“A Person Must Be Heard in Order to Be Human”

Prose and the Question of Presence under Occupation

Abstract

How does one write Palestinian literature without falling into the categories thus far labeled as occupier and occupied, victim and victimizer? How can we write the Palestinian account in a way that will lend itself to a wide range of perspectives in Hebrew literature? it seems that the literary collection Amputated Tongue succeeds in indicating the presence of an alternative Palestine in the Israeli arena: It is not fixated on a system of definitions of the politics of identities, but is written as short, fragmented stories that obscure the hegemonic narrative. Moreover, the disturbing events in the texts, described succinctly and free of mediation, cause the reader uneasiness, and their echoes remain as a stifled yawp that resonates between the story and its readers. Alongside the presence of the yawp and the frenetic movement received in the story, there is also a narrative halt that captivates and empowers the Palestinian trauma in the Israeli arena. Finally, the stories offer a fine line of cautious hope. Those who dare to avert their gaze might dream of a different future. These practices exemplify the diversity of Palestinian identity, petitioning its legitimate presence and existence in Hebrew (perhaps even turning Hebrew into a Palestinian language?). At the same time, these practices might also succeed in normalizing Arabic in the Israeli public and political sphere. In this way, Palestinian identity demands its presence in the Hebrew language and creates a sense of literary and political disorientation within Hebrew literature.