Identification of Palestinian national identity (based on selected literary works)

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of the division of Palestinian national identity in relation to Israel based on the literary works of Palestinian writers. To conduct the study, there were used a specific historical method of analysis and interpretation of original literary works to work with the sources. There were selected such works of fiction for the study as Sahar Khalifa’s Wild Thorns (1974), Gharib Haifaoui’s Snatcherof Sleep (2012) and Ibtisam Azim’s The Book of Disappearance (2014) and Said Kashua’s Dancing Arabs (2002).Based on these materials, it is concluded that the Palestinian nationis divided against Israel, from attempted assimilation to armed confrontation. It also concludes that there is short-term pragmatism and a willingness of most Palestinians to maintain economic relations with Israel,with a consequent increase in the number of Arabs who speak Hebrewandare familiar with Jewish culture.