Exodus, Nakba Denialism, and the Mobilization of Anti-Arab Racism

Abstract

Nakba denialism – that is, denying Zionist culpability for the mass expulsions of Palestinian Arabs from their homeland in 1948 – has long been a feature of US discourse on Palestine. Through a content analysis of Leon Uris’ 1958 novel, Exodus, I argue that Nakba denialism rests on three anti-Arab racist tropes. The first trope presents Palestinian Arabs as lacking religious attachment to Palestine, the second trope claims they lack modern feelings of national identity, and the third trope claims they are easily induced to commit acts of violence by their ruthless leaders. Through the deployment of these tropes, the Exodus narrative popularized key elements of Nakba denialism in US discourse by blaming the victims of settler colonial violence for the expulsions they faced. More broadly, this article shows how the imbrication of race and settler colonialism functions to epistemologically erase the very acts of settler colonial violence that produce racialized Others.

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“…These clusters are called mind-sets. The mind-sets are remarkably easy to name because the patterns of strong performing elements within a mind-set immediately suggest a name for that mind-set.s All of a sudden, this blooming, buzzing confusion comes into clear relief and one sees the rules by which a person weights the different messages to assign the rating [21][22][23][24][25]. The development of mindsets through Mind Genomics leads naturally to the question about the use of artificial intelligence, AI, to synthesize these mindsets.…”

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“…Nassar [71] explores the political and cultural consequences of the Nakba (the forced displacement of Palestinians in 1948) and how it is denied and distorted in contemporary conversation. Nassar argues that Nakba denialism is a central component of Israeli nationalist ideology and mobilization of anti-Arab racism [71].…”

“…Nassar [71] explores the political and cultural consequences of the Nakba (the forced displacement of Palestinians in 1948) and how it is denied and distorted in contemporary conversation. Nassar argues that Nakba denialism is a central component of Israeli nationalist ideology and mobilization of anti-Arab racism [71]. Specifically, Nassar examines the role of the novel Exodus (1958) by Leon Uris, which he used to argue and play a grave role in constructing the myth of Israeli victimhood and delegitimizing Palestinian claims to land as well as their sovereignty [71].…”

“…Nassar argues that Nakba denialism is a central component of Israeli nationalist ideology and mobilization of anti-Arab racism [71]. Specifically, Nassar examines the role of the novel Exodus (1958) by Leon Uris, which he used to argue and play a grave role in constructing the myth of Israeli victimhood and delegitimizing Palestinian claims to land as well as their sovereignty [71]. How Nassar provides a detailed analysis of Uris' novel draws on Orientalist tropes and constructs Palestinians as barbaric and expendable.…”

“…How Nassar provides a detailed analysis of Uris' novel draws on Orientalist tropes and constructs Palestinians as barbaric and expendable. What is also important is how the novel constructs Jewish settlers as heroic and deserving of the land they occupy [71]. Nassar further explores how Exodus has been mobilized in Israeli and American politics to justify Israeli actions in Palestine.…”