Colonial Israel and Trans-Colonial Palestine by Maha Samman

Author:Maha Samman [Samman, Maha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Political Science, Colonialism & Post-Colonialism, Human Geography, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781136668845
Google: iItz3syiMrkC
Goodreads: 20789312
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2013-06-26T00:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

Since 1967, the three systems of surveillance, segregation and boundary-making have varied in intensity and density during the different political phases. As Weizman explains:

At times, the politics of separation/partition has been dressed up as a formula for a peaceful settlement, or others as a bureaucratic-territorial arrangement of governance, the most recently as a means of unilaterally imposed domination, oppression and fragmentation of the Palestinian people and their land.115

The physical space of the West Bank was demarcated with a boundary and segregating line after 1948, and was then colonially politicized after 1967. This has had its culminating impact on Palestinian lived space, as demonstrated in the space, the people and time.

The space of the West Bank is characterized by segregation and fragmentation, boundary construction, and surveillance in multi-dimensions and levels, horizontal and vertical, deep and shallow, macro and micro. Horizontally, it is separated from the Gaza Strip, divided into several enclaves separated by Israeli settlements and highways. Further segregation, fragmentation and boundary construction is also between district and district, city and city, village and village, neighbourhood and neighbourhood. Vertically, it is colonially divided into airspace, surface and underground. The depth of vertical descent underground is subject to military laws. Water sources are surveyed and restricted to Israeli military and settler use, particularly in C areas. The vertical policies are also imposed overground where all the air over the West Bank is controlled by Israel. Other vertical fragmentation policies were/are implemented in areas in the West Bank, where tunnels going under Palestinian controlled areas are under Israeli control, and bridges over Palestinian controlled areas are also under Israeli control. Palestinian and Israeli traffic systems are separated by such vertical constructions in many places. ‘Twenty-six such interchanges of vertical separation have already been constructed’ in the West Bank.116 This divides the Palestinian space into complicated forms, sometimes horizontally, other times vertically, and a complete division and control when surrounded from all sides. Also, this leads to the continuous inferiority of the agonist driving force for the development of space, and thus the antagonist colonial force becomes the director and controller of the space.

‘Israel is a state and a polity without clear boundaries.’117 Consequently, the strategies of the colonial conceived space have constructed various boundaries within the West Bank. These have been continuously changing using urban planning for the achievement of a political success at the expense of the Palestinians. Thus ‘[p]olitical action is fully absorbed in the organization, transformation, erasure and subversion of space’.118 Such continuous reorganization of the space causes continuous and developed suffering for the Palestinians.

The dividing line between Israeli and Palestinian areas was the Green Line. This line gradually shrunk to the benefit of Israel. The Oslo process made temporary divisions demarcating Areas A, B and C. Facts on the ground of constructed roads became the newer demarcated temporary boundaries. The wall is even the newest version of the temporary boundaries. All this has its consequences in implementing more segregation and fragmentation on the Palestinian space. This in practice divides areas and responsibilities and enables easier Israeli surveillance.

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