Zenatti notes that the inciting incident—the bombing at the cafe—was inspired by a real event, and that “the date was ironic. Ten years earlier to the day—September 9, 1993—there had been a peace agreement made between the Israelis and Palestinians” (A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, Front Matter). What does the use of real historical dates and events suggest about the irony of the past overlapping with and influencing the present? What other symbols and motifs from the novel help develop this idea?

Both Tal and Naïm demonstrate a willingness to flout the rules, question religious law, defy authority figures such as teachers and soldiers. What has caused them to question the generations who came before them, and to what extent does this represent The Complexities of Identity and Belonging in a Divided Society? Choose a specific passage from the novel and explain how it conveys this theme.

Examine a figure from ancient or religious history alluded to in the novel. Discuss the significance of this allusion to the text and analyze its relationship to thematic or character development.