가 아니라 인간적 책임”이라는 저자의 태도가 반복적으로 인용된다. 독자들은 이 책을 읽고 “팔레스타인을 새롭게 보게 되었다”, “눈물이 났다”, “침묵할 수 없게 되었다”고 말한다.
리뷰들의 특징
Amazon 리뷰는 비교적 차분합니다. “훌륭한 증언”, “강력한 책”, “추천한다”, “의료인의 용기” 같은 표현이 많습니다. 일부는 책의 편집 상태나 OCR 오류 같은 실무적 문제도 지적합니다.
Goodreads 리뷰는 훨씬 감정적이고 정치적입니다. 특히 말레이시아·인도네시아 독자들은 이 책을 단순한 회고록이 아니라 <팔레스타인 고난을 세계 무슬림/제3세계 독자가 받아들이는 통로>로 읽습니다. 여기에는 종교적 공감, 반식민주의 감각, 이스라엘 군사행동에 대한 분노, 서방 언론에 대한 불신이 함께 들어 있습니다.
흥미로운 점은, 이 독자들이 스위 차이 앙이 무슬림도 아랍인도 아니라는 사실을 오히려 중요하게 본다는 점입니다. 즉, 팔레스타인 연대가 “무슬림 편들기”가 아니라 보편적 인간 양심의 문제라는 증거로 읽는 것입니다.
평론
이 리뷰 자료를 통해 보면, 『From Beirut to Jerusalem』은 일반적인 중동 정치 입문서가 아닙니다. 이 책의 힘은 균형 잡힌 외교 분석이 아니라 <목격자의 윤리>에 있습니다. 한 외과의사가 죽어가는 사람들 곁에서 본 것을 기록했고, 독자들은 바로 그 직접성 때문에 책을 신뢰합니다.
그러나 동시에 이 책은 강한 편향성을 가진 증언문학입니다. 이스라엘 사회 내부의 공포, 레바논 내전의 복잡성, 팔레스타인 내부 정치의 문제는 상대적으로 적게 보입니다. 한 Goodreads 독자는 이런 점을 비판하며 “역사를 말하면서 정치적 관점이 너무 강하다”고 지적합니다. 이 비판은 무시할 수 없습니다.
하지만 증언문학을 평가할 때 “중립성 부족”만을 기준으로 삼으면 핵심을 놓칩니다. 사브라·샤틸라 같은 사건 앞에서 증언자는 완전한 중립자가 되기 어렵습니다. 오히려 이 책은 “전쟁의 피해자가 누구인가”라는 질문에 집중합니다. 그 점에서 이 책은 역사학보다 구술사, 정치학보다 인권문학에 가깝습니다.
인도네시아·말레이시아 독자들의 열렬한 반응은 이 책의 수용사를 보여줍니다. 팔레스타인 문제는 그들에게 먼 중동 문제가 아니라, 식민주의·종교·정의·서방 권력에 대한 기억과 연결된 세계적 도덕 문제입니다. 그래서 이 책은 영어권에서는 “훌륭한 전쟁 의료 회고록”으로, 동남아 무슬림권 독자들에게는 “팔레스타인 양심의 증언서”로 읽히는 차이가 생깁니다.
결론적으로 이 리뷰 모음은 책 자체만큼이나 중요합니다. 그것은 한 책이 서로 다른 독자 공동체에서 어떻게 다르게 살아나는지를 보여줍니다.
<한 줄 평가> <이 책은 팔레스타인 문제를 설명하는 책이라기보다, 팔레스타인 사람들의 고통을 외면할 수 없게 만드는 증언의 책이다.>
