Political Zionism and Fiction: A Study of John Updike's Terrorist

According to this policy, Palestinians "are charged with anti-Semitism if they complain about the destruction of their villages; the ethnic cleansing of their cities; the loss of their country and right to citizenship; house demolitions; discrimination against Muslims and Christian Palestinians; the program of targeted assassinations; the well documented cases of torture" (Corrigan, 2009, p. 155). The individuals, activists or politicians in the United States and Europe who criticize human-rights problems in Israel or question the basic political ideology of Zionism are accused of anti-Semitism and racism as well. [...]from 1948 onward, charging those against Zionism movement policies with anti-Semitism has been perceived as an effective political weapon which, as George Soros notices, has been able to "silence the political debate on Israeli's policies toward the Palestinians" (Ibid, p. 148) and it could not be done without boundless Western and especially American support of Israel. [...]as American politicians confess, the influence and pressure of pro-Israel lobby inside the United States have reached a point that makes America defenseless against Israel's demands. Though Ahmad prepares himself to do the terrorist operation assigned to him to be fulfilled, Jack succeeds in stopping him by reminding him that God's will is on creation and life rather than destruction, the fact that Ahmad as an extremist Muslim had ignored. [...]by dissuading Ahmad from exploding the bomb, Levy robs him of his previous title as the hero of the story and introduces himself as the lovable hero of the novel who as a matter of fact, is a Jewish one; A hero whose primary concern has been to warn Ahmad against his extremist beliefs and guide him to the right decision; a hero whose very presence as a Jew and his similarities to Arab-American Ahmad and differences from him, both legitimize the colonial motives of political Zionism and question the motives of fundamentalists for committing terrorist crimes.