A Cinematic Intifada Palestinian Cinema and the Challenge to the Dominant Zionist Narrative by Mounir Khoury, B.A. a Thesis Subm
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A Cinematic Intifada Palestinian Cinema and the Challenge to the Dominant Zionist Narrative By Mounir Khoury, B.A. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In Film Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario September 17, 2007 Copyright, Mounir Khoury, 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 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Abstract: The notion of the "founding myth" for a nation usually relies on narratives promoted by nation-states. Yet in the case of the State of Israel, the Zionist narratives have become dominant over the lesser-known narratives of the Palestinian people. This thesis will examine three provocative films dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:Divine Intervention (Elia Suleiman, 2002), Paradise Now (Hany Abu-Assad, 2005), andPrivate (Saverio Costanzo, 2004). Specifically, I argue that these three films, having all received international recognition and appraisal, challenge the dominant Zionist narratives and expose its distortion of Palestinian history. Through the use of images and dialogue, these films present heterogeneous counter-narratives that are often unheard on an international scale - the narratives which are essential to the ongoing struggle of the Palestinian people, seeking their nation and legitimate identity. li Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments: I would like to begin by thanking my supervisor, Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano, without whom I could not have mastered a task such as this. She was my guiding hand from beginning to end. A special thanks to Andre Loiselle, who put up with me and my endless questions. It may be because of me that he will eventually retract his ‘open door’ policy. Thank you to all the professors and instructors who have encouraged me throughout the years - especially Chris Faulkner, Zuzana Pick, Mark Langer, George McKnight, Nick Nguyen, Marc Raymond, and Jose Sanchez. Many of you not only taught me, you were among my closest friends. To the students of the Film Studies M.A. program at Carle ton, both past and present, who showed me that after all the frustration and topic changes, a substantial work can finally be produced. To the staff at the Dalhousie Street Bridgehead, thank you for all the great drinks, the free wireless internet and the wonderful atmosphere to write in. To my family, especially my parents, Issa and Hind Khoury, thank you for teaching me about my strong Middle Eastern background. It is something that I will never forget, and always nurture. Your support throughout my life, your words of praise, your tears of struggle, will always guide me wherever I go. To all my grandparents, Elias and Emily Abou-Assaf and Mounir and Heneineh Khoury, you may never know how much it means to me that you will all see this work completed to the end - your contribution in raising me to be the person I am today is immeasurable. To my uncle Malek, you showed me what Film Studies was and what it can truly be. If it were not for your encouragement, this thesis would not exist today. To my brother Mark, forget all the books I bought you, just read this thesis from beginning to end and we’ 11 call it even. Finally, to my beautiful soulmate, Isobel Walker - I don’t know how we managed to accomplish the things we have in the time we’ve been together and remain sane. You stood by me through the toughest tests I have ever faced and encouraged me all the way. You pushed me past my potential and made sure I endured to the end. I promise to return the favour. I love you for time and all eternity. 111 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 I. The History of the State of Israel ............................................................ 9 II. Objections to the Dominant Zionist Narrative ................................... 15 III. A Cinema of Resistance ...........................................................................22 CHAPTER ONE -DIVINEINTERVENTION...................................................25 CHAPTER TWO -PARADISENOW..................................................................46 CHAPTER THREE -PRIVATE............................................................................ 68 CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................91 APPENDIX A - DIALOGUE................................................................................97 APPENDIX B - CHRONOLOGIES I. Zionism - T imeline of Events ................................................................99 II. Facts about Israel (1998-2006) .............................................................109 APPENDIX C - OSLO H MAP............................................................................I l l BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................... 112 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 INTRODUCTION Palestinian cinema provides a visual alternative, a visual articulation, a visible incarnation of Palestinian existence in the years since 1948, the year of the destruction of Palestine, and the dispersal and dispossession of the Palestinians; and a way of resisting an imposed identity on Palestinians as terrorists, as violent people, by trying to articulate a counter-narrative and a counter-identity. These films represent a collective identity.1 - Edward W. Said The films that Edward Said was referring to in this quote were showcased at the “Dreams of a Nation” Palestinian film festival at Columbia University in January of 2003. Two of those films were by Hany Abu-Assad, and three by Elia Suleiman, who have received critical acclaim for their recent films about Palestine. Along with Italian filmmaker Saverio Costanzo, they have presented powerful cinematic alternatives and articulations, as Said states, in the struggle for Palestinian identity. This identity has been, and continues to be, jeopardized by the narrative presented by the State of Israel whose claims to nationhood, according to the Palestinians, came at the expense of their people and their homeland. This thesis seeks to examine how internationally recognized Palestinian cinema, particularly since the Second Intifada in 2000, seeks to counter history as defined by what I refer to as thedominant Zionist narrative, and reclaim the narrative of the Palestinian people. The most important question, at the outset of such an endeavor, is “What is Palestinian Cinema?” This query is one that has confounded both film scholars and the film industry at large. In attempting to discuss Palestinian cinema, one must concede to 1 Edward W. Said, “Preface,” in Dreams of a Nation: On Palestinian Cinema, ed. Hamid Dabashi ^London: Verso, 2006) 3. I specifically use the term “Zionist” in discussing this narrative, as many Jews and Israelis who oppose the national narrative o f the State o f Israel consider themselves “anti-Zionist.” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 the reality that such a cinema, in the context of already established configurations of national