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film’s conclusion there is an element of justifiable retribution.
Hill’s film and Mandel’s screenplay rob le Carre’s novel of its Palestinian
message, although there is still enough to upset some defenders of Israel who
almost seem to equate any critique of that nation with anti-semitism.19 Certainly
no similar litmus test is provided for criticism of other nations, but the fate of Israel
must be viewed through the prism of the Holocaust. Thus, le Carre’s point is not
that the nation of Israel has no right to exist, but that there is more to the Palestin
ian position than simply terrorism and suicide bombers. His endeavors to find a
broader audience for this idea were certainly negated by the cinematic treatment of
The Little Drummer Girl.
In light of the attacks by A1 Qaeda on the United States and the escalating
violence in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians, it is becoming more
difficult to move beyond stereotypes and examine root causes, despite the outpour
ing of recent scholarship on the Middle East. The popular press tends to sensation
alize rather than seek complex deeper understanding. For example, in a piece for
The New York Times Magazine, Elizabeth Rubin profiles the Hamas terrorist Qeis
Adwan, who was killed by the Israeli army. In explaining how an intelligent and
charismatic young student became an advocate of terrorism, Rubin emphasizes
the crude propaganda employed by organizations such as Hamas at An Najah Uni
versity in Nablus. However, less attention is given to the deplorable employment,
housing, and health care of the Palestinian people, along with the daily humiliation
of check points maintained by the Israeli army.20
Many Americans are reluctant to discuss the factors and conditions which
produce terrorism. It is as if to engage in a discourse on this topic is in some way a
condoning of terrorism. But one can still speak out against violence, while seeking
to understand its origins. It is this search for the roots of terrorism to which le
Carre drew our attention in The Little Drummer Girl. And in the aftermath of
September 11, he has reminded us that these root causes must still be addressed in
order to ensure long-term security. Thus, in his November 2001 piece for The
Nation, le Carre concluded that the real test for the United States and the West will
come after A1 Qaeda is defeated. Le Carre writes,
Cautiously, between the lines, we are being invited to believe that the
conscience of the West has been reawakened to the dilemma of the poor
and homeless of the earth. And possibly, out of fear, necessity and rheto
ric, a new sort of political morality has indeed been bom. But when the
shooting dies and a seeming peace is achieved, will the United States and
its allies stay at their posts or, as happened at the end of the Cold War,
hang up their boots and go home to their own backyards? Even, if those
backyards will never again be the safe haven they once were.21