Kafka at the West Bank checkpoint: de-normalizing the Palestinian encounter before the law

The checkpoint has emerged as a quintessential trope within the contemporary Palestinian imagination, to such an extent that “checkpoint narratives” have arguably come to assume a dangerously “normalized” status as everyday, even iconic features of Palestinian existence. Turning to the films Route 181 by Michel Khleifi and Eyal Sivan, and like twenty impossibles by Annemarie Jacir, this article explores how alternative representations (and theorizations) of checkpoint encounter might serve to “de-normalize” the checkpoint in a way that invites us to interrogate the very nature of the checkpoint apparatus in itself, including the nature of the “law” that it represents. Mobilizing the critical paradigms of the “state of exception” and “homo sacer” drawn from the theoretical work of Giorgio Agamben and the literary work of Franz Kafka, the article argues that apprehension of the enduring oddity and abnormality of the checkpoint serves as a vital mode of critical resistance to the policies of “spatio-cide”, “securitization” and colonialism exercised at the hands of the State of Israel through the checkpoint mechanism

I Wanted That Story to Be Told (Interview) / ﺃﺭﺩﺕ ﻟﻬﺬﻩ ﺍﻟﻘﺼﺔ ﺃﻥ ﺗُﺤﻜﻰ (ﻣﻘﺎﺑﻠﺔ (

[Annemarie Jacir discusses her background and artistic vision as it has culminated, most recently, in her award-winning 2008 feature film Salt of this Sea. Jacir explains how her film, which traces the experiences of Soraya—a Palestinian-American woman (portrayed by poet Suheir Hammad)—as she attempts to reclaim her family home, was made and how it has been received internationally. Furthermore, Jacir details her struggles as a Palestinian filmmaker to film inside of Israel, and the ways that her work explores the Nakba and its trauma for Palestinians in the United States and throughout the world. ﺗﻨﺎﻗﺶ ﺁﻥ ﻣﺎﺭﻱ ﺟﺎﺳﺮ ﺧﻠﻔﻴﺘﻬﺎ ﻭﺭﺅﻳﺘﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﻔﻨﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺒﻠﻮﺭﺕ ﻓﻲ ﺃﺣﺪﺙ ﺃﻋﻤﺎﻟﻬﺎ، ﻓﻴﻠﻢ ﻣﻠﺢ ﻫﺬﺍ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺮ (٢٠٠٨)، ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺣﺎﺯ ﺟﺎﺋﺰﺓ ﺃﺣﺴﻦ ﻓﻴﻠﻢ. ﺗﻨﺎﻗﺶ ﺍﻟﻤﺨﺮﺟﺔ ﺗﻔﺎﺻﻴﻞ ﺻﻨﺎﻋﺔ ﻓﻴﻠﻤﻬﺎ - ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﻳﺤﻜﻲ ﺗﺠﺎﺭﺏ ﺇﻣﺮﺃﺓ ﻓﻠﺴﻄﻴﻨﻴﺔ ﺃﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ، ﺗﻘﻮﻡ ﺑﺪﻭﺭﻫﺎ ﺍﻟﺸﺎﻋﺮﺓ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ ﺴﻬﻴﺮ ﺣﻤّﺎﺩ، ﻭﻣﺤﺎﻭﻟﺘﻬﺎ ﺍﺳﺘﺮﺩﺍﺩ ﻣﻨﺰﻝ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻠﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻓﻠﺴﻄﻴﻦ - ﻭﺍﺳﺘﻘﺒﺎﻟﻪ ﺩﻭﻟﻴﺎﹰ. ﻭﺗﺘﻨﺎﻭﻝ ﺍﻟﻤﺨﺮﺟﺔ ﺍﻟﺼﻌﻮﺑﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﻭﺍﺟﻬﺘﻬﺎ ﺑﺼﺪﺩ ﺗﺼﻮﻳﺮ ﻓﻴﻠﻤﻬﺎ ﺩﺍﺧﻞ ﺇﺳﺮﺍﺋﻴﻞ، ﻭﺍﻷﺳﻠﻮﺏ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺗﻨﺎﻭﻟﺖ ﺑﻪ ﺍﻟﻨﻜﺒﺔ ﻭﺁﺛﺎﺭﻫﺎ ﺍﻟﻤﻔﺠﻌﺔ ﻋﻠﻰﺍﻟﻘﻠﺴﻄﻴﻨﻴﻴﻦ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ .