Mixing, Separation, and Violence in Urban Spaces and the Rural Frontier in Palestine

2013
Author(s)
Publisher
Arab Studies Journal
Mixing, Separation, and Violence in Urban Spaces and the Rural Frontier in Palestine

Whenever I write about Israel-Palestine, one of my objectives is to bring to the forefront nuances and unexpected elements of the issue. Some people in the political movement in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, who are undoubtedly well- intentioned, tend to have a very simple and even cartoonish version of the history of the conflict. I've always believed that having a fuller and more complex understanding of the issue can help those who are actively engaged in the struggle for justice and peace.

Most activists aren't likely to read something like this. But perhaps it will trickle down. Beyond those interested in Israel-Palestine and the Arab world more broadly, I think that using the frame of settler-colonialism can undermine exceptionalist versions of the history and make the conflict understandable in the same terms we would use to discuss settler colonialism in North America, Australia, Algeria, Kenya, etc.

Mixing, Separation, and Violence in Urban Spaces and the Rural Frontier in Palestine,” Arab Studies Journal 21 (no. 1, Spring 2013):10-43.