Preface
The narrative line of this short story was inspired by a real encounter which took place between an arrested Palestinianand a soldier.
The day I went to greet M. back home after his release, he told me about a weird encounter he had experienced during his arrest. When I first heard the story, In was baffled. While he was awaiting to be interrogated, a soldier in civilian clothes approached him and asked explanations about the occupation. Once the initial distrust overcome, M. engaged in a political discourse which tackled different aspects of the Israeli occupation. I found it a paradox that such discourse had to happen in a detention structure. Although the soldier presented himself in civil clothes, probably searching for a common ground, M. was under arrest in a military area with his hand cuffed. Therefore the oppressive colonial-militaristic based hierarchy was preserved not allowing a real human exchange. Nevertheless I found the episode of a certain significance as on one side it highlights the ignorance and lies which reign in the military environment, on the other side the will of an individual to search beyond the lies he is told.
My aim in this short story is to touch sensitive issues related to the ongoing Israeli occupation by following a narrative line in which appear also personal thoughts and considerations developed during my five months stay in Palestine. As I was shaping the dialogue I tried to remind myselfwhat my objectives were in order to guide the narration towards that direction.
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