First, in this story, "Gaza resident looks back on the year" by Martin Patience reporting from Jabaliya in Gaza, he sets up a sweet man:
When Hatim Muhammad wants to escape from Gaza he listens to the birdsong of his 31 canaries. The 41-year-old, a former militant who is now unemployed, has turned one of the rooms of his house into a makeshift aviary. Mr Mohammed felt 2006 was the worst year of his life..."I feel like I'm free when I hear the canaries," says Hatim, the birdcages swaying gently above his head. "They help me forget about all my problems."
Like many in Gaza, Hatim will remember 2006 as the year problems piled up. Even by Palestinian standards, the hardships suffered this year have been extraordinary.
Well, besides being a "former militant", he sounds like a nice guy, right?
So, who "was" he?
...Tattooed on his arms are the Palestinian flag and an inscription that reads "for freedom". He hopes that the new year will bring an end to all of the problems and an independent Palestinian state...
But he says the inter-factional violence between Fatah and Hamas supporters troubles him most.
"The bullets should be used against the Jews and not the Palestinians," says Hatim, who was once a local leader in the al-Aqsa Brigades, a militant wing of Fatah.
Nice guy.
Nice BBC.
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