Palestinian Postcoloniality

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the historical geopolitical events that led to the introduction of postcoloniality in Palestine. It argues that the Oslo Accords ensured that the postcolonial lives alongside the anticolonial in a still-persistent colonial condition in the Palestinian territories. Specifically, this is an outcome of two relevant legacies of the Accords. The first and most palpable legacy is the Accords' failure to end Israel's military rule over the Palestinian territories and establish a sovereign State of Palestine. The second legacy is evident in the manner in which the Oslo Accords introduced and incentivized postcoloniality, encouraging Palestinian factions to refrain from an anticolonial political conduct and instead operate in a manner as if the colonizer had already withdrawn. It is these two legacies of the Oslo Accords which Hamas navigates by means of its dual role. As an armed resistance movement, Hamas exemplifies a response to what the Accords failed to do, namely establish a sovereign Palestinian state and dismantle Israel's settler colonial rule. However, as the government in Gaza, it also embodies postcoloniality as instructed by the Oslo Accords.