Election Day in Israel- Lemons Aplenty

Today is election day in Israel. The right-wing coalition is supposed to become even stronger. If there’s a silver lining (and there really isn’t) it’s that one of the Kings of Crazy, Avigdor Lieberman, won’t be around for the party this time.

I’ve been reading a lot, simultaneously going back and forth between “The Lemon Tree” by Sandy Tolan and “Righteous Victims” by Benny Morris. I’m almost done with the former. My thoughts are really similar to this review:

M. Reid says:

“This book is both a “must read” and at the same time it is deeply flawed. If you are seeking an emotional and decidedly gripping account of the Middle-east conflict this is an excellent choice. It will also serve admirably to put a face on both sides of the conflict. It should challenge the everyone who already associates themselves with a position on the matter to question their beliefs and to seriously consider the point of view of the other side in a meaningful way…”

(click link to read the rest)

“The Lemon Tree” is about the relationship between a Palestinian named Bashir and an Israeli woman named Dalia, who lives in the home that Bashir’s family was forced to leave in 1948.  The interactions between those two are compelling, and the lemon tree in the back is a nice but obvious metaphor for something or other.

But the book is marketed as a sweeping and objective history of the crisis, and think it fails at that level. Unfortunately, I think the book spends far more time on the broader conflict and less on the human aspect. There are two big problems with the book.

First: the choice of families he picks to ‘represent’ each side. I have no idea if he hunted around for similar stories before settling on Dalia/Bashir, or if there is a complete scarcity of interaction at this level. But this pair CANNOT represent be what Tolan wants them to be; that is, to typify the experiences of Israelis, and Palestinians.

Dalia’s family are survivors of the Holocaust and arrive in Israel in 1948, just in time to occupy the house in al-Ramla that the Khairis were unfairly kicked out of. A lot of time is spent early in the book describing the life of the Arabs in al-Ramla beforee 1948. This really plays into the whole view of Israel as a post-Holocaust phenomenon, a bunch of victims saddled off Europe and onto Palestine to supplant the native Arabs.

I think that view of Israel is highly inaccurate and the book would have been better served by showing the perspective of someone from the first or second Aliyah. That’s why I’m also reading Benny Morris’ book, which goes into detail about pre-war Zionism and its relationship to the land and the Arabs. Maybe when I finish that book I’ll write another post.

Also, Bashir and Dalia are unreliable sources, their perspective highly skewed by their experience. Bashir in particular comes across as an extremist, demanding that all Jews who came to Israel after 1917 (a somewhat arbitrary date, related to the Balfour Declaration) leave and go somewhere else. His life seems to be completely dominated by the issue of statehood, which raises one of those pesky chicken-or-egg questions:

in a marginalized/occupied area, are people forced to become defined by their situation (ie all aspects of life dominated by this fight against oppression) or do they make that choice, sowing the seeds of the vicious cycle? It’s not a question Tolan really explores. Which leads to…

Second: Tolan writes entirely in the third person. He either writes history as if he is providing an objective perspective or he ascribes things to characters/real people to give it a more intimate nature. I think his account of certain historical moments are disingenuous, as are his writing techniques–the above review provides some good examples.

That’s not to say his research isn’t extensive or he’s purposely hiding an agenda-I don’t either one is fair. But a real unbiased history of the conflict is well beyond the scope of his book, even though he sort of attempts it anyway.

Ironically, I have more respect/take more seriously journalists who insert themselves into a story, or acknowledge their narration/writing. When writing an ARTICLE, a journalist should try to remove themselves, but in a BOOK that doesn’t always work. When trying to make an argument, someone like Tolan should put all his cards on the table, including acknowledging his own experience.

There’s a similar problem in sportswriting or political writing. When composing an analytical piece, too many sportswriters will use an anonymous scout or source to push an argument. However, instead of legitimizing the point, instead it looks like the reporter is trying to hide behind someone else’s quote.

Overall I’d recommend “The Lemon Tree”, but not as the only book on the subject you’ll ever need to read, and not as a great work of nonfiction journalism.

Also, Bibi Netanyahu is crazy.