Eulogizing the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, Richard Silverstein points out that Darwish was born in Palestine in 1941, spent his early life chiefly in Israel:
Darwish was born in the upper Galilee village of Birweh in 1941. In
1948, Israel occupied (and eventually razed) his village and his former
landowning family was forced to flee to Lebanon. It was the first of
many such exiles for this poet of dislocation and uprootedness. His
family eventually returned to Israel and settled once again in a
village near Acre called Deir al-Asad. After graduating from high
school, he moved to Haifa.
1948, Israel occupied (and eventually razed) his village and his former
landowning family was forced to flee to Lebanon. It was the first of
many such exiles for this poet of dislocation and uprootedness. His
family eventually returned to Israel and settled once again in a
village near Acre called Deir al-Asad. After graduating from high
school, he moved to Haifa.
Darwish then became involved in political activities, was imprisoned, and later moved to Egypt.
One of the supreme ironies of Darwish’s career is that he should be considered a product of Israel, since he was born and raised there. Were Israel a country of all its
citizens, Darwish would be a national poet not only of the
Palestinians, but of Israelis as well. When Yossi Sarid suggested the
poet’s work be included in the national education curriculum, prime
minister Barak said it was “too soon.” This exemplifies how far Israel
has to go before it encompasses all its ethnic communities.
citizens, Darwish would be a national poet not only of the
Palestinians, but of Israelis as well. When Yossi Sarid suggested the
poet’s work be included in the national education curriculum, prime
minister Barak said it was “too soon.” This exemplifies how far Israel
has to go before it encompasses all its ethnic communities.
