Books
Review: Once Upon A Country: A Palestinian Life
In a land of hostility, pity the moderate
September 2, 2009 13:00
By, Anonymous
1 min read
In a land of hostility, pity the moderate
September 2, 2009 13:00ByAnonymous, Anonymous
Sari Nusseibeh with Anthony David
Halban, £12.99
Contrary to what is expected and desired, historically victimised nations are not more prudent or compassionate than others. Driven by trauma and a deep sense of injustice, they are more susceptible to extreme views and actions; their reaction to any kind of assault is more likely to be an overreaction. The history of Palestine-Israel could thus be viewed as a cycle of action and overreaction justified by extreme ideologies and political views. Moderation, especially on the weaker, Palestinian side, is a rare currency.
The Palestinian philosopher and peace activist Sari Nusseibeh is, therefore, an exceptional voice in his unshakeable belief in peace and the possibility of achieving freedom and justice through non-violent means. His book is a unique story of an individual and a society within the turmoil of nearly a century of Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Sari is very much the son of Anwar Nusseibeh, whose milieu was the closest Palestinians have come to having a liberal political party. His book is a seamless narrative of a life of a son, a father and a nation. Descending from a Jerusalemite dynasty with roots traceable to the Arab conquest of the Holy City, Nusseibeh was brought up by a father who firmly upheld English values of tolerance, political pragmatism and the rule of law.
The son, an Oxford and Harvard philosophy graduate, hoped for a different destiny, devoting himself to the life of mind. But, as he soon discovered, that was not an option for a Nusseibeh, especially one who lives in Jerusalem, and thus, for the past 30 years, he has been involved in muddy and dangerous daily politics — as a union leader, a spokesman for the intifada and PLO, and occasionally Arafat’s companion to state banquets. Most ambitiously, after Oslo he attempted to establish a state infrastructure that would transform Fatah from a chaotic revolutionary organisation into a governing party.
After the failure of Camp David, Nusseibeh made another bold peace initiative, in collaboration with Ami Ayalon, former head of Shin Bet, in founding a grassroots movement with objectives clear and practical enough to make the two-state solution achievable.
However, within a context where moderates are aliens, Nusseibeh has often been viewed suspiciously by both sides and been the target of accusations and assaults by militant students, and death threats from Hamas. His willingness to engage in negotiations did not convince all Israelis that he was not a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a terrorist. As it happens, Nusseibeh was a regular guest at Shin Bet, though as a terrorist suspect.
Once Upon a Country does indeed record a Palestinian-Israeli cycle of action and overreaction — and of hope and despair.
Samir El-Youssef’s latest book is A Treaty of Love