Chapter three features women of the West Bank set against the backdrop of the First Intifada or popular uprising in 1987 . Women of all ages operated a highly effective intelligence network and their traditional clothing hid a wide variety of weapons . Israeli soldiers were well aware of this , yet there was still some reluctance in the army ranks to manhandle women . Many Palestinian women that MacDonald interviewed described the effects of the Intifada on their children and referenced the Intifada in similar maternalistic terms . MacDonald states , " It was as if they had transferred their maternal feelings to the fight . " The fourth chapter emphasizes a particular Palestinian woman , Leila Khaled . Leila is credited with being the first woman hijacker and achieved in a few hours what the lives of hundreds of Palestinian fighters failed to do since : " she grabbed the attention of the world 's media and held it enthralled . " Leila became a sex symbol for her violence and is known by the iconic image of her wearing a kuffiyah and holding an AK-47 . Following the Dawson 's Field hijackings , Britain capitulated to the PFLP 's demands and Leila was released from prison . After her release from prison , Leila faded from the public ’s view . MacDonald caught up with her in Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus , Syria . Leila recounts the first moments of her political awareness when her family was exiled from Haifa during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . She then discusses her involvement with the PFLP and her hunger to return to her homeland . Leila states , " My work as a freedom fighter has given me happiness ; you identify yourself with the struggle . It is the difference between a freedom fighter and an ordinary person . " In the end , MacDonald comes to the conclusion that Leila was not a cruel or heartless woman but " almost childlike in her single-mindedness . " Chapter five examines women of the Irish Republican Movement . The conflict in Northern Ireland has been going on for hundreds of years , and women have always been involved . However , MacDonald argues that the women interviewed in this chapter have been involved in the most bloody stage in their fight against the British Army . According to MacDonald , these interviews were the most difficult since she was more afraid of the IRA than any other organization . She felt as if she was their enemy by birth
Dawson 's Field hijackings
Dawson's Field hijackings
Shoot the Women First