Israeli Occupation Research Articles

Surpass obstacles for the development of Agrarian Insurance in Palestine and the challenge for water

The study aimed to analyze the reality of agricultural insurance in Palestine and the technological applications used in this sector, and used the historical approach based on two important axes: 1 - agricultural lands in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under the practices of the Israeli occupation, 2 - the Palestinian water sector under the Israeli occupation, the study concluded He pointed out that agricultural insurance in Palestine is in the preliminary stage, due to the inability of insurance companies to bear the losses resulting from the risks of occupation practices, such as the occupation practices in destroying agricultural lands with several unrealistic justifications, as well as controlling and plundering Palestinian water resources

Uncanny parallels: exile, pandemic, and the Palestinian experience

ABSTRACT Inspired by Said’s concept of exile, Camus’ 1947 novel The Plague, and testimonies from our students, this paper explores the striking similarities between experiences of exile and the COVID-19 pandemic. Both exile and the pandemic are seen as intrusive forces causing rupture and discontinuity in one’s life at the physical, psychological and socio-cultural levels. This paper demonstrates that for many Palestinians – including us and our students – the pandemic manifests what Freud termed ‘repetition compulsion’. That is, many of our students interpret the detrimental and precarious impact of the pandemic as a complex form of exile, a nuanced understanding that blends a historical, communal memory of displacement with a present, universal crisis. This paper further explains that the themes of exile and displacement in Camus’ The Plague provide us and our students with a focal point to examine the striking, albeit anachronistic, similarities between the pandemic caused by Israeli occupation and the COVID-19 virus. This uncanny relationship between the pandemic and exile is further substantiated by the fact that the pandemic has provided cover, or at least distraction, for the escalation of oppressive political actions, thus deepening the entrenchment of a physical and psychological ‘exile’ for Palestinians.

Effect of agricultural extension on technology adoption by Palestinian farmers under Israeli occupation in the West Bank

Even during the conflict, agricultural extension by the Palestinian Authority has played an important role in agricultural development in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The Ministry of Agriculture of the Palestinian Authority provided the necessary agricultural extension services for Palestinian farmers affected by the Israeli settlements and Segregation Wall. Despite such importance of agricultural extension, few quantitative studies have examined its effect on Palestinian farmers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the effect of agricultural extension on technology adoption by Palestinian farmers for appropriate evaluation of the agricultural policies by the Palestinian Authority. The microdata of 79,446 agricultural holdings from the Agricultural Census 2010, which was the only microdata officially published and available at the time of this study, was used. Then, the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method was employed to mitigate the endogenous bias caused by self-selection by farmers in receiving the agricultural extension. The results showed that agricultural extension has positively and significantly affected the adoption of five technologies, namely improved crop varieties, chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers, pesticides, and biological control. The estimated increase in the adoption rate of those technologies as the average treatment effects on the treated (ATT) by the nearest-neighbor matching method were by 7.1, 7.7, 5.4, 6.8, and 3.8 percentage points respectively. This study proved that agricultural extension promoted the adoption of those technologies even in the conflict. Therefore, agricultural extension by the Palestinian Authority plays an important role in farming by Palestinian farmers. In order to maintain and improve farmers’ livelihoods sustainably, it is necessary to continue the agricultural extension by the Palestinian Authority in the future, considering the behavior of farmers.

Hashtag activism: An alternative pathway for the transnationalization of protests a case study of #SaveSheikhJarrah

Digital media have provided activists with communication and organizational tools that have revolutionized the work of social movements. This article contributes to the literature on the role of digital media in the transnationalization of protests by examining a case study of a digital advocacy campaign initiated by Palestinian activists against the Israeli occupation using #SaveSheikhJarrah. It presents an empirical case in which digital media provide an alternative pathway for transnationalizing a local cause through applying the connective action framework. It argues that the Sheikh Jarrah activists successfully used connective action mechanisms through digital media techniques to transnationalize protests that began in East Jerusalem and spread beyond national borders to numerous locations worldwide. Moreover, the study employs a mixed-method analysis that incorporates the network perspective to explain the flow of information and the activists’ roles and relations, in addition to using topic modelling to explain the counterpublic’s narrative building mechanism.

The Problem of Recognition of Palestine in the context of the Palestinian People’s Realization of the Right to Self-Determination

The paper examines the problem of recognition of Palestine in modern international law. International documents and United Nations resolutions adopted on the issue of the conflict in Palestine are analyzed. The author, based on an analysis of international documents, concludes that Palestine meets all the criteria for statehood, but the Israeli occupation prevents the creation of a viable Palestinian state. Despite various efforts being made to reach a solution to the Palestinian issue, the peace process has reached a deadlock. This is facilitated by the policy and practice of the occupying power to consolidate the de facto position of the occupied territories in violation of its legal obligations. To date, Palestine is recognized by more than 138 states and the UN General Assembly has repeatedly confirmed the right to self-determination through resolutions. The efforts of the international community must be intensified to put an end to this irreconcilable conflict, which poses a threat to international peace and security.

The Materiality of Power and Bodily Matter(ing): Embodied Resistance in Palestine

To resist the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, Palestinian prisoners are smuggling sperm samples out of Israeli prisons to enable their wives to undergo fertility treatment. Bodies and bodily matter figure as central actors in this practice of resistance. In this article, I draw from fieldwork I conducted with Palestinian women and medical staff in the occupied West Bank to examine the tension between carcerality and matter(ing). I argue that bodies and bodily matter are constitutive of the relationship between oppression and resistance. I analyze how Israeli military authorities assign evidentiary status to Palestinian bodies and illustrate how Palestinian families challenge the Israeli carceral system through new modes of embodied resistance. This article demonstrates how intersecting forms of oppression shape and are being shaped by bodies and their materiality. It also suggests that theorizing the materiality of power from Palestine offers new ways of understanding the political work that bodies do.

Challenges and Obstacles during Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis Management Faced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip

Background: The main aim of this study was to describe the main challenges and obstacles faced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) during the management of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis from a health policymakers' perspective in the Gaza Strip (GS). Methods: The researcher used a descriptive, exploratory qualitative design, targeting health policy-makers, with a sample size of 25, using a purposeful sampling technique. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, whereas the directed qualitative content analysis approach was adopted for the analysis of the interview data. Results: The study stated 26 challenges and obstacles faced by the Palestinian MoH and the health care system (HCS) and ways and measures taken by the MoH to deal with them. The study stated a set of challenges and obstacles faced by Palestinian MoH and HCS during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis management and ways and measures taken by MoH to deal with the following: 8 Challenges related to Shortage of oxygen and resources, as "The Shortage of produced amounts of oxygen, N=16”. 7 Challenges related to the nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as “Spreading of Covid-19 infection between medical personnel and Infection of the medical staff, N=6). 4 Challenges related to situational reality and community, as “Siege and closure of crossings and Impeding the entry of medical devices and equipment and vaccinations, N=11” 4 Challenges related to the health system and health services, as” the fragility of the health system as a result of repeated crises and attacks by the Israeli occupation, especially under the blockade, N=4”. 3 Challenges related to lack of information and knowledge, as “Lack of information and Knowledge about this new pandemic, N=15”. Conclusion: All of the participants agreed that MoH has done well since the beginning of the pandemic and over 3 despite the extreme shortage of resources and these challenges and obstacles. The study recommended activating and enhancing the role of the Palestinian PuHealth Emergency Operation Center (PHEOC) ].

The legal status of Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons and the guarantees of their international protection

The daily arrests carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinians constitute a blatant violation of the rules of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Arrests became a daily phenomenon and collective punishment for the Palestinian people, as the occupation authorities failed to respect guarantees of protection for the civilian population and did not adhere to the rules regulating the rights and conditions of detainees. These guarantees and rules are affirmed by international humanitarian law, and obligate states to fulfill their obligations in dealing with prisoners and detainees in their custody, and to preserve their rights and human dignity to receive the necessary health care and adequate food. Moreover, to allow their families to visit and communicate permanently with them, to prevent torture and ill-treatment and not to subject them to arbitrary detention, as well as prohibiting the absolute use of administrative detention orders as required by the provisions of the 3rd. and 4th. Geneva Conventions of 1949.

The racial role of mathematicians and mathematics in maintaining the Israeli military occupation

The racial role of mathematicians and mathematics in maintaining the Israeli military occupation

Hamas in Cyberspace: Social Media and Forms of Political Expression

This study examines the digital practices and online discourses of Hamas on Twitter, with a specific focus on the Palinfoen account linked to the Palestinian Information Centre (PIC). The study examines 3,500 tweets related to events in Palestine, which were either tweeted or retweeted by the Palinfoen account. To explore these practices, the researcher employs digital ethnography and a discourse-historical approach to analyze the collected tweets and retweets. The findings of the analysis show that the tweets revolve around key figures such as journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and Israel. Abu Akleh is portrayed as a courageous and esteemed senior journalist who became a victim of Israeli brutality. Israel, on the other hand, is depicted as a criminal entity, held responsible for the cold-blooded killing of Abu Akleh and the desecration of her coffin. The killing is presented as an inhumane and irrational act committed by Israel against a respected journalist. Additionally, the tweets from Palinfoen focus on the events at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israeli figures are described using terms like "genocidal Jews," "Israeli occupation forces," "enemy occupier gangs," and an "illegitimate regime," while Palestinian figures are referred to as "worshippers," "families," and "Muslims." The discourses promoted by Hamas on Twitter place agency and accountability on the Israeli side. In conclusion, this analysis unsurprisingly highlights how the Palinfoen Twitter account portrays Palestinian resistance as a legitimate reaction.

CHALLENGING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION: PALESTINIAN CULTURAL IDENTITY IN RADHWĀ ‘ĀSYŪR’S NOVEL ATH-THANTHŪRIYYAH

This article aims to describe the cultural elements of Palestinian people in Radhwā ‘Āsyūr's novel, ath-Thanthūriyyah, which depicts Palestinian refugees' misery, Palestinian culture, and the struggle to defend Palestinian national identity as experienced by its main character, Ruqayyah. This study uses a literary anthropology perspective through the seven cultural elements defined by Koentjaraningrat. It employs a descriptive-qualitative approach with the data collected in the from words, phrases, sentences, and dialogues in the novel. According to the findings, there are seven elements of Palestinian culture, namely language, knowledge system, technology system, art, religious system, social organization, and livelihood system These cultural elements are presented as a form of resistance to cultural appropriation that happens because of the Israeli occupation.

Humour under occupation: Jokes and humorous anecdotes and their reflections in Palestine

Humour plays a substantial role in the dissemination of ideas, beliefs and practices. In particular, it can offer an alternative framework for addressing situations of struggle, stress and suffering, such as war, political strife and social upheaval. In Palestine, humour is manifested in many everyday interactions, functioning as a coping mechanism and offering a way to confront both the Israeli Occupation and the dire political and economic situation. This article engages with humour as it occurs in the everyday lives of Palestinians, looking at the role of humour in a specific context, in a time of political violence. One of the arguments I wish to make is that each new atrocity or each further erosion of rights is reflected in a new series of ‘in-jokes’, which enable Palestinians to refer to, make sense of and adapt to the painful realities they encounter in everyday life. The narratives of individuals’ lives in Palestine are reflected upon via the exploration of humorous daily discourse which is displayed in jokes and humorous anecdotes. I explore what thoughts, desires and fears individuals and families in Palestine share within their social networks in the form of jokes. In addition, the article traces what kind of jokes are circulated and how people in various situations react to different kinds of jokes.

Critical consciousness from a Palestinian feminist, decolonial perspective: A collective exploratory inquiry

To date, many studies have documented the devastating impact of the Israeli military occupation in Palestine, which deprives Palestinians of all basic and human rights. Yet, the interlocking oppressions that characterize the Israeli occupation—as those of other colonial systems—are mostly overlooked, with little attention being devoted in mainstream literature to the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality within the colonial project. With a perspective informed by intersectional feminist studies, decolonial approaches, and liberation psychology, we explored how women in Palestine resist and struggle against the colonial and patriarchal powers present in their lives and, in particular, the role of feminist critical consciousness in this process. Through 21 research-discussions with Palestinian and international but Palestine-experienced feminist activists and researchers, we explored how the concept of critical consciousness (CC) was perceived and encountered within their experiences in the Palestinian context. CC was explored in its two dimensions (critical reflection and critical action), and its liberating power was discussed. This study contributes to a growing body of literature on the relationship between CC and resistance, and their shared impacts on women's liberation and well-being within contexts of settler-colonialism. Implications for research, policies, and clinical practices are discussed.

Al-Quds as Mentioned in UN Resolutions

Al-Quds (Jerusalem) has always enjoyed a special standing in the world for either its historic and civilised position, or for its geographically strategic location in the centre of the Arab region and the Old-World continents. Due to its importance, its issues were paid attention to on the global arena by major countries and international institutes, particularly the United Nations and its institutes. This is what prompted these institutions to express their positions on this issue, which is what we seek to address during this study. This study addresses four main claims: 1) the most prominent UN institutes influencing the Palestinian issue, 2) UN resolutions before 1967, 3) UN resolutions from 1967-1993, and 4) UN resolutions after 1993. It adopts a descriptive analysis methodology, and concludes that al-Quds is an occupied Palestinian city as described in the International Law, the international community's complicity with the occupation contributed to the Judaisation and seizure of the holy city, and the international resolutions failed to deter the occupation from violating the law. The study also recommends shedding light on the Israeli occupation, its crimes against the Palestinians, and its violations against international law in the international forums. Moreover, it recommends exerting pressure on the countries supporting the occupation through building Arab and Muslim lobbies that work on breaking the relation between those countries and the occupation, and mobilising them to support Palestinians' rights.

Squaring the circle: Settler colonialism, the international law of occupation and the separation barrier

The Israeli High Court of Justice (HCJ) is highly invested in maintaining a façade of adherence to International Law (IL) in Israel's continuous occupation of the West Bank, and in mitigating the contradictions and complexities in Israel's implementation of this law. Our paper proposes a unique legal-geographical perspective to the analysis of this dynamic, while anchoring the critique of the HCJ's work within an understanding of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank as a settler colonial project. Empirically, we focus on the Court's evolving jurisprudence in relation to the inclusion of expansion plans for the Jewish settlements in the routing of the separation barrier. Through a close reading of the legal texts, we demonstrate how the Court strove to subject the settler colonial logic of permanent spatial transformation and settlement expansion into the IL's imperatives of temporality and conservation. Through this case-study we propose a nuanced empirical and methodological approach to the study of contemporary settler colonial legalities. This approach focuses on the intertwinement of everyday professional practices of space and law in order to unravel the weaving of settler colonial logics into contemporary imperatives.

Fostering a culture of qualitative research and scholarly publication in a leading university in the West Bank: a Palestinian-UK capacity-building collaboration

ABSTRACT Research practices in Arab universities, especially the use of qualitative methods, tend to fall behind international standards of excellence; hence, the relatively small number of qualitative journal articles published by Arab academics. Conducting research in Palestine is particularly problematic due to the continued Israeli occupation and its negative impact on Palestinian education. Certain cultural and historical factors pose further difficulties, specifically for qualitative researchers. To address the challenges with conducting qualitative research for its own staff and students, An-Najah National University (West Bank) collaborated with Coventry University (UK) to design and deliver a joint researcher-development programme on the uses of qualitative research methods, and the process and requirements of scholarly publication. Whilst implementing the programme, the team of British and Palestinian academics sought to examine the socio-cultural challenges of capacity-building between higher education institutions in the Global North and South – specifically in relation to qualitative research practice – and answer the question of how an equitable partnership between Global North and South institutions can be built. By engaging in Action Research, the North-South collaborators observed and analysed how Western researcher-development practices and assumptions were questioned, re-examined and adapted to give rise to a near-symmetrical relationship between the two institutions.

SERVICES OF HAMAS IN THE POLITICS OF PALESTINE

Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist movement, has been known for its militant resistance against Israeli occupation and its provision of social services to the Palestinian people. Despite being labeled as a terrorist organization by many Western countries, Hamas has gained widespread support among Palestinians for its unwavering commitment to the cause of a free Palestine. This research paper examines the political services of Hamas and their impact on the politics of Palestine.Through a critical analysis of Hamas’s political and social services, this paper argues that the organization’s success is not solely due to its reputation as a resistance movement, but also due to its ability to provide essential services to the Palestinian people. Hamas has established a vast network of social services, including schools, hospitals, and charities, which have helped to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. Furthermore, this article explores how Hamas’s political services have been shaped by its struggle against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which has been seen as corrupt and ineffective by many Palestinians. Hamas’s political platform has been built on a foundation of anti-corruption and good governance, which has resonated with many Palestinians who are disillusioned with the PLO’s leadership. Overall, this research article provides a nuanced analysis of Hamas’s political services and their impact on the politics of Palestine. By examining the organization’s social and political services, this paper sheds light on the complex factors that have contributed to Hamas’s success and its potential role in shaping the future of Palestine.

Palestinian Political Prisoners: Hunger Strikes and the Battle for Dignity

Thousands of Palestinians have been imprisoned in Israeli jails since 1948, reflecting an objective of Israel's occupation of Palestine to break the spirit of Palestinians in their struggle for liberation. A form of protest often undertaken by Palestinians in response to their political imprisonment is hunger strike. Indeed, when considered in relation to governance as an enactment of power upon people in prison, hunger strikes are an attempt of powerless prisoners to exercise some level of power over their circumstances. Concepts around hunger strike as form of protest are complex and multidimensional, and may reflect the interests of an individual or group, and/or speak more to the broader rights of people. Of interest to this study is the relationship between hunger strike and human dignity as manifest as a form of protest by Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli jails. Specifically, this study aimed to investigate the extent to which the concept of human dignity is a fundamental principle guiding Palestinian political prisoners' initial decision to hunger strike and then to continue to hunger strike. To facilitate the investigation, a stratified sampling approach was used to support the collection of quantitative data via a survey of 29 expolitical prisoners who had participated in hunger strikes during their imprisonment in Israeli jails. The collected data were related to three core dimensions of the protest construct: motivations for undertaking the protest (hunger strike); personal feelings when undertaking protest; and the experienced responses to/outcomes of the protest. Analysis of the participants' responses and the reporting of the main findings was informed by reference to key theoretical frameworks developed by Habermas, Kant, Sartre, and Durkheim. This study found that Palestinian political prisoners often considered human dignity to be more important than food. They therefore believed that hunger strike was a way to express that they would not surrender their dignity nor stray from their resistance. This article contributes to the important debate on the extent to which the hunger strike is an effective way to protest against the loss of human dignity experienced as a Palestinian political prisoner.

Caring for the Ordinary in Palestine: When Ongoing Occupation Becomes Maddening

ABSTRACT: This article offers a reading of contemporary life in Palestine that interrogates the braiding of hope and despair through an examination of expressions of optimism and madness in Palestinian everyday life. Whereas I neither aim to define what madness nor optimism could be taken to mean, I examine vernacular notions of how, when, and why the notion of madness is used in ordinary language, anchored in ethnographic fieldwork in occupied Palestine as well as conversations with Palestinian interlocutors over the last sixteen years. The aim being to explore the experiential and linguistic abyss between a collective feeling of Israel's occupation as a maddening force and, on the other hand, the accompanying call on part of the Palestinians to act as if it was not, the will to endure and resist being unwavering. Ultimately, I pursue the argument that the chasm between these two different pressures causes a feeling of skepticism due to the braided struggle of finding a language that can both acknowledge the occurrence of mental disorder as a consequence of the military occupation simultaneously as Palestinians carve out a space to sustain an ordinary in the wake of maddening oppression. Concludingly, I argue that gender is at the heart of how we might understand, even locate the refusal to end in Palestine—the maddening consequences intrinsic to such a refusal being the locus of my inquiry.

Oslo and the Shifting Paradigms of the Human Rights Community in Israel and Palestine

Abstract Despite some improvement to the lives of Palestinians through human rights activism, this article argues that the legal regime governing Occupied Territories, combined with a rigid legalized conception and application of human rights, limits the ability to achieve human rights protections for those living under prolonged military occupations. Drawing on a critique of liberal legalism, this article will identify four key barriers to change through an analysis of court cases and human rights reports in the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinians. It will trace key shifts in human rights organizations in Israel and Palestine, which seek to overcome these limitations in an effort to secure long-term human rights for Palestinians.