POLITICS
To Understand How Palestinians Have Suffered, Read Yoram Binur’s Great Memoir
An Israeli insider goes undercover to reveal ugly truths
As someone who has worked in education for a long time, I tend to see teachers as heroes. They spend years training themselves, growing in all sorts of ways in the process, and then share the fruits of their labor with others as a way of promoting increased self-actualization among those who are recipients of that sharing.
With that as my preface, I want to introduce you to the most unlikely of teachers, an Israeli journalist and storyteller — we could also call him a memoirist — named Yoram Binur who penned, back in 1989, an incredible book entitled “My Enemy, My Self.” The closest comparable text to Binur’s work is “Black Like Me,” by John Howard Griffin, who, in 1959, darkened his skin and then traveled through America’s Deep South to tell the story of how Black Americans were treated at that moment in the nation’s history.
I would also like to argue that everyone should get a copy of Binur’s book. At a time when many are paying very close attention to the genocidal war being waged against the Palestinians in Gaza and the outrageous daily acts of settler violence occurring in the occupied West Bank, there is increased international interest in the plight of the Palestinians. Those just learning about the challenges faced by people living under occupation are looking to learn more about the history of a decades-long conflict that dates back to the creation of Israel; for such readers, “My Enemy, My Self” is a captivating tale and an excellent resource.
Binur is an Israeli who grew up in Jerusalem, completed his military service (with distinction) as a member of the Haruv Reconnaissance Unit in the IDF. He subsequently studied Arabic Language and Literature at Hebrew University. After completing his education, he got a job as a journalist at Kol Ha’ir newspaper and lucked into an assignment that would become his “posing” project. This project had him “become” Fat’hi Awad, a Palestinian hailing from the Balata refugee camp.
He lived with both Israelis and Palestinians as a member of the latter group. He presented himself as a common laborer, using his considerable skills as a linguist and knowledge of Palestinian culture and the Islamic faith — he was often tested on his knowledge of the Quran by suspicious Palestinians who thought he might be an Israeli spy — to go places and meet people, including “political” Palestinians who were actively involved in resisting the occupation. The risks he took gave him the opportunity to experience life as a Palestinian would and then share what he learned.
The title, “My Enemy, My Self,” captures the feeling that Binur had during his travels and adventures. Even though he integrates very fully into Palestinian society and forms deep friendships with many people from all walks of life, he is perpetually aware that he is, by virtue of an accident of birth, just playing a role with no real power to help those who are being abused and exploited by the Israeli security apparatus. The stress involved in posing occasionally becomes too much for him, so he periodically returns home to Jerusalem, and resumes the relatively easy life of an Israeli before going undercover again. All the while, he understands that it is possible for him to step out of his game; whereas, those who are living under occupation do not have that luxury. In a real sense, being an Israeli Jew, someone who does not believe in the way Palestinians are being treated by their overlords, leaves him feeling very conflicted. Such inner conflict explains the title of his book.
The book is full of very engaging and disturbing stories that illustrate the plight that ordinary Palestinians face, on a daily basis, as they simply attempt to hold down jobs, take care of their families, navigate the byzantine rules and regulations imposed upon them by an apartheid-like system, and maintain their humanity to the best of their ability under very trying conditions. In addition, some of those he writes about get involved in the Palestinian cause, at great risk to themselves and their families, out of a sense of nationalistic fervor.
I do not want to give too much away. After all, I am writing this to encourage everyone to get the book and read it themselves. The reader who picks up a copy will have a hard time putting it down. We see “Fat’hi” taking on menial labor jobs and being exploited by his Israeli employers. He has a brief romance with an Israeli woman and must hide this relationship from everyone. He spends a very interesting time working in a Kibbutzim and residing in the notorious Jebalya refugee camp. He is nearly beaten up and arrested on several occasions. He concludes his book with two chapters titled “Sumud” and “Intifada,” two forms of resistance.
Today, years after publishing his book, which was translated into many languages but not Hebrew, Binur no longer seems to write and keeps a low profile. Given what is taking place in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, it would be wonderful to have a talk with the author after all these years. Of course I am just guessing, but I think I know what he might say over a cup of coffee if such a conversation were to take place.
