CAIRO, November 7, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Anne Wix decided to put off her wedding party and go all the way from Britain to the occupied Palestinian territories to save the life of a three-year-old child through a kidney transplant surgery to translate her solidarity as a peace activist into action.

“We met Wix three years ago in the West Bank refugee camp of Masah while she was protesting along with a group of peace activists the construction of the Israeli separation wall and since then we have become close friends,” Fareed Timaa, the father of Lina, told the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper Sunday, November 6.

He said Lina had suffered a renal failure after her birth as they failed to take her to hospital for treatment from severe diarrhea due to the then Israeli blockade on Ramallah.

“My kidney was big for her and her mother’s blood group was not compatible with Lina’s,” he added. “Wix voluntarily offered to donate her kidney when she knew about our distress.”

“Necessary medical checks proved that both Wix and Lina were compatible and the Palestinian Authority paid half of the $40,000 needed to conduct the surgery in an Israeli hospital, while the rest was donated by charities,” said Timaa.

The father said the main obstacle they faced was issuing a visa for Wix, who was blacklisted by Israeli airport authorities due to her anti-occupation activities.

“Wix has been frequently arrested by Israeli authorities, which forced her to change her name to get a new passport to enter the territories, but to no avail as she was arrested once again at airport in September,” he said.

Timaa said Wix’s lawyer managed to get her an Israeli visa after a plea from the Israeli hospital to the Israeli interior minister.

“The successful surgery was conducted in October in Al-Quds (occupied east Jerusalem) and Wix convalesced for two weeks at our home” he said.

Timma said they insisted on throwing a wedding ceremony for Wix and her husband, who both tied the knot in London but had to put off the wedding ceremony because it coincided with the surgery.

“Wix’s husband stood behind her and came from London for the surgery, and they both then left for South Africa to spend a honeymoon,” he said.

Peace activities from all over the world, especially the West, have given the Palestinian struggle for statehood a great boost with heartfelt solidarity and a staunch will to die for the cause.

American Rachel Corrie was probably the most famous activists, who sacrificed her life when she refused to let an Israeli bulldozer demolish Palestinian houses.