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Where the Line is Drawn: Crossing Boundaries in Occupied Palestine
As a young boy, Raja Shehadeh was entranced by a forbidden Israeli postage stamp in his uncle's album, intrigued by tales of a green land beyond the border.He couldn't have known then what Israel would come to mean to him, or to foresee the future occupation of his home in Palestine. Later, as a young lawyer, he worked to halt land seizures and towards peace and justice in the region. During this time, he made close friends with several young Jewish Israelis, including fellow thinker and searcher Henry. But as life became increasingly unbearable under in the Palestinian territories, it was impossible to escape politics or the past, and even the strongest friendships and hopes were put to the test.
Brave, intelligent and deeply controversial, in this book award-winning author Raja Shehadeh explores the devastating effect of occupation on even the most intimate aspects of life. Looking back over decades of political turmoil, he traces the impact on the fragile bonds of friendship across the Israel-Palestine border, and asks whether those considered bitter enemies can come together to forge a common future.
Brave, intelligent and deeply controversial, in this book award-winning author Raja Shehadeh explores the devastating effect of occupation on even the most intimate aspects of life. Looking back over decades of political turmoil, he traces the impact on the fragile bonds of friendship across the Israel-Palestine border, and asks whether those considered bitter enemies can come together to forge a common future.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2017
34 people are currently reading
981 people want to read
About the author
Raja Shehadeh
43 books324 followersRaja Shehadeh (Arabic: رجا شحادة) is a Palestinian lawyer, human rights activist and writer. He is the author of Strangers in the House (2002), described by The Economist as “distinctive and truly impressive”, When the Bulbul Stopped Singing (2003), Palestinian Walks (2007), for which he won the 2008 Orwell Prize, and A Rift in Time (2010). Shehadeh trained as a barrister in London and is a founder of the human rights organization Al-Haq. He blogs regularly for the International Herald Tribune/The New York Times and lives in Ramallah, on the West Bank.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
September 21, 2017
Raja Shehadeh’s work is a great place to find a thoughtful account of the Israeli occupation from the perspective of a Palestinian human rights lawyer. My pro-Israel U.S. education has left me with many gaps on this topic that I am currently trying to remedy. I recently read Salt Houses, which was excellent but mainly set abroad. This book takes place in the West Bank mainly during the period of proliferating Israeli settlements (late 1970s to current day) and gives a complementary perspective of the same events.
Shehadeh has written a number of similar books, of which the most famous is Palestinian Walks, but I picked this one because I was intrigued by the theme of grappling with friendship in politically fraught times. The book is a collection of essays set at different points in time, some achronological. It touches mainly on Shehadeh’s friendship with an Israeli named Henry (as well as a few other Israelis) but also takes significant detours to discuss political developments and other aspects of his daily life. Henry leans left but is not politically active and does not speak out against atrocities committed by his government, even as he implicitly benefits from the occupation. As the situation worsens in the West Bank and disparities between their living conditions widen, Shehadeh struggles with his friendship. Is it possible to truly be friends with someone who supports you only by words, not actions? Who perhaps no longer even understands the daily realities and struggles of your life, which is now so different from their own? Shehadeh recognizes that his friends are good people, and cherishes his relationships, but simultaneously has a difficult time coming to terms with with their choice to live in stolen homes, etc.
As someone who benefits from many privileges, this was an instructive read. Broadly speaking I can relate to the contradiction of maintaining relationships with people who have good intentions yet simultaneously enable (even arguably to a small degree) oppression, even as others may feel this way towards me. There are no easy answers but it is a very real process, which Shehadeh describes well. I also learned a lot about the various escalations of restrictions imposed on Palestinians and enjoyed Shehadeh’s writing, which was clear and occasionally punctuated by beautiful descriptive gems.
Shehadeh has written a number of similar books, of which the most famous is Palestinian Walks, but I picked this one because I was intrigued by the theme of grappling with friendship in politically fraught times. The book is a collection of essays set at different points in time, some achronological. It touches mainly on Shehadeh’s friendship with an Israeli named Henry (as well as a few other Israelis) but also takes significant detours to discuss political developments and other aspects of his daily life. Henry leans left but is not politically active and does not speak out against atrocities committed by his government, even as he implicitly benefits from the occupation. As the situation worsens in the West Bank and disparities between their living conditions widen, Shehadeh struggles with his friendship. Is it possible to truly be friends with someone who supports you only by words, not actions? Who perhaps no longer even understands the daily realities and struggles of your life, which is now so different from their own? Shehadeh recognizes that his friends are good people, and cherishes his relationships, but simultaneously has a difficult time coming to terms with with their choice to live in stolen homes, etc.
As someone who benefits from many privileges, this was an instructive read. Broadly speaking I can relate to the contradiction of maintaining relationships with people who have good intentions yet simultaneously enable (even arguably to a small degree) oppression, even as others may feel this way towards me. There are no easy answers but it is a very real process, which Shehadeh describes well. I also learned a lot about the various escalations of restrictions imposed on Palestinians and enjoyed Shehadeh’s writing, which was clear and occasionally punctuated by beautiful descriptive gems.
December 11, 2023
...fear works in mysterious ways...It was not so much fear of arrest or being brutalized that worried me. It was the fear of losing myself. p100
No one can build his happiness at the expense of the misery of others. p6
It is a cruel fact that the longstanding conflict over land rights in Israel/Palestine has shaped the lives of the people on both sides of the wall erected to keep them segregated into mostly hostile camps.
I realized that though they might be deranged, they were serious, p64
Raja Shehadeh came into this world as the son of a family expelled from their ancestral home in Jaffa to make way for the new state. They settled in Ramalla, immigrants in their own country. Eventually he was able to study in London but did not linger there; and he has written many books, a few of which are widely translated but most unavailable, certainly to the Canadian library system.
Tender may not be the word you might first think to apply to such a man. But RS has written a tender account of his life under occupation. His wisdom and his restraint have deepened with his gentle insistence to stand always in truth. What is most apparent is his affinity with the land. No one that loves the land can respect artificial borders.
I was aware that one begins thinking it is possible to live many lives, but ends up having to choose one and is distinguished and shaped by it. p190
Even such a random seeming circumstance as meeting someone with the same taste in coffee and carrying on to form a lifelong friendship. With unflinching candour, RS explores his unusual friendship with Henry, an American new immigrant who at first saw nothing untoward in their lively relationship. Raj walked Henry through his beloved hills and their conversations for a time were central to both of their development. That they were able to overcome a lengthy estrangement gives a powerful hope to those who insist such friendships are not only possible, but necessary.
Until they accept that the land must be shared and that both peoples have a right to self-determination, peace will remain elusive. p215
No one can build his happiness at the expense of the misery of others. p6
It is a cruel fact that the longstanding conflict over land rights in Israel/Palestine has shaped the lives of the people on both sides of the wall erected to keep them segregated into mostly hostile camps.
I realized that though they might be deranged, they were serious, p64
Raja Shehadeh came into this world as the son of a family expelled from their ancestral home in Jaffa to make way for the new state. They settled in Ramalla, immigrants in their own country. Eventually he was able to study in London but did not linger there; and he has written many books, a few of which are widely translated but most unavailable, certainly to the Canadian library system.
Tender may not be the word you might first think to apply to such a man. But RS has written a tender account of his life under occupation. His wisdom and his restraint have deepened with his gentle insistence to stand always in truth. What is most apparent is his affinity with the land. No one that loves the land can respect artificial borders.
I was aware that one begins thinking it is possible to live many lives, but ends up having to choose one and is distinguished and shaped by it. p190
Even such a random seeming circumstance as meeting someone with the same taste in coffee and carrying on to form a lifelong friendship. With unflinching candour, RS explores his unusual friendship with Henry, an American new immigrant who at first saw nothing untoward in their lively relationship. Raj walked Henry through his beloved hills and their conversations for a time were central to both of their development. That they were able to overcome a lengthy estrangement gives a powerful hope to those who insist such friendships are not only possible, but necessary.
Until they accept that the land must be shared and that both peoples have a right to self-determination, peace will remain elusive. p215
March 3, 2018
Brilliant account of the friendship between Raja, a Palestinian and Henry an Israeli, set with the background of the changing events in Israel and Palestine and the increasing pressure on the Palestinians as a result of the Israeli Occupation. The ups and downs of this fragile relationship and the facts of the pressure on the individuals of the political situation.
August 8, 2018
Raja Shehadeh nasceu em 1951, três anos após a fundação do estado de Israel, acontecimento a que os Palestinianos se referem como ' Nakba' / a Catástrofe. Em 1948 a sua família é forçada a abandonar Jaffa indo para Ramallah, na Cisjordania.
Raja tornou-se advogado e fundador da Al -Haq , uma organização defensora dos direitos humanos.
Como pode a amizade entre um palestiniano e um judeu israelita sobreviver a ocupações, intifadas ,atentados e a acordos de paz que se revelaram infrutíferos?
Poderá o arame farpado rasgar a cumplicidade entre Raja e Henry?
A amizade entre ambos inicia-se, nos primórdios da ocupação da Palestina, devido ao gosto de ambos pela literatura e pelas caminhadas. Os longos passeios, conversas e risadas pelos montes da Galiléia , de Ramallah ou pela costa do Mar Morto aprofundam a cumplicidade. "A striking pair!", escreve Raja. Este visita Henry com regularidade, mas o desenrolar dos acontecimentos torna cada vez mais difíceis as viagens entre Ramallah e Jerusalém Ocidental. Raja vê-se obrigado a enfrentar cortes de estradas, checkpoints e a ajustar a sua rotina ao recolher obrigatório. No entanto, as fronteiras invisíveis são as mais difíceis e as que fazem pairar a nuvem mais negra sobre esta cumplicidade: o medo, as divisões políticas entre os dois, o "peso da opressão" .
Raja Shehadeh escreveu um livro ousado, afetuoso ,despido de hipocrisia e rancor exacerbado , e que toca no âmago de uma tragédia que parece não ter fim à vista. A sua dignidade e honestidade elevam-se nestas páginas.
Raja tornou-se advogado e fundador da Al -Haq , uma organização defensora dos direitos humanos.
Como pode a amizade entre um palestiniano e um judeu israelita sobreviver a ocupações, intifadas ,atentados e a acordos de paz que se revelaram infrutíferos?
Poderá o arame farpado rasgar a cumplicidade entre Raja e Henry?
A amizade entre ambos inicia-se, nos primórdios da ocupação da Palestina, devido ao gosto de ambos pela literatura e pelas caminhadas. Os longos passeios, conversas e risadas pelos montes da Galiléia , de Ramallah ou pela costa do Mar Morto aprofundam a cumplicidade. "A striking pair!", escreve Raja. Este visita Henry com regularidade, mas o desenrolar dos acontecimentos torna cada vez mais difíceis as viagens entre Ramallah e Jerusalém Ocidental. Raja vê-se obrigado a enfrentar cortes de estradas, checkpoints e a ajustar a sua rotina ao recolher obrigatório. No entanto, as fronteiras invisíveis são as mais difíceis e as que fazem pairar a nuvem mais negra sobre esta cumplicidade: o medo, as divisões políticas entre os dois, o "peso da opressão" .
Raja Shehadeh escreveu um livro ousado, afetuoso ,despido de hipocrisia e rancor exacerbado , e que toca no âmago de uma tragédia que parece não ter fim à vista. A sua dignidade e honestidade elevam-se nestas páginas.
July 28, 2018
From BBC radio 4 - Book of the week:
Raja Shehadeh is an award winning Palestinian writer, lawyer, and founder of the human right's organisation, Al Haq. In Where the Line is Drawn he reflects on his forty year friendship with Henry, a Jewish Israeli. As idealistic young men when they first meet in 1977, they connect over shared interests in literature, writing and walking. As the years pass, their friendship is challenged by history, politics, enmity and violence, but it also points the way to a common future. Raja Shehadeh's books include Occupation Diaries; Language of War, Language of Peace and Palestinian Walks which won the 2008 Orwell Prize. He has contributed to The New York Times, The Guardian and Granta.
Read by Peter Polycarpou who was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for best supporting actor in a play category. Other recent theatre credits include the Donmar theatre's production of City of Angels, and Guys and Dolls at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Television credits include Tyrant, Hustle and Eastenders and he has been heard in numerous audio dramas.
The music is Reem Kelani's Sprinting Gazelle.
Abridged by Penny Leicester
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bb...
Raja Shehadeh is an award winning Palestinian writer, lawyer, and founder of the human right's organisation, Al Haq. In Where the Line is Drawn he reflects on his forty year friendship with Henry, a Jewish Israeli. As idealistic young men when they first meet in 1977, they connect over shared interests in literature, writing and walking. As the years pass, their friendship is challenged by history, politics, enmity and violence, but it also points the way to a common future. Raja Shehadeh's books include Occupation Diaries; Language of War, Language of Peace and Palestinian Walks which won the 2008 Orwell Prize. He has contributed to The New York Times, The Guardian and Granta.
Read by Peter Polycarpou who was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for best supporting actor in a play category. Other recent theatre credits include the Donmar theatre's production of City of Angels, and Guys and Dolls at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Television credits include Tyrant, Hustle and Eastenders and he has been heard in numerous audio dramas.
The music is Reem Kelani's Sprinting Gazelle.
Abridged by Penny Leicester
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bb...
July 13, 2017
In the 1960’s, Henry, a Jew, and Raja, a Palestinian, meet by accident in a coffee shop in the disputed lands between Palestine. They discovered that each drinks coffee black because he is lactose intolerant.
This event becomes a symbol that drives the book. The two friends have a decades long friendship in which they debate what is best for Israel and Palestine. It sometimes has long breaks—even years. At the same time they share an internal core set of values that greatly transcend drinking coffee black.
Author Raja Shehadeh tells a good story. At times, he clearly wants us to know that he is a scholar and has many views about the world. Still, it’s a good read.
I thank my daughter and her family for welcoming a Palestinian exchange student last year. The student’s troubles in getting our of Palestine and then getting back in parallel the troubles Shehadeh has faced for decades.
This event becomes a symbol that drives the book. The two friends have a decades long friendship in which they debate what is best for Israel and Palestine. It sometimes has long breaks—even years. At the same time they share an internal core set of values that greatly transcend drinking coffee black.
Author Raja Shehadeh tells a good story. At times, he clearly wants us to know that he is a scholar and has many views about the world. Still, it’s a good read.
I thank my daughter and her family for welcoming a Palestinian exchange student last year. The student’s troubles in getting our of Palestine and then getting back in parallel the troubles Shehadeh has faced for decades.
August 14, 2017
Instructive and informative multi-generational view of the impact of Israel's creation and evolution on a Palestinian man, including on his relationship with a lifetime Jewish friend. Well worth reading for those interested in understanding complexities of the contentious recent (70-year) history of Israel and the Palestinian people.
July 17, 2017
Stories of navigating friendship and the occupation over 50 years 1967-2017 - heartfelt, meaningful, honest, painful, and hopeful.
April 10, 2018
Eye opener. Will need to do further research. Raja weaves a good argument here. I would like to read Henry’s rebuttal.
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November 4, 2023كتابٌ ثانٍ أقرأه لِرجا شهادة يؤكّد على أهمّية مطالعة التسجيلي إلى جانب التقريري؛ المشاهدة الشخصيّة للمفاهيم الكليّة؛ الفكرة المجرّدة الّتي تكون أقرب للتأثير حين تشتبك مع التجربة الذاتية — السّيرة الذّاتية - مثل الرواية المتخيلة - لديها هذه القدرة على الاشتباك بالواقع، والتحفيز على هذا الاشتباك.
لمَسني الكتاب في مكانٍ مجروح من قلبي، فلسطينيّون قلّة يعترفون به، وحتّى هُنا، من خلال نقرات سريعة لأحرف تظهر فوق شاشة سوداء، عبر منظومةٍ كلّ ما يكتبُ بها يُتَرجَمُ عن أصفار وآحاد، في مصفوفة لا نهائية؛ حتّى هُنا، ووجهي لا يعرفه أحد، وصوتي غائب، ويدي تُسجّل في العتمة؛ حتّى هُنا، لا أجيدُ الكتابة عن هذه البؤرة في نفسي. أكتفي بقول إنّ هذا الكتاب أحدث شرخًا في تاريخ يوميّ لا يُروَى..
تساءلتُ أوّلما بدأت أقرأ، وحالَ انتهيت — هل هُناك علاقة حقيقيّة يمكنها أن تتجاوز القضيّة؟ هل منَ الصداقةِ في شيء أن تُعلنَ علاقتك مع يهوديّ يناصر القضيّة بينما يعيش هو في مستوطنةٍ بامتيازات لا تمتلكها؟ أعرف الجواب، لكنّ رجا يفتحُ هذه الأسئلة للنقاش من خلال تجربته الشخصية.
رَجا يجيبُ عن أسئلته من نفسِه، من حياته، بتردّد واعادة تفكير ونكوص وغضب وإيمان وجسارة أحيانًا، وبسذاجةٍ في كثير من الأحيان. هو يعرفُ الأجوبة "على جلده"، كما نقول.
لا أتّفقُ معه في كلّ شيء، لكنّني أحبّ صوته، وأغتاظ منه لأنّه مسلّحٌ بالأمل.
وغالبًا، من يغيظُني، هو شخصٌ يملك ما عجزت أنا عن امتلاكه.
لمَسني الكتاب في مكانٍ مجروح من قلبي، فلسطينيّون قلّة يعترفون به، وحتّى هُنا، من خلال نقرات سريعة لأحرف تظهر فوق شاشة سوداء، عبر منظومةٍ كلّ ما يكتبُ بها يُتَرجَمُ عن أصفار وآحاد، في مصفوفة لا نهائية؛ حتّى هُنا، ووجهي لا يعرفه أحد، وصوتي غائب، ويدي تُسجّل في العتمة؛ حتّى هُنا، لا أجيدُ الكتابة عن هذه البؤرة في نفسي. أكتفي بقول إنّ هذا الكتاب أحدث شرخًا في تاريخ يوميّ لا يُروَى..
تساءلتُ أوّلما بدأت أقرأ، وحالَ انتهيت — هل هُناك علاقة حقيقيّة يمكنها أن تتجاوز القضيّة؟ هل منَ الصداقةِ في شيء أن تُعلنَ علاقتك مع يهوديّ يناصر القضيّة بينما يعيش هو في مستوطنةٍ بامتيازات لا تمتلكها؟ أعرف الجواب، لكنّ رجا يفتحُ هذه الأسئلة للنقاش من خلال تجربته الشخصية.
رَجا يجيبُ عن أسئلته من نفسِه، من حياته، بتردّد واعادة تفكير ونكوص وغضب وإيمان وجسارة أحيانًا، وبسذاجةٍ في كثير من الأحيان. هو يعرفُ الأجوبة "على جلده"، كما نقول.
لا أتّفقُ معه في كلّ شيء، لكنّني أحبّ صوته، وأغتاظ منه لأنّه مسلّحٌ بالأمل.
وغالبًا، من يغيظُني، هو شخصٌ يملك ما عجزت أنا عن امتلاكه.
November 3, 2022
This is a beautifully written account of life under Israeli occupation. Shehadeh's writing style is just so fluid and the fact that he has kept a journal throughout the fifty years of occupation really shows - the emotions stretching across such a long period still feel so fresh and are very evocative and frankly gripping to read. Shehadeh's friendship with Henry shines through as a reminder of the importance of humanity in the face of tangled difficulties, and I loved the way he captured his anger as much as his love, presenting the poems and emails and letters that Henry sent him which were all so deeply personal and a part of such a complex relationship. A beautiful, thoughtful, painful work.
March 2, 2025
Shehadeh's work is thoughtful and nuanced, highlighting the complexity of the Israel-Palestine issue and the way it impacts everyday people who happen to reside there.
As we are just starting to learn here in the United States, sociopolitical conflict in the public arena can impact - even decimate - revered friendships in our private lives; spreading the collateral damage to the emotional sphere on the ground. I appreciated this account of how Shehadeh's treasured friendship with Henry was affected by the Israel-Palestein conflict over time.
As we are just starting to learn here in the United States, sociopolitical conflict in the public arena can impact - even decimate - revered friendships in our private lives; spreading the collateral damage to the emotional sphere on the ground. I appreciated this account of how Shehadeh's treasured friendship with Henry was affected by the Israel-Palestein conflict over time.
April 14, 2024
I should preface this by saying- I’m a Zionist. I should further preface by saying- I have always been against the occupation. With the way things are recently, it’s been hard to be in a space where I both love Israel but my heart also breaks for the Palestinian people. I think this book is a great entry into better understanding what the occupation has been like. It is hard to see a peaceful future where our respective peoples can live freely side by side, but I will not stop praying for it.
December 22, 2017
As someone sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians living in oppressive conditions in occupied territories, I’d hoped to glean talking points from this book to support the alternative viewpoint in the conflict. But this author has too big a chip on his shoulder and his writing is so unfocused that I can’t take him seriously. It is difficult to be sympathetic to an author so closed minded and judgmental. I wanted analysis and got boring memoir. The writing is flat, with simple sentences as a fifth-grade kid would write a family history report. The author tried to be poetic once and it didn’t work “...finding small orchards of time and space of my own.” (P. 18). The author came across to me as whiny, unapologetic, and aggressive. On page 32 he described how his family “...made their way inside” someone’s home justified by the fact that they had been forced from it 20 years earlier. It wasn’t the Romanian woman’s duty to speak their language as they trespassed into what was now (rightfully or not) her home. The typographical errors bother me, such as using “stationery” for “stationary” on page 52. But as to his point there, I learned from traveling to Turkey and Egypt that contemporary residents in these ancient cultures view history as a very long haul, much longer than people in the USA consider a current crisis or change. Who is the author to think Henry had no right to call Israel home because he hadn’t been born there? He is arrogant to think that people don’t make their homes where they are.
July 7, 2017
The book descriptor reads "A tale of Crossings, Friendships, and Fifty Years of Occupation in Israel-Palestine" and that does accurately describe the scope of it, but at the same time, the book tries to do all of those things equally and at the same time, and therefore, to me, it felt unfocused and poorly structured. It is a nice read for someone wanting to understand the broad timeline for the Palestine/Israel conflict, but without specifics, structure, or much context (as someone unfamiliar with a lot of the history, I had to look many references up). There are some lovely parts though, and I enjoyed his description of the beauty of Ramallah and the surrounding areas as well as the slow crescendo of tension and restriction.
He ends the book with this idea:
"Yet even when we Palestinians have our sovereign state, and one day we will, and Israel recognizes our right of return, lasting peace requires that the victims of the conflict rise above their hatred and their pain, and that they forgive. It will require forgiveness from those who were hit the hardest by occupation and by the Nakba, from those who have spent decades of their lives in refugee camps, from those who lost relatives, were orphaned, who were maimed, who were made into collaborators, who saw their children burned alive by Israeli extremists. And it will require forgiveness for Israeli Jews who had relatives or children killed in senseless acts of violence in cafes and schools."
He ends the book with this idea:
"Yet even when we Palestinians have our sovereign state, and one day we will, and Israel recognizes our right of return, lasting peace requires that the victims of the conflict rise above their hatred and their pain, and that they forgive. It will require forgiveness from those who were hit the hardest by occupation and by the Nakba, from those who have spent decades of their lives in refugee camps, from those who lost relatives, were orphaned, who were maimed, who were made into collaborators, who saw their children burned alive by Israeli extremists. And it will require forgiveness for Israeli Jews who had relatives or children killed in senseless acts of violence in cafes and schools."
April 10, 2024
Alive with anger and hurt, crashing up against a commitment to hope. Would make an instructive read for any who insist on civility to all opposing views, no matter the make-up of those views. It comes at a cost.
October 15, 2017
this is well done. Very informative from a personal perspective on the situation, which is HARD to get your arms around!
October 16, 2019
Tragic and angering story about border crossings, occupations, and friends who don't get it.
April 13, 2024
A short but challenging and worthwhile book.
Shehadeh was born in Ramallah in 1951. This collection of essays tracks his life from his 20s to close to the modern day, as idealism gives way to cynicism, or some might say bitter realism. He’s a lawyer working for Palestinian rights as the situation grows more fraught and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank more entrenched.
As a sort of throughline in this book, Shehadeh brings up his relationship with his Jewish Israeli friend, Henry Abramovitch. This relationship can be uneven and decentered, and in fact I was surprised (and feklempt) at the end when Shehadeh claimed that they still had a relationship.
It’s almost as if Abramovitch is Shehadeh’s personification of all the oppression he’s faced. Maybe this has to do with when they met, as Anwar Sadat historically visited Israel, and the young men seemed poised on the same track. Present-day Shehadeh sees Abramovitch as someone who did not live up to his activist ideals, which is maybe why he judges him more harshly than his other Israeli friends. He also resents Abramovitch for deciding to move to Israel to set up roots, with lines that feel very much like Shehadeh is policing Abramovitch’s Jewish/ethnic identity.
The author often brings up the diasporic histories of the Israelis he comes across, which can fit the easy narrative about who does and doesn’t get to have ties to the Levant. At one point, Shehadeh gets rightfully upset at a soldier who is mistreating him at a checkpoint, only to feel some guilt when he realizes the soldier is Mizrahi, though he doesn’t use this widely accepted moniker to describe the person. Lately, as an Ashkenazi Jew, I’ve struggled with embracing my full identity because of how non-Jews and anti-Zionists use racial taxonomies to try and co-opt my family history and ethnicity. Shehadeh was certainly playing into some of that.
But on the same token, it’s impossible to deny how Palestinian culture and ethnicity has also been co-opted, and with far more devastating consequences. The Israeli government has erased their ties to the land—literally by destroying property and changing names. Shehadeh writes viscerally about the damaged landscape of the West Bank from a lush, thriving vista to a place of walls and barricades. The constant harassment and abuse he and other Palestinians endure regularly from settlers and soldiers is abhorrent. Shehadeh also lost his father, who was murdered by an Israeli informant, and this crime was not brought to justice. An explicit example of how a military court in occupied territory does not serve the occupied.
The essays are short and jump through time, meaning that Shehadeh’s depiction of specific moments is gut-wrenching, but this style also makes it convenient for him to ignore broader realities. He references the intifadas, for example, without acknowledgment about how widespread terror could lead Israelis to a desire for more security. He’s deeply critical of the Palestinian Authority, once they’re given control of much of the occupied territories, but his arguments never feel concrete. He also can spend time delving into the humanity of not only Palestinian citizens broadly, but also Palestinians who commit terror acts, where he never does the same for Israeli soldiers, and just occasionally for Israeli citizens.
The relationship with Abramovitch is understandably one-sided, because Shehadeh can only speak for himself. I started wishing I could get Abramovitch’s perspective on his response to the current events Shehadeh chronicled. Though certainly one thing that stuck out to me significantly is that Abramovitch never explained the concept of the Nabka to his children. It’s flabbergasting, to say the least, that Abramovitch could consider himself a friend to Shehadeh, and yet not acknowledge this integral part of the author’s history.
I read this book with my synagogue book club, and in my break out group we talked a lot about competing narratives and truths. It’s difficult to imagine peace without more Israelis and Palestinians making room to acknowledge the validity of the other side. And I do think Shehadeh ultimately achieved this in his essays, especially in the final one. Thankfully, he’s a strong writer, and he also gave full-throated pathos to his own experiences. Hopefully most readers will be able to take it in.
Shehadeh was born in Ramallah in 1951. This collection of essays tracks his life from his 20s to close to the modern day, as idealism gives way to cynicism, or some might say bitter realism. He’s a lawyer working for Palestinian rights as the situation grows more fraught and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank more entrenched.
As a sort of throughline in this book, Shehadeh brings up his relationship with his Jewish Israeli friend, Henry Abramovitch. This relationship can be uneven and decentered, and in fact I was surprised (and feklempt) at the end when Shehadeh claimed that they still had a relationship.
It’s almost as if Abramovitch is Shehadeh’s personification of all the oppression he’s faced. Maybe this has to do with when they met, as Anwar Sadat historically visited Israel, and the young men seemed poised on the same track. Present-day Shehadeh sees Abramovitch as someone who did not live up to his activist ideals, which is maybe why he judges him more harshly than his other Israeli friends. He also resents Abramovitch for deciding to move to Israel to set up roots, with lines that feel very much like Shehadeh is policing Abramovitch’s Jewish/ethnic identity.
The author often brings up the diasporic histories of the Israelis he comes across, which can fit the easy narrative about who does and doesn’t get to have ties to the Levant. At one point, Shehadeh gets rightfully upset at a soldier who is mistreating him at a checkpoint, only to feel some guilt when he realizes the soldier is Mizrahi, though he doesn’t use this widely accepted moniker to describe the person. Lately, as an Ashkenazi Jew, I’ve struggled with embracing my full identity because of how non-Jews and anti-Zionists use racial taxonomies to try and co-opt my family history and ethnicity. Shehadeh was certainly playing into some of that.
But on the same token, it’s impossible to deny how Palestinian culture and ethnicity has also been co-opted, and with far more devastating consequences. The Israeli government has erased their ties to the land—literally by destroying property and changing names. Shehadeh writes viscerally about the damaged landscape of the West Bank from a lush, thriving vista to a place of walls and barricades. The constant harassment and abuse he and other Palestinians endure regularly from settlers and soldiers is abhorrent. Shehadeh also lost his father, who was murdered by an Israeli informant, and this crime was not brought to justice. An explicit example of how a military court in occupied territory does not serve the occupied.
The essays are short and jump through time, meaning that Shehadeh’s depiction of specific moments is gut-wrenching, but this style also makes it convenient for him to ignore broader realities. He references the intifadas, for example, without acknowledgment about how widespread terror could lead Israelis to a desire for more security. He’s deeply critical of the Palestinian Authority, once they’re given control of much of the occupied territories, but his arguments never feel concrete. He also can spend time delving into the humanity of not only Palestinian citizens broadly, but also Palestinians who commit terror acts, where he never does the same for Israeli soldiers, and just occasionally for Israeli citizens.
The relationship with Abramovitch is understandably one-sided, because Shehadeh can only speak for himself. I started wishing I could get Abramovitch’s perspective on his response to the current events Shehadeh chronicled. Though certainly one thing that stuck out to me significantly is that Abramovitch never explained the concept of the Nabka to his children. It’s flabbergasting, to say the least, that Abramovitch could consider himself a friend to Shehadeh, and yet not acknowledge this integral part of the author’s history.
I read this book with my synagogue book club, and in my break out group we talked a lot about competing narratives and truths. It’s difficult to imagine peace without more Israelis and Palestinians making room to acknowledge the validity of the other side. And I do think Shehadeh ultimately achieved this in his essays, especially in the final one. Thankfully, he’s a strong writer, and he also gave full-throated pathos to his own experiences. Hopefully most readers will be able to take it in.
February 24, 2024
I found this valuable in some ways but frustrating in others. On the positive side, RS is clearly and humane and thoughtful person, and the more people like him the better off the Palestinian people would be. His work as a human rights lawyer and activist is admirable, and the book does a really good job showing how Israeli checkpoints and other security measures make daily life for most Palestinians very difficult. RS is right that the settler movement constitutes a huge obstacle to peace as well. But possibly the most compelling part of the book was his friendship with an Israeli, which managed to endure despite the escalating violence and hatred between their societies.
Nevertheless, I found myself shaking my head at certain parts of this book. RS often describes the strict security measures the Israelis have taken without putting this in the context of Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians dating back decades. He complains, for example, about one Palestinian youth being shot, even though that kid had just stabbed an Israeli police officer to death. I just felt like until the 2nd Intifada, RS downplayed the violence that was done to Israel. I understand the frustration he feels as a Palestinian to some extent, but some of the book exhibited a victimhood mentality that never acknowledged the Palestinians' partial responsibility for their own plight. He opposed Oslo as a poor deal and showed some of the ways that it favored Israel, but he has little to say about PLO corruption and terrorism driving right wing reaction in Israel that killed the peace process. Finally, his idea for an IP peace still involves the right of return (absolute non-starter for Israel that would undermine the Jewishness of the Jewish state) and a return to 1967 borders (again, not going to happen, considering how strategically vulnerable that would make Israel).
Overall, RS seems to embody the frustrating Palestinian mentality of trying to undo past injustices rather than take political deals in the present in which they could get much of what they wanted. They are now at the lowest point in their post-Nakba history, arguably, and hopefully will give up on violent resistance forever (not justifying Israel's brutal war, btw). But I took away from this book more suspicion that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, and that even the most reasonable and humane among them (like RS) have a tendency to unrealistic political viewpoints and nostalgia that simply does not serve them well.
Nevertheless, I found myself shaking my head at certain parts of this book. RS often describes the strict security measures the Israelis have taken without putting this in the context of Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians dating back decades. He complains, for example, about one Palestinian youth being shot, even though that kid had just stabbed an Israeli police officer to death. I just felt like until the 2nd Intifada, RS downplayed the violence that was done to Israel. I understand the frustration he feels as a Palestinian to some extent, but some of the book exhibited a victimhood mentality that never acknowledged the Palestinians' partial responsibility for their own plight. He opposed Oslo as a poor deal and showed some of the ways that it favored Israel, but he has little to say about PLO corruption and terrorism driving right wing reaction in Israel that killed the peace process. Finally, his idea for an IP peace still involves the right of return (absolute non-starter for Israel that would undermine the Jewishness of the Jewish state) and a return to 1967 borders (again, not going to happen, considering how strategically vulnerable that would make Israel).
Overall, RS seems to embody the frustrating Palestinian mentality of trying to undo past injustices rather than take political deals in the present in which they could get much of what they wanted. They are now at the lowest point in their post-Nakba history, arguably, and hopefully will give up on violent resistance forever (not justifying Israel's brutal war, btw). But I took away from this book more suspicion that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, and that even the most reasonable and humane among them (like RS) have a tendency to unrealistic political viewpoints and nostalgia that simply does not serve them well.
October 16, 2022
It's difficult to rate books like these.
On the one hand, it was definitely educational - I now know a lot more about the lives of upper middle class Palestinians living under Israeli occupation over the decades than I did before. It was also very successful in its political aims - I definitely empathised with the Palestinian struggle and feel rage at the glib violation of international law that's been on-going for decades. It was a heart breaking to see the amount of petty humiliation the author had to endure. He's a relatively privileged man, well educated and apparently fairly wealthy - I can only imagine how much worse ordinary Palestinians have it. I am inclined to agree with the author that the horror of Holocaust has been used by some to justify other horrors, and that is absolutely despicable. So yes, in this regard, the book was brilliant.
But on the other hand, this book was sometimes quite a drag. And not because it was speaking of the kind of mundane horrors that made me want to put the book down and go for a walk. The author's friendship with Henry, an Israeli Jew, was the central thread of this book, that ties the various essays together - and I simply couldn't care a jot about it. Each and every one of the other friends he mentions seemed more interesting to me than Henry. And their constant "will they won't they" just annoyed me. I get the complications of friendships across such extreme political boundaries - I get why the author was often so frustrated with Henry. I have friends of that sort, who are "not political" because they have the privilege not to worry about public polity and think they're virtuous for being "above politics". That's super frustrating - and I get why the relationship waned and waxed over the years, I get the author's disappointment. But I just did not _care_. I wanted to learn more about life in Palestine - not more about one specific friendship.
Ultimately it's probably my fault for not researching this book enough. The afterword does mention the author specifically set out to write about his friendship with Henry. But with the title and description, I hadn't expected this to be *the* central theme - and as such, I was disappointed to get a very different book than I thought I would. Still, definitely worth the read.
On the one hand, it was definitely educational - I now know a lot more about the lives of upper middle class Palestinians living under Israeli occupation over the decades than I did before. It was also very successful in its political aims - I definitely empathised with the Palestinian struggle and feel rage at the glib violation of international law that's been on-going for decades. It was a heart breaking to see the amount of petty humiliation the author had to endure. He's a relatively privileged man, well educated and apparently fairly wealthy - I can only imagine how much worse ordinary Palestinians have it. I am inclined to agree with the author that the horror of Holocaust has been used by some to justify other horrors, and that is absolutely despicable. So yes, in this regard, the book was brilliant.
But on the other hand, this book was sometimes quite a drag. And not because it was speaking of the kind of mundane horrors that made me want to put the book down and go for a walk. The author's friendship with Henry, an Israeli Jew, was the central thread of this book, that ties the various essays together - and I simply couldn't care a jot about it. Each and every one of the other friends he mentions seemed more interesting to me than Henry. And their constant "will they won't they" just annoyed me. I get the complications of friendships across such extreme political boundaries - I get why the author was often so frustrated with Henry. I have friends of that sort, who are "not political" because they have the privilege not to worry about public polity and think they're virtuous for being "above politics". That's super frustrating - and I get why the relationship waned and waxed over the years, I get the author's disappointment. But I just did not _care_. I wanted to learn more about life in Palestine - not more about one specific friendship.
Ultimately it's probably my fault for not researching this book enough. The afterword does mention the author specifically set out to write about his friendship with Henry. But with the title and description, I hadn't expected this to be *the* central theme - and as such, I was disappointed to get a very different book than I thought I would. Still, definitely worth the read.
March 23, 2024
Antara perjuangan dan persahabatan.
Raja Shehadeh menulis sebuah jurnal menggunakan kanta kemanusiaan. Beliau terjerat dalam perjuangan membebaskan tanah Palestin atau menjaga keharmonian hubungan sahabatnya, Henry si Israel. Saya cukup kagum dengan keyakinan dan matlamat persahabatan yang beliau pikul untuk masa depan Palestin.
Marah dan geram Raja Shehadeh pada Henry sememangnya wajar. Rasa takut untuk mengkritik Israel dan beralasan "tidak mahu terlibat politik" adalah suatu tindakan mendokong penubuhan negara haram itu. Bagi pengarang, Henry ialah sahabat. Namun untuk saya sebagai pembaca, Henry tetap seperti orang Israel yang lain.
_____________________
Buku ini sarat dengan refleksi peribadi Raja Shehadeh terhadap rampasan tanah, pembinaan penempatan haram dan saat cemas beliau berhadapan IDF. Saya dapat mengikuti perkembangan ringkas kezaliman Israel dari tahun 1977 hingga 2013. Termasuklah keadaan Palestin selepas Nakba, perjanjian Oslo Accord dan Intifada.
Saya amat hormati kejujuran pengarang mendedahkan kedaifan barisan kepimpinan politik Palestin terutamanya Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Pahit kecewa yang diteguk sebagai rakyat yang setia mahukan keadilan tanpa kehinaan. Selaran pengarang terhadap segelintir rakyat Palestin yang hilang "identiti" juga membuka pandangan baru.
_____________________
Jurnal ini terkandung sebuah harapan Raja Shehadeh untuk kebebasan Palestin. Harapan adalah satu-satunya yang menghidupkan beliau. Kini, harapan kebebasan dan keamanan Palestin tanggungjawab kita semua. Harapan yang sentiasa berkecamuk.
Antara perjuangan dan persahabatan.
Yang pasti
Dari sungai ke segara, Palestin pasti merdeka.
#izapinjamlibrary
_____________________
Raja Shehadeh menulis sebuah jurnal menggunakan kanta kemanusiaan. Beliau terjerat dalam perjuangan membebaskan tanah Palestin atau menjaga keharmonian hubungan sahabatnya, Henry si Israel. Saya cukup kagum dengan keyakinan dan matlamat persahabatan yang beliau pikul untuk masa depan Palestin.
Marah dan geram Raja Shehadeh pada Henry sememangnya wajar. Rasa takut untuk mengkritik Israel dan beralasan "tidak mahu terlibat politik" adalah suatu tindakan mendokong penubuhan negara haram itu. Bagi pengarang, Henry ialah sahabat. Namun untuk saya sebagai pembaca, Henry tetap seperti orang Israel yang lain.
_____________________
Buku ini sarat dengan refleksi peribadi Raja Shehadeh terhadap rampasan tanah, pembinaan penempatan haram dan saat cemas beliau berhadapan IDF. Saya dapat mengikuti perkembangan ringkas kezaliman Israel dari tahun 1977 hingga 2013. Termasuklah keadaan Palestin selepas Nakba, perjanjian Oslo Accord dan Intifada.
Saya amat hormati kejujuran pengarang mendedahkan kedaifan barisan kepimpinan politik Palestin terutamanya Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Pahit kecewa yang diteguk sebagai rakyat yang setia mahukan keadilan tanpa kehinaan. Selaran pengarang terhadap segelintir rakyat Palestin yang hilang "identiti" juga membuka pandangan baru.
_____________________
Jurnal ini terkandung sebuah harapan Raja Shehadeh untuk kebebasan Palestin. Harapan adalah satu-satunya yang menghidupkan beliau. Kini, harapan kebebasan dan keamanan Palestin tanggungjawab kita semua. Harapan yang sentiasa berkecamuk.
Antara perjuangan dan persahabatan.
Yang pasti
Dari sungai ke segara, Palestin pasti merdeka.
#izapinjamlibrary
_____________________
March 4, 2025
I’m glad I read this book as I truly believe the Palestinian experience is important. However, I have some issues and concerns with it too.
While Shehadeh reflects on his personal experiences living under Israeli occupation, he doesn’t go deep enough into the many realities that contribute to it, especially as the founder of the human rights organization Al-Haq, and a lawyer supposedly fighting during the occupation. He offers insight into the Palestinian perspective but doesn’t include any insight or experience into the actions of extremist factions. How can it simply be ignored?
Including the full spectrum of causes and consequences is imperative for painting the whole picture. While Israel contributes to Palestinian suffering, so do the groups that fuel and perpetuate violence that affects both Israelis and Palestinians. This seemingly one-sided victim hood narrative doesn’t account WHY Israel does what it does.
When a narrative focuses exclusively on one side’s suffering without addressing the complexities, such as extreme factions that Israel has to fight, it paints an incomplete picture. Omitting groups like Hamas and Hezbollah can be misleading - especially if a reader is unfamiliar with historical and political context.
Books like this, while aspects are brutally important, when embraced uncritically, reinforce the growing narrative framing Israel solely as the aggressor and oppressor. And this one-sided view hurts Palestinians too, leaving them caught in the crossfire, used as political pawns.
I’m glad I read the book to get some perspective, but am also glad I am willing to pick up other books to get a clearer and more whole picture of a heavily nuanced and complex reality.
While Shehadeh reflects on his personal experiences living under Israeli occupation, he doesn’t go deep enough into the many realities that contribute to it, especially as the founder of the human rights organization Al-Haq, and a lawyer supposedly fighting during the occupation. He offers insight into the Palestinian perspective but doesn’t include any insight or experience into the actions of extremist factions. How can it simply be ignored?
Including the full spectrum of causes and consequences is imperative for painting the whole picture. While Israel contributes to Palestinian suffering, so do the groups that fuel and perpetuate violence that affects both Israelis and Palestinians. This seemingly one-sided victim hood narrative doesn’t account WHY Israel does what it does.
When a narrative focuses exclusively on one side’s suffering without addressing the complexities, such as extreme factions that Israel has to fight, it paints an incomplete picture. Omitting groups like Hamas and Hezbollah can be misleading - especially if a reader is unfamiliar with historical and political context.
Books like this, while aspects are brutally important, when embraced uncritically, reinforce the growing narrative framing Israel solely as the aggressor and oppressor. And this one-sided view hurts Palestinians too, leaving them caught in the crossfire, used as political pawns.
I’m glad I read the book to get some perspective, but am also glad I am willing to pick up other books to get a clearer and more whole picture of a heavily nuanced and complex reality.
April 4, 2024
This was a fascinating memoir. Human rights lawyer and activist Raja Shehadeh approaches this memoir through two simultaneous lenses: the many times over the last 50 years when he has crossed the border between the occupied West Bank and Israel and his relationship with an Israeli friend, Henry, whom many of the crossings were to see.
The memoir hopscotches through time and juggles many events, but Shehadeh weaves a very deft throughline that connects and contextualizes all of his experiences. He writes with great compassion, exacting intellectual rigor, and an unsparing commitment to the truth of the political reality of the Israeli occupation, the stresses and fractures in his relationship with Henry, and the ways that the former informs and shapes the latter. Shehadeh wrestles with questions of structural power dynamics and how they affect individual relationships, as well as what those individuals owe to each other, and he refuses to be satisfied with easy answers. He turns the same sharp eye inward as he does outward, chronicling political outrages and his grinding daily experiences of oppression, his hopes and dreams and disillusionment for the future, his feelings about his friends, and the moments in which he feels he has failed with clarity, grace, and a constant sense of scale. Shehadeh draws on letters, emails, and poems Henry has sent him over the years (printed with Henry's permission), as well as his own journals, to weave a story that is both very much about their friendship and very much bigger than that.
So many small moments stand out to me in vivid, heartbreaking, galvanizing clarity. This is a book I'll be chewing over for a long time.
The memoir hopscotches through time and juggles many events, but Shehadeh weaves a very deft throughline that connects and contextualizes all of his experiences. He writes with great compassion, exacting intellectual rigor, and an unsparing commitment to the truth of the political reality of the Israeli occupation, the stresses and fractures in his relationship with Henry, and the ways that the former informs and shapes the latter. Shehadeh wrestles with questions of structural power dynamics and how they affect individual relationships, as well as what those individuals owe to each other, and he refuses to be satisfied with easy answers. He turns the same sharp eye inward as he does outward, chronicling political outrages and his grinding daily experiences of oppression, his hopes and dreams and disillusionment for the future, his feelings about his friends, and the moments in which he feels he has failed with clarity, grace, and a constant sense of scale. Shehadeh draws on letters, emails, and poems Henry has sent him over the years (printed with Henry's permission), as well as his own journals, to weave a story that is both very much about their friendship and very much bigger than that.
So many small moments stand out to me in vivid, heartbreaking, galvanizing clarity. This is a book I'll be chewing over for a long time.
May 13, 2022
"If love is the answer, what is the question?" I think that's a quote--it just came to me as I thought of this book. And yet love is the answer, and this is, in a way, a love story.
Rajah Shehadeh, Palestinian Christian and the co-founder of Al Haq, and Henry Abramovitch, a Jewish Canadian immigrant to Israel, meet in the late 1970s while listening to Sadat's speech. In this brief book, we travel back and forth in time and learn about their deep and abiding friendship. Mr. Shehadeh is a writer and thinker I truly admire. I admire him for his deep morality as well as his lucid use of language. He is honest in exploring all his complex feelings and in admitting to his own failings. How does a member of an occupied nation remain friends with a member of the occupying people? Can it even be done, and what, on a personal level, does this achievement demand?
I struggled with this book because we live in such dark times, and I couldn't always make myself read it and think about it. But that's part of Mr. Shehadeh's honesty; there were times when he and Henry couldn't negotiate their friendship, either. Yet, in the end, love wins. It really is the answer.
But love, as we see it here--as it truly is--is not sentimental. It does not deny or paper over harsh truths. On the contrary, it is a powerful and radical force. it will lead us to where we need to go, if we let it.
A challenging and difficult book, but worth the read in the end.
Rajah Shehadeh, Palestinian Christian and the co-founder of Al Haq, and Henry Abramovitch, a Jewish Canadian immigrant to Israel, meet in the late 1970s while listening to Sadat's speech. In this brief book, we travel back and forth in time and learn about their deep and abiding friendship. Mr. Shehadeh is a writer and thinker I truly admire. I admire him for his deep morality as well as his lucid use of language. He is honest in exploring all his complex feelings and in admitting to his own failings. How does a member of an occupied nation remain friends with a member of the occupying people? Can it even be done, and what, on a personal level, does this achievement demand?
I struggled with this book because we live in such dark times, and I couldn't always make myself read it and think about it. But that's part of Mr. Shehadeh's honesty; there were times when he and Henry couldn't negotiate their friendship, either. Yet, in the end, love wins. It really is the answer.
But love, as we see it here--as it truly is--is not sentimental. It does not deny or paper over harsh truths. On the contrary, it is a powerful and radical force. it will lead us to where we need to go, if we let it.
A challenging and difficult book, but worth the read in the end.
January 30, 2025
"I looked at a photograph of al-Sharif’s body covered with a black cloth, the blood pooling under him, while soldiers and settlers milled around unconcerned. I could not bring myself to watch the video taken by a brave Palestinian of what had happened. Yet ever since this killing I could not stop thinking about the twisted ideology that had turned a young man into someone capable of killing a wounded man only a few years older than himself. His words: ‘This terrorist must die.’ What brutality and fear had blunted his humanity to such a degree that he had shown no compassion or hesitation. After the killing, he was so unrattled that he had the wherewithal to send a text message to his father informing him of his action.
... From the way his family hugged him, there was no indication that they had any doubt about the morality of their son’s action, sparing no thought for the parents of the murdered young man, his family or friends. Nor did the majority of the Israeli public, who considered him a hero. Thousands went on to the streets to demonstrate on his behalf. Sixty per cent of young people expressed their belief that he had done the right thing by killing the Palestinian. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called his family to express his support. Who, then, would help this young soldier to regain his humanity? What would it take to rehumanise the tens of thousands of desensitised Israelis like him?"
... From the way his family hugged him, there was no indication that they had any doubt about the morality of their son’s action, sparing no thought for the parents of the murdered young man, his family or friends. Nor did the majority of the Israeli public, who considered him a hero. Thousands went on to the streets to demonstrate on his behalf. Sixty per cent of young people expressed their belief that he had done the right thing by killing the Palestinian. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called his family to express his support. Who, then, would help this young soldier to regain his humanity? What would it take to rehumanise the tens of thousands of desensitised Israelis like him?"
December 30, 2023
To call this book a tale is not accurate. It’s a bunch of tales, told disjointedly, with anecdotes from various moments in time. I wanted a book to understand more about Israel-Palestine, and this was on an NYT list for that very subject. It’s nice stories, and an on the ground account of some events, but it’s not focused and doesn’t follow a narrative. Throughout there’s random poetry that’s not very good. I think the most frustrating part was that what I believe are important events would be mentioned casually, as if we should know them, followed by a brief discussion of the effects on society, then ten pages describing a dinner party. I couldn’t keep straight all that was going on, or what caused certain events, and I wanted that causal relationship/historical context. I kept comparing it to Persepolis, which I also read recently, since they’re both first-hand accounts of elites living in war, and this book does not come out of that comparison favorably.
Overall, I think this might have been a better book to read after reading a more historical one, so that I could simply appreciate this as a series of reactions to events, rather than relying on this to be an account of events. Right now I definitely wouldn’t read it again, but maybe I’d feel differently after reading a fuller history.
Overall, I think this might have been a better book to read after reading a more historical one, so that I could simply appreciate this as a series of reactions to events, rather than relying on this to be an account of events. Right now I definitely wouldn’t read it again, but maybe I’d feel differently after reading a fuller history.
January 18, 2024
This provided helpful historical context about the Israel and Palestine conflicts from the perspective of a visionary writer struggling for unity in the midst of division of nations and people. The memoir style format was at times clunky but overall did well at bringing a strong sense of humanity to a complicated and depressing history. I was particularly interested in his connection between the trauma of the Holocaust and Israel’s subsequent justification for the Nakba which then formed motivation for the violence of Hamas, demonstrating the complexity of determining blame and solutions moving forward. The structure of the book around the long friendship of the writer and his Jewish friend didn’t carry the weight of the topics in my opinion and felt forced, especially towards the end when it had maxed out its poetic potential. There were mentions of his hope for the land, the value of forgiveness, and a vision of peace but it seems drowned out by the confusion of the political and social realities he navigated.
December 22, 2023
I am haunted by this moving account of friendship between a Palestinian and a Jew. In spite of all the terrible conflict between their peoples, their friendship endures.
The account, told from the viewpoint of Palestinians, is not flattering of modern Israeli government/military action. So many atrocities have been carried out against the Palestinian people. I don’t support or condone violent retaliation against Israel, nor violent war against Palestinians. Thousands of innocents on both sides are still being slaughtered again and again.
When will it all end? What will it take for real peace to take place?
Rajas appeal to friendship that endures, like he and Henry, seem to me to bear at least some hope.
I hope that these men, and others like them, survive this current conflict. Israel and Palestine will need people like them to recover from this terrible slaughter.
The account, told from the viewpoint of Palestinians, is not flattering of modern Israeli government/military action. So many atrocities have been carried out against the Palestinian people. I don’t support or condone violent retaliation against Israel, nor violent war against Palestinians. Thousands of innocents on both sides are still being slaughtered again and again.
When will it all end? What will it take for real peace to take place?
Rajas appeal to friendship that endures, like he and Henry, seem to me to bear at least some hope.
I hope that these men, and others like them, survive this current conflict. Israel and Palestine will need people like them to recover from this terrible slaughter.
January 19, 2024
A biographical account by Raja Shehadeh of his experience in occupied Palestine especially as it pertains to travel and movement from his hometown of Ramallah to and from Jerusalem.
Harassment at checkpoints and by Israeli soldiers is the norm for Palestinians. Shehadeh also details the cultural oppression he faces by having to learn Hebrew while being gaslighted that the Nakba didn't happen.
A very interesting subplot is a relationship he has with an Israeli who is one of his good friends. They strongly disagree politically but they find a way to keep in touch and stay friends.
A very good read!
Harassment at checkpoints and by Israeli soldiers is the norm for Palestinians. Shehadeh also details the cultural oppression he faces by having to learn Hebrew while being gaslighted that the Nakba didn't happen.
A very interesting subplot is a relationship he has with an Israeli who is one of his good friends. They strongly disagree politically but they find a way to keep in touch and stay friends.
A very good read!
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