He's reached breaking point eight years after road crash

Ajman A man who was involved in a traffic accident that caused the death of his co-passenger eight years ago finds himself caught in a vicious debt trap after he was forced to take loans from banks to pay blood money to the next of kin of the deceased.

Jamal, 48, a Palestinian from occupied Jerusalem, came to the UAE in 2002 to start a car rental business but his dream shattered after he drove into another vehicle in Sharjah. He was jailed for six months until he managed to borrow money from banks and pay blood money to the victim's family.

Soon after the accident, Jamal, a diabetes patient, stepped on a nail by mistake. He soon came down with gangrene and poor blood circulation in his hands and feet. Despite becoming severely ill, however, he could not return to his family because a travel ban had been placed on him owing to his bank loans. At the time, he owed one bank Dh14,000 and another Dh17,000.

Living on charity

Jamal also lost his residency in occupied Jerusalem with Israeli authorities saying he could not return as he had stayed away for a long time. People who stay out of the area have to apply for residency again, according to Israeli law.

Jamal cannot seek a job and he lives on charity from some generous individuals in Ajman. His passport was seized by Dubai police two years ago after a bank filed a case against him. "My residency visa here expired because my passport is with the police," Jamal told Gulf News.

Jamal, who studied international business law in universities in the United States, can speak and write four languages. "When I came here I tried to run a business in Sharjah but I lost everything after I got involved in the traffic accident," he said. "I have to pay the blood money and I cannot work. I lost my business and my life," he said.

Jamal's biggest fear is that his life will end without him ever meeting his family. His only wish is to be reunited with his old mother. "I wish I can go back to occupied Jerusalem to my home but I cannot because of the travel ban on me. Even the shop owner whose premises I had earlier rented in Sharjah has reported me to police because I failed to pay the rent," he said.