Current location:business >>
VOX POPULI: Palestinian writer’s novel is a poignant echo of Gaza tragedy
business112People have gathered around
Introduction“Why didn’t you knock on the sides of the tank? Why didn’t you bang the sides of the tank? Why? Why? ...
“Why didn’t you knock on the sides of the tank? Why didn’t you bang the sides of the tank? Why? Why? Why?”
The Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani’s (1936-1972) novel “Men in the Sun” ends with an anguished cry of lament from a Palestinian water tank truck driver.
“You” refers to three Palestinian refugees. They attempt to smuggle themselves into Kuwait to find jobs with the help of the driver and hide inside the closed water tank at checkpoints.
At the Kuwaiti crossing, the men die from the heat as they do not knock on the sides of the tank to seek help.
The novel was published in 1963. Fifteen years earlier, Israel had declared its independence and about 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes during the 1948 First Arab-Israeli War.
Kanafani, who became a refugee at the age of 12, joined the liberation struggle and was assassinated when he was 36.
The ongoing fighting in Gaza makes me reflect on the history of the Palestinian issue. The armed conflict between the Israeli military and Hamas began half a year ago, but its roots trace much further back.
It’s always the civilians who suffer in these situations. In the past six months, about 33,000 people have died in Gaza.
Homes have been destroyed, hospitals have lost their ability to function and restrictions on land transport have escalated a hunger crisis.
According to an international nongovernmental organization, in northern Gaza, people are forced to survive on an average of 245 kilocalories a day (equivalent to about 1.5 slices of bread). Children are dying from hunger and malnutrition.
“Food is a universal human right,” argued the World Central Kitchen aid organization, which had been delivering food to starving people in Gaza by sea. They provided more than 43 million meals in Gaza, but seven of their staff members were recently killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Help is being sought by banging on the sides of a tank. It is outrageous to see even those who noticed and reached out to help also being killed.
The echoing “why” in the desert described at the end of the novel now continues to resonate in my head.
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 7
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Planet Pages news portal”。http://laos.izmirambar.net/html-08d099991.html
Related articles
The fightback begins: Boss of London's Queen Mary University tells pro
businessA university boss has been praised after telling a pro-Gaza student mob he will not meet them until ...
【business】
Read moreUNESCO, China's Gansu Collaborate in Cultural Heritage Protection
businessContact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom ...
【business】
Read moreSpring Farming Across China
businessContact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom ...
【business】
Read more
Popular articles
- Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
- China Updates Livestreaming Platform Regulations to Protect Minors
- Rural Women Plant Trees, Hope in South China Desert
- IOC President Writes Letter Thanking Beijing 2022 Volunteers
- Jon Wysocki dead at 53: Staind drummer passes away
- Marriages Fall in 2021 Leading to Lower Birth Rates in China, Despite Declining Divorce Rate
Latest articles
Mohammad Mokhber: Who is Iran’s acting president?
China Prioritizes Job
Interview: China to Unveil Timely Measures to Stabilize Employment: Official
China Issues Guideline on Commending Martyrs, Supporting Martyrs' Families
Yu Darvish extends scoreless innings streak to 25 in Padres' 9
Marriages Fall in 2021 Leading to Lower Birth Rates in China, Despite Declining Divorce Rate
LINKS
- Hamas announces first death of Israeli hostage due to 'medicine and food shortages'
- Ivy Getty and Tobias Engel divorce: Inside the couple's 3
- China unveils regulations on water conservation
- Early voting for S. Korea's parliamentary elections kicks off
- Zheng eases past Cîrstea in Stuttgart opener after long trip from China. Paolini also through
- China ready to work with neighboring countries to expand convergence of interests: spokesperson
- Van Thinh Phat case tests investor confidence in Vietnam — Radio Free Asia
- Hamas says 19 killed in Israeli shelling near Gaza City, Israel denies
- China firmly against US, Japan's false narrative on China's nuclear policy
- US Olympic committee strikes sponsorship deal to help athletes get degrees after they retire