Abstract
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is one of the thorniest conflicts in the world. The life of the Palestinians in refugee camps under occupation is very difficult. Curfews, checkpoints, detention, and violence permeate all aspects of their daily life. Striving against poverty, their vicious enemy, and the constant struggle to survive are daily nightmares. However, they are often perceived as terrorists and war criminals. Dixiane Hallaj’s Refugee without Refuge: A Novel of One Palestinian Family is an attempt to highlight the problems Palestinians face in the refugee camps in occupied Palestine. The novel engages in establishing the relationship between the horrendous living conditions of the Palestinians and the aggression of the Israeli occupation forces on one hand and the violent reaction of the Palestinians on the other. It demonstrates that suicide bombing committed by the Palestinians is a rebounding of the Israeli violence and atrocities exercised against the Palestinians and that such lethal acts have no relation to religion or politics. They are personal decisions and acts taken after a long tragic suffering under the yoke of occupation. This article argues that Hallaj’s novel challenges the familiar notions and preconceptions of Palestinians as violence agitators, suicide bombers, and terrorists, which are propagated by western media and literature. The article focuses on Hallaj’s depiction of the Palestinian suffering and their final determination to get rid of their persecutors using violence after all nonviolent means become impossible. Psychoanalysis theory is applied to the novel to criticize the protagonist’s motives to attempt suicide bombing.
Highlights
The present article explores Dixiane Hallaj’s novel Refugee without Refuge: A Novel of One Palestinian Family and attempts to highlight the problems Palestinians face in Palestinian refugee camps as depicted in the novel
It can be concluded that Muhammad is driven to self-sacrifice by a cocktail of emotions including desperation, pride, honor, loss, anger, rage, humiliation, dehumanization, demonization, shame, powerlessness, and hopelessness
Muhammad’s attempt to commit the suicide attack is the outcome of the unbearable conditions in which he lives. His decision to be a suicide bomber can be attributed to deprivation and humiliation he has suffered at the hands of Israelis
Summary
The present article explores Dixiane Hallaj’s novel Refugee without Refuge: A Novel of One Palestinian Family and attempts to highlight the problems Palestinians face in Palestinian refugee camps as depicted in the novel It argues that Hallaj’s novel challenges the familiar notions and preconceptions of Palestinians as violence agitators, suicide bombers, and terrorists, which are propagated by western media and literature. Some writers argue that suicide bombers are motivated by religion. Those who commit suicide attacks believe that killing one’s self among unbelievers is a form of jihad. Other scholars opine that religion has nothing to do with suicide bombings They argue that such acts are motivated by politics.
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