Palestinian Novels In Israel, 1987−2010: United by Alienation

The post-1987 period includes the years of the Intifada, the subsequent peace process, its failure, and the eruption of the second Intifada in the 2000s. This is a politically distinctive period in the life of Palestinians inside (and outside) Israel, in which they start to consider their future in light of a peace process that excludes them from the solution of the Palestinian problem. The first Intifada had a significant impact on Palestinians in Israel, in terms of their sentimental identification with Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and their violent resistance against Israeli occupation. Although Palestinians in Israel did not take part in the uprising, they have undergone a profound transformation in their identification, and begin to associate themselves with the Palestinian national struggle. This tendency continues during the years of the peace process between Israel and the PLO, a process that excluded the Palestinians in Israel from the resolution of the Palestinian problem, further inducing them to consider their future collective status in Israel.

Reflections: Evolution of Palestinian Identity In Israel

The identity of Palestinian citizens in Israel has undergone a long evolution since 1948. In the Introduction, I referred to the use of the ‘evolution’ metaphor to indicate the ‘undesigned identity evolution’ of Palestinians in Israel. Undesigned evolution should not be misinterpreted as being random. Identity, according to Anthony Smith, is ‘a product of both “natural” continuity and conscious manipulation. Natural continuity emerges from pre-existing […] identity and community; conscious manipulation is achieved via commemoration, ideology, and symbolism’ (...

Palestinian Novels In Israel, 1948−1967

The period covered in this chapter is dominated by the military rule years (imposed until 1966). This was a crucial period for Palestinians in Israel, as these were years of adaptation to the new reality created during and after the 1948 War and the establishment of Israel. Palestinians who remained in Israel became a minority in a matter of a few months, having the social, cultural and political fabric of their society completely shattered as a result of the destruction of hundreds of villages and the consequent exodus of the majority of Palestinians. Palestinian novels in this period provide a documentation of some of the events of the Nakba (in Haifa), as well as some aspects of Palestinian life during the military rule. However, novels in this period register the powerful effects on Palestinians in Israel of modernization discourse, which became prevalent during the 1960s.

Postmodernisations, 1967−1987

The second period stretches until the outbreak of the first Intifada in 1987, witnessing major social and political transformations in Palestinian society in Israel. Above all, Palestinian novels reflect Palestinian efforts to deal with the implications of their modernization in Israel. Themes regarding social differentiation (individualization, break-up of family structure, and abandoning social and religious institutions) are paramount. Moreover, the renewed contact with the Palestinians in the newly Occupied Territories (the West Bank and Gaza Strip) placed Palestinians in Israel in a perplexing situation. Despite the social reunification of both parts of the Palestinian nation, living on both sides of the Green Line, the two parts mutually acknowledged their distinctive political orientations, thus resulting in excluding Palestinian citizens in Israel from the Palestinian national struggle.

Introduction

The Introduction places this research project vis-à-vis existing knowledge on Palestinian citizens in Israel and offers a methodology that combines sociological as well as literary analysis.