Introduction

Publications on the various aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict abound; there are historical, political, social, military, and diplomatic accounts that fill library shelves the world over. The vast majority of these publications, however, largely ignore how the Arab-Israeli conflict is portrayed in the artistic realms of literature and film. This book is but an attempt to explore this terra incognita in order to glean an understanding of how the creative word and the artistic image depict the assumptions both sides have about their violent confrontations and moments of reconciliation. What is embedded deep in the obscure poem, the little-read piece of fiction, or the cinematic screen shot of Arab-Jewish encounters may be more revealing of the true sentiments of either side than their respective political declarations to world media.