Literary the Narrator of the Two Sides of the Story

Jerusalem has always held a special significance throughout its history, whether for its religious status or for its national symbolism. Different nations ruled the city in different eras contributed to expressing their affection and respect to the holy status of the city whether by art, architecture, religious and historical works, or literary. As did the Arab and Islamic community throughout its history.^[1]

Jerusalem in Arab Literature

Arabic literature included or featured Jerusalem in all genres; in poetry, short stories, novels, and plays. In the past, Jerusalem was an exclusively religious subject in literature where its status as the holy land, the first Qibla, the city of the night journey of the Prophet, and the host of Al-Aqsa mosque was praised. However, with the successive occupations of Jerusalem from non-Arabs:Turkish, British, and Israeli, Jerusalem appeared as a symbol of nationality and patriotism.

Jerusalem in Poetry

There are two main orientations for poetry that featured Jerusalem: religious and national. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Jerusalem was addressed in poetry as the city of night journey and of Al-Aqsa. Many poets praised the city’s status in Islam and its relation to the Prophet. Poets such as Yousef Al Nabhani and Wadeea Bustani include historical figures such as Omar Bin Al-Khattab and Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi in their poems for their connection with the Holy City.^[2]

However, later attacks on the city’s Arab character, whether from the Ottomans when they restricted the use of the Arabic language, the British during mandate over Palestine, or the Israeli occupation along with their Judization policy in the city, Arabic literature adopted Jerusalem as a key to Arabism and nationality.^[3] Al-Kilani, Fuad Al-Khatib and Fadwa Touqan addressed Jerusalem as an Arab city, while more recent poets such as Abdul Rahim Mahmoud and Iskandar al-Khoury addressed the daily and social life of Jerusalem, in addition to the different events that take place in the city. Many other famous Arab names found themselves obliged to address Jerusalem as a key to Arabism and nationality such as Amal Dunkul, Muzaffar al-Nawab, Mahmoud Darwish, Ibrahim Nasrallah, Abdel Aziz Jawida and Tamim Barghouthi.^[4]

Jerusalem in Narrative Literature

Short stories, novels and plays took almost similar orientations to poetry; they either adopted their work on Jerusalem from a social vision, a religious vision, a national vision, or a political vision.

Some examples of these different types of literary works:

• Short story:

• Social stories

“Ten Pounds” by Omar Dana
“A Day Under the Occupation” by Abdul Rahman Abad
“Smile, O Jerusalem” by Nabih al-Qasim
“A Promise from Jerusalem” by Najwa Farah
“Under the Roof of the Night” by Ahmed Odeh

• Religious stories

“An Appointment in Jerusalem” by Suleiman Al – Mashini
“Riders to Jerusalem” by Yusuf Saleh
“The Shop” by Ibrahim Al – Alam
“Prepare for Them” by Sa’adah Abi Iraq

• National stories

“Nafas Tanbak” by Khalil Al – Sawahri
“Tale of the Old Walls” by Moufid Nahlah
“After the Siege Just Before the Sun” by Akram Haniyeh

• Novels

• Social novels

Blood and Soil by Attia Abdullah Attia
Leave by Moufid Nahlah
The Mother Displaced by Ahmed Abadi

• Political novels

New Wounds by Issa Al – Naoury
Desperate by Emile Habibi
The Christian Quarter by Nabil Al – Khoury

• Plays

“The Homeland of the Martyr” by Aboushi
“Al Quds Al Sharif” by Shukri Saeed
“Rachel” by Najati Bukhari
“The Road to Jerusalem” by Abdeen Bseiso

Jerusalem in Israeli Literature

In 1968, Ghassan Kanafani presented a study on Zionist literature in which he proved that Zionist literature preceded and paved the way for political Zionism. According to Kanafani, the Israeli literature broke? divided? into two phases; before the birth of Israel (Nakba), and after.

In the Foundation stage, which preceded the declaration of the state of Israel, the protagonist of the text is usually a fugitive from Europe.
He falls in love with a non-Jewish who is at the same time a non-Arab, and starts explaining the concepts of Zionism. He remembers persecution and massacres, and tells a story full of ethnic greed while the Arabs are a group of naive persons who have no cause, and lag behind fighting the Jews.^{“ftnt_ref5″ href=”#ftnt5”>[5]}

More recently, specifically after the declaration of the state of Israel, literature written by Israelis adopted a new approach that would humanize the Israeli community and reach out to its daily concerns. The more recent literature deals with the self and society addressing Israeli social matters while ignoring Arabs and war as if they exist far away.^[6]

Regardless of whether the author/protagonist loves Jerusalem or hates it, it remains a purely Jewish and unified city in the Israeli literature.^[7] This shows clearly in Israeli novelist Amos Oz’s s A Tale of Love and Darkness and Hannah and Michael.^[8]

Jerusalem in Israeli Poetry

Hebrew poetry splits into two groups when it comes to the image of Jerusalem; some poets see Jerusalem as the mother, the homeland, and the lover, a story of the past, present and future, while others believe Jerusalem is a city of pain and sorrow that bears the responsibility of their depression and alienation.^[9]

The Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, called the poet of Jerusalem, is the best example of both sides. In the beginning of his poetic life he praised Jerusalem and declared that he has no life outside the holy city, and that he would never forget it. Later in his life though, Jerusalem appeared in Amichai’s poems as the city of regret and pain where he confesses that he is not happy with his life in Jerusalem.^[10]

This section will be dedicated to Jerusalem in literature; Palestinian, Arab, Israeli, or Western. Novels, short stories, poems and literary studies and works that speak about Jerusalem will be the subject of this section.