The Middle East is the region that consists of the land around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Through this region, a plethora of problems is occurring involving the concepts of identity, exile, and displacement between the Palestinian’s and Israeli’s. Since 1948, Israel has been a country. The Jews formed Israel by occupying the territory, formally known as Palestine, and developing it into the country it is known as now. The Palestinians were exiled out of their villages and land and placed into settlements. None of the countries are identical because they consist of numerous ethnic, religious, and cultural diversities. They have not succeeded in evolving as a nation that reflects a cohesive identity. In the novels Ten Thousand Lovers and I Saw Ramallah, the plot revolves around these common themes/ problems throughout the text.
When thinking about particular problems or issues in regard to exile, the first thing that comes to mind is people getting removed from their land due to an issue that is above their control, because of a mass migration, or power struggle. The second is because of wars that cause people to leave, due to having to choose a specific side or being in dangerous areas that could cause them harm. The conflict here is that the Palestinians and the Israelis are claiming the same piece of territory as their own. The Israelis are concerned that conceding land to the Palestinians that is near their major population areas is an unacceptable security risk.
The Palestinian conflict from the beginning paints a picture and idea of injustice and sense of suffering because of the Israelis coming in and seizing their land. The Israelis come in and completely disregard the presence of the Palestinians. The Israelis knew they had to leave Europe because of the way they were being treated. They by no means wanted to leave but knew they were not welcomed in Europe anymore. It is stated in the interview that Palestine was not a self-defined nation at this time yet, and the Israelis could have viewed the reign as one massive, chaotic Arab/Islamic area, that was unoccupied. The overall picture is clear that this is the beginning of where the Middle East Conflicts all begin.
Today in the Middle East communication with one another is still a huge problem. Interactions between the Israeli’s and Palestinian’s is daunted due to the beginning of time since Israeli’s took the Palestinian’s land. Restrictions are even in place about specific communication between the nations. Without language, the turmoil between these two nations will never be solved, and violence and corruption will continue until a plan is put in place to resolve the issues. Interactions between the Israeli’s and Palestinian’s is daunted due to the beginning of time since Israeli’s took the Palestinian’s land. Restrictions are even in place about specific communication between the nations. Without language, the turmoil between these two nations will never be solved, and violence and corruption will continue until a plan is put in place to resolve the issues.
Ten Thousand Lovers by Edeet Ravel is a story about Lily, an Israeli-born Canadian who is a student at a university in Jerusalem. While hitchhiking to Tel Aviv, she encounters Ami a handsome, intelligent man who she falls in love with. However, to her disbelief, he has a dark-side as an army interrogator. This horrifies Lily to her core, but she cannot stop the ongoing passion she has for Ami. Throughout the novel, it shows the heartbreak and struggles that Lily and Ami’s relationship goes through that slowly destroys the country she loves. Ten Thousand Lovers, the overall conflict between Israel and Palestine from the very beginning of time is shown and continues today. This will always be the foundation of every situation, due to the ongoing turmoil the two nations have for each other.
I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti is a story about the author’s return to his homeland of West Bank. The reflections in the text show Barghouti’s return “home” after a 30-year exile that took him all over starting with Cairo to Baghdad to Beirut to Budapest to Amman and Cairo again. But these reflections on Barghouti also have a larger more in-depth scope, and take in not just exile and occupation, but how occupation affects art, the nature of writing as displacement, how memory is formed, and the strangeness of space and time.
Exile and displacement were critical themes throughout I Saw Ramallah. Barghouti moved from all over. Living in exile for 30 years has caused him to look at things in a different light. The events of 1967 Six- Day War had made him permanently homeless. As he discovered the hard way, in the text stating, "it is enough for a person to go through the first experience of uprooting, to become uprooted forever."( 2003. Saad) “During this time, no one could return. Those displaced were called “naziheen.” The story he spoke of showed how desperate people were. His brother was so desperate that he took the risk of smuggling himself in. Barghouti had to renew residence permits, which made him feel like a stranger in his homeland. He was even separated from his wife and family for years at a time. He was never truly settled down in one area and was always in a sense a visitor in places he called home. This can be related to the Palestinian issues of land, location, home borders, and nation since the beginning of time when they had nowhere to go and no one to associate with but each other.
Throughout the story, Barghouti refers to his past and his memories of living in Palestine in order to develop and figure out his current self and why he is the way he is. He constantly brings up the idea of how the construction of someone is a constant interpretation of themselves even if it means that they must constantly do so to figure out who they are. As a displaced person whom has experienced a lack of stability throughout his life, Barghouti expresses his hatred for the Occupation but later in the text goes on to discuss the beautiful culture in Jerusalem which helped to mold him. His language about his memories and while he discusses all the nuances of the cities that surrounded him is extremely poetic and romantic in nature. Although with all this romance of the cities comes the implication of the Occupation and displacement which hinders a true connection to the cities and culture.
Barghouti pressures the meaning of identity and belonging through ideas and issues of citizenship, stranger, refugee, and resident throughout the book. In the quote, “the Occupation kept the Palestinian village static…. (Barghouti,146-147)” I believe identity is a vital issue. Throughout the quote, you can see the struggle that Barghouti goes through because although he identifies as a Palestinian, he is no longer connected to the homeland, due to being exiled. He has been banished for over 30 years and created a new life, and his old life will never be the same.
One example is when he calls the Palestinians ‘telephonic people’ living their lives through a sense of other voices across miles and nations away. This shown through the long-distance phone calls late at night, and even when Barghouti’s is informed of his father's death over the phone rather than in person. Having an identity is sometimes lost when one does not have a sense of belonging. This can be seen when Barghouti’s is apart from his family and loses a little of himself. Being in exile for such a long period can cause a strain on many aspects of a person life. Barghouti ’s uses many anecdotes about the way in which Palestinian life has become dominated by outside things such as permits, telephones, travel impediments, roadblocks, deportations, long hours of detainment in airports, and constant encounters with unfriendly borders. All these things are ways in which belonging and identity are significantly impacted.
The problem of Occupation is recognized often throughout the novel. Specifically in the quote, “in fact, our hatred of the Occupation is essential because it arrests the growth of our cities, of our societies, of our lives. It hinders their natural development (116)." The Occupation problem did not allow people to develop their nation, making them stick with their old way of life. Barghouti believes that it is in the interest of an occupation, that the homeland should be transformed into the memory of its people into symbols. Israel succeeded in this respect for even after the effects of Oslo the Palestinians acquired only the symbols without the substance of sovereignty and statehood. He portrayed his hatred towards the occupation in a peaceful way by not buying olive oil and figs. This was done because the traditions of olive oil and figs are iconic symbols throughout the culture as mentioned in the text. It states, “it was humiliating and that it distanced himself from his homeland once he bought the olive oil (Barghouti, 58).”
Barghouti has feelings of anger, but never of violence although many violent actions have happened in his life that is described in the book. He does not have a sense of longing for his homeland because he feels unhappiness and anger. Even after everything, he has been through in exile and displacement. Considering the pain and the heartaches Barghouti has gone through in exile, he discusses the Israelis with some restraint, but more in sorrow than in anger. However, his rage can be shown at the surface, with the Zionists for taking over his country. Along from being mad at them, his other form of anger arises directly at his people for being incapable of putting up effective resistance in place so things like that could not happen. He states in the text, “since the Zionist project started knocking on the glass of our windows with its sharp nails and then on the doors, which it kicked down to enter all the rooms of the house and throw us out into the desert." However, his gentle tone is unforgettable and portrays a sensitive and non-violent persona throughout the book. Even in the pain of loss, he somehow makes peace and humor in situations that arise. These lifelike situations and touches give the novel an existential perspective.
In the Ten Thousand Lovers the quote “it isn't an attachment to the land that's the problem. It's what you do with your attachment (117).” When reading this quote, many things come to mind. First, is the overall conflict between Israel and Palestine from the very beginning of time. This will always be the foundation of every situation, due to the ongoing turmoil the two nations have for each other. In the novel, this is portrayed in many ways. One way is Lily yearning for Israel. Not for the landscape, but other reasons for memories that are not necessarily good, but remind her where she came from and everything that she went through. In Yitzhak book review, when he states, Lily does not describe anything inherently unique about the country. Her longing is not "yearning for Zion." She doesn't love the State of Israel at all.” She is attached to the country because of all the awful memories she has of Ami’s death.
Another example of this is through the relationship between Lily and Ami. Both have a very difference of opinion in what they believe in involving Israel. However, the so-called “thing” that hangs over both their heads is Ami job and his commitment to being a security services investigator of Palestinian detainees. Although they have a huge difference of opinion regarding this matter, nothing stops them from enjoying life together. They refuse to quarrel over their differences but look past the “attachment” to ones’ country and into the betterment of each other and their relationship.
"It gives you a safe family feeling to use that inflection: you're not alone in the world. There's something reassuring about saying 'our language' and 'our presence' and 'our secret service.' You get swept into these things. And you never really get them out of your system. Deep down you always think, 'our forces.' Deep down you always think, 'our country.' Deep down you always think, 'our failure (176).' "Regarding the plurality of identity, the use of “our” or “us” is very interesting. “Our” is used as a first person plural pronoun in speaking about a widespread person, place or thing in Israel. This is an issue because they don’t use “our” in that type of context anymore, especially in the media. If problems occur, they identify the specific cause. Being associated with “our,” makes you feel a sense of responsibility when specific things happen, and make you think you are a part of something bigger than yourself. In the novel, this can be seen through the use of Hebrew text, and the problems of belonging and nationalism. In Yitzhak Laor book review it is stated, “Lily (or the author) draws a portrait of Israeli life in English, through the etymology of Hebrew words.” We can think of new ways to consider and think about Israeli nationalism and how this is seen through not just Israel but, Palestine as well.
Race, ethnicity, religion, and nation are all connected throughout this novel. It can be seen in many ways in Lily and Ami’s relationship, Ami’s job, the process of them getting married, and many other aspects. The story goes on to show the conflicts, unexpected passions,
and horrors the two young people go through, to live a nationalist dream. It exemplifies the conflicts between Israel/ Palestine but also touches lightly on how the dynamics of belonging are essential to the feeling of home and being wanted in society.
The contradictions between religion and secularity expose a crisis of national identity. This can be seen in Ami’s job. He is a security services investigator of Palestinian detainees. From the novel, Ami is painted as a man who does his job very well but does not believe in the aspect of the torture which put him in tough situations. However, he never steps away from the torture such as that in the West Bank, which left a huge impact on Palestinians. This constant struggle he goes through in the end overall ends up with him getting involved in the wrong situation and losing his life. The dynamics of land and memory in Israel become pressured by the Palestinian territories and the struggle for Palestinian self-determination. The memory aspect can be seen by the attempt to control the minds and actions of the detainees. The picture painted allows us to see life in Israel from many different perspectives.
A specific quote from Ten Thousand Lovers that shows another aspect of attachment from Lily is, “I am getting used to the whole idea of your job. It doesn’t shock me anymore. I don’t even think about it. It’s strange, how that happens.” (93) Her attachment to her homeland is completely changed in the end when she used to love going there, but due to Ami’s death has a different perspective.
The novel ends with Lily visiting London. The citation that Ravel writes about is the so-called idea that ‘Israeliness’ is a kind of curse.’ In the book review Torture in the Bedroom it states, “to be Israeli is to be a ruthless conflict.”(2003.Yitzhak.) This quote shows that Lily needs to live life for the here and now and not be stuck in the past. She will always have a desire to go back to Tel Avi due to all the history that she had there with Ami. This relates to the title Ten Thousand Lovers, because of the Israeli soldiers killed. The author shows this through the main character Lily, after Ami’s death and the struggle she goes through. This helps paint the picture that the overall Israeli-Palestinian conflict will never be able to go away.
The dynamics of identity, exile, and displacement between the Palestinian territories and Israelis is in a constant uproar that can be seen throughout both I Saw Ramallah and Ten Thousand Lovers. Palestinians seen Israelis as thieves and vise versa. There is no sense of understanding between either nation and they continue to feud. A common theme in both novels is a displaced person whom has experienced a lack of stability throughout his life. The Israelis feel a sense of loss of land, freedom, and attachment to their country is something that continues today. Palestinians have been going through the motions since the Israelis came, they've been unsure of how to form their own self-control of their land. The Palestinians were never afraid of the Israelis nor did they hate or dislike them. That is when the Palestinians began to hate and despise the very people made them immigrants to their own country. Ethnicity and nationalism in Israel have adapted to both sides and is clearly separated by the nations for their specific beliefs even till this day.