Shehadeh's Hope: Re-evaluating Narratives for Israeli-Palestinian Coexistence

Key Quotes

"in april the haganah the terrorist organization started bombing jaffa they bombed the center of jaffa and it was getting dangerous but they decided to stay and then jewish terrorists started bombing the manshiyya which is a suburb of jaffa and it became very dangerous and they had a three year old daughter and they decided that they will leave to ramallah where they had the summer house because jaffa in the summer is very humid and hot so they left on the 28th of april to ramallah and they were never able to return"

Raja Shehadeh explains the circumstances of his family's displacement from Jaffa in 1948. This quote highlights the violent events that led to their departure and their inability to return, establishing a foundational narrative of loss and exile. Shehadeh's personal history is thus directly linked to the broader Palestinian experience of dispossession.

"i would characterize it by the feeling that where you are is not home where you are is temporary and the real home is somewhere else where you come from you don't feel you belong to the place that you are in you know it's striking to me in reading your works that you often express anger over the israeli palestinian conflict but at the same time i never get a sense from your work that anger consumes you"

Raja Shehadeh defines the concept of an "exile's consciousness" as a persistent feeling of impermanence and detachment from one's current location. Shehadeh contrasts this with his own approach to anger, emphasizing his deliberate effort to avoid letting it immobilize him. This demonstrates his commitment to maintaining hope and seeking solutions rather than succumbing to destructive emotions.

"i think the first thing is to document and make clear what is the situation and avoid mystification and i think the colonization works by mystifying by making people lose a sense of who they are and how did they get to the point that they got to now i realized now that the people who are younger than me and who were born in in the let's say '90s never knew the land as it was before never knew what the hills looked like before the settlements were built all over them never knew the roads before they were distorted and became settler roads and full of checkpoints"

Raja Shehadeh articulates his role as a writer in combating the effects of colonization. Shehadeh explains that his work aims to "document and make clear" the reality of the situation, countering the "mystification" that colonization imposes. This is particularly important for younger generations who have not experienced the land before its alteration by settlements and infrastructure designed for settlers.

"i think that the illusion was very dangerous because it led to the genocide in in gaza so that the israelis became convinced that all because their leaders said all the palestinians are responsible for the murders that took place in october 7th and so they went in civilians without thinking about it likewise in the west bank the settlers are now i used to be able to speak to the settlers or to the army in the west bank and and have a conversation with them and ask them why are they doing this and so on and now it's impossible now they would shoot and so it's very dangerous this illusion"

Raja Shehadeh identifies the "illusion of collective responsibility" as a dangerous concept that fuels violence. Shehadeh argues that this illusion, where entire populations are held accountable for the actions of their leaders or groups, has directly contributed to atrocities like the genocide in Gaza. He contrasts the past possibility of dialogue with settlers and the army with the current impossibility, highlighting the escalating danger.

"i think the new narrative would have a very important element which is that both sides must recognize the right of the other for self determination and if there is a recognition of self determination for the other then this is a very important starting point and a very important element in the narrative and once we accept the right of determination for the other then the other question becomes how do we exercise that right of self determination and there are many ways of exercising it in such a way that could take into account the possibility for the two sides to live together and find a relationship of living together and that is the important element in the narrative"

Raja Shehadeh proposes a foundational element for a new narrative regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Shehadeh emphasizes the mutual recognition of each side's right to self-determination as a crucial starting point. He suggests that once this recognition is established, the focus can shift to finding ways for both sides to coexist and build a shared future.

"i think that the criticism about the times is right because the times has not been very forthright in calling the genocide genocide and in in giving full coverage to the palestinians although this has changed in the recent weeks and months and and so there has been a change and we should always work for change rather than give up because the times is a very important newspaper and has many important readers and so it's important to keep the lines open and to try and bring it into more sympathy and understanding of the palestinians and this issue is is is an ongoing issue because it can be changed and then revert back to the old ways so that is an ongoing battle"

Raja Shehadeh acknowledges the validity of criticisms leveled against The New York Times regarding its coverage of the conflict. Shehadeh believes that while the newspaper has not always been direct in labeling actions as "genocide" or providing full coverage of the Palestinian perspective, there has been recent improvement. He advocates for continued engagement and advocacy rather than disengagement, seeing it as an ongoing effort to foster understanding.