Is Israel a settler colonial state?
When academics call Israel a "settler colonial" state, it is not meant as a mere descriptor. Rather, the phrase is a deliberately pointed charge, part of an ongoing campaign to undermine Israel by challenging its very founding – akin to the now-revoked UN General Assembly declaration that "Zionism is racism."
What are Israeli settlements?
Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, [1] [2] [3] [4] are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, overwhelmingly of Jewish ethnicity, [5] [6] built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. [7]
Why does Israel allow people to settle in its territories?
Since 1967, Israel has allowed and even encouraged its citizens to live in the new settlements established in the territories, motivated by religious and national sentiments attached to the history of the Jewish nation in the land of Israel.
Are the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian territory legal?
ISBN 978-90-04-15027-0. the establishment of the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has been considered illegal by the international community and by the majority of legal scholars. Barak-Erez, Daphne (2006). "Israel: The security barrier—between international law, constitutional law, and domestic judicial review".
When did Israel become a colony?
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S.
Who was Israel colonized by?
The BritishThe British controlled Palestine until Israel, in the years following the end of World War II, became an independent state in 1947.
What types of settlements are there in Israel?
Types of settlement Urban suburbs, such as Har Gilo. Block settlements, such as Gush Etzion and settlements in the Nablus area. Frontier villages, such as those along the Jordan River. Outposts, small settlements, some authorized and some unauthorized, often on hilltops.
Is Israel an American colony?
On the face of it, Israel is an independent state, but in practice, there is no decision that does not pass through the U.S. The economic/cultural/military dependence that Israel has developed in the United States in the last four decades, together with the flourishing of globalization and the free market in Israel in ...
Who colonized Palestine?
From about 1517 to 1917, the Ottoman Empire ruled much of the region. When World War I ended in 1918, the British took control of Palestine.
Why did Israel steal Palestine?
The movement, citing the biblical belief that God promised Palestine to the Jews, began to buy land there and build settlements to strengthen their claim to the land. At the time, these settlements, built largely on the coastal plain and in the north of the country, were called “Kibbutzim” and “Moshavim”.
Why does Israel have settlements?
Settlements are communities of Jews that have been moving to the West Bank since it came under Israeli occupation in 1967. Some of the settlers move there for religious reasons, some because they want to claim the West Bank territory as Israeli land, and some because the housing there tends to be cheap and subsidized.
How many settlements does Israel have?
Today they total around 400,000 and live in about 130 separate settlements (this doesn't include East Jerusalem, which we'll address in a moment). They have grown under every Israeli government over the past half-century despite consistent international opposition.
Why is Israel entitled to the land?
Jewish religious belief defines the land as where Jewish religious law prevailed and excludes territory where it was not applied. It holds that the area is a God-given inheritance of the Jewish people based on the Torah, particularly the books of Genesis and Exodus, as well as on the later Prophets.
Which countries are settler colonies?
Settler colonial states include Canada, the United States, Australia, and South Africa, and settler colonial theory has been important to understanding conflicts in places like Israel, Kenya, and Argentina, and in tracing the colonial legacies of empires that engaged in the widespread foundation of settlement colonies.
What do you mean by colonialism?
Colonialism is defined as “control by one power over a dependent area or people.” It occurs when one nation subjugates another, conquering its population and exploiting it, often while forcing its own language and cultural values upon its people.
When did Israel colonize Palestine?
1967In 1967, Israel absorbed the whole of historical Palestine, as well as additional territory from Egypt and Syria.
Who owned Israel before 1948?
the Ottoman EmpireIn 1517, the Ottoman Empire conquered the region, ruling it until the British conquered it in 1917. The region was ruled under the British Mandate for Palestine until 1948, when the Jewish State of Israel was proclaimed in part of the ancient land of Israel.
When did Israel colonize Palestine?
1967In 1967, Israel absorbed the whole of historical Palestine, as well as additional territory from Egypt and Syria.
Who lived in Israel before 1948?
Before David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, announced Israel's Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, 600,000 Jews lived in the land. According to estimates, approximately one-fifth – or up to 120,000 Jews were living in Jerusalem – the newly-declared capital of the nascent state.
Why is Israel rejecting the annexation of Palestinian land?
The international rejection of Israel’s plan to formally annex even more Palestinian land is based on two arguments: the annexation is a violation of international law and it defeats the prospects of a two-state solution.
Why can't Israel tolerate the idea of Palestinian sovereignty?
Israel cannot tolerate the idea of Palestinian sovereignty, let alone its implementation because the erasure of Palestinian sovereignty is part and parcel of the underlying logic of the settler colony. As a result, regardless of how much land Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ally, Defence Minister Benny Gantz actually annex this year, this episode will be neither the first nor will it be the last.
Why did the annexation plan happen?
And they are able to annex precisely because the state makes that possible through its occupation of Palestinian land.
How can a colony claim its sovereignty?
In short, the settler colony can only claim its sovereignty through the eradication and erasure of native sovereignty. The methods of annexation certainly vary, but this variety should not detract us from naming and highlighting their underlying logic: the expulsion of native people from their lands.
What makes a colony a settler colony?
Simply put: all settler colonies constitute a continuous process of land annexation, whereby native inhabitants are removed and settlers from elsewhere are brought to occupy the land.
What is the Zionist movement?
Since the early 20th century, the Zionist movement has longed for the creation of a Greater Israel, but it has been savvy enough to hide and conceal its intentions, especially in the international arena.
Is the Palestinian loss serious?
The Palestinian losses are much more serious than is conventionally suggested in the “save the two-state solution before it is too late” type of thinking. It is already a very late hour for the prospects of Palestinian freedom and sovereignty.
What is the charge of colonial Israel?
The “colonial Israel” charge is thus rooted in an ideological denial of any Jewish connection to the ancient Land of Israel. Psychological factors often play a role in the development of political views.
Which country was accused of being a colonial state?
Despite the essentially parallel processes of independence from colonial and protectorate influence over the first half of the twentieth century, only one of the national movements at the time and only one of the resulting states, namely Israel, is accused of being “colonial,” with the term “settler-colonialist” applied to the Zionist enterprise.
How did the Balfour Declaration benefit the Arab world?
What is not popularly recognized is how the Arab world benefited from the Balfour Declaration and how it served the Arab world in their nationalist goals and helped advance their own independence from the colonial powers of England and France.
What is the significance of the notion of a settler?
Hence, the importance of denial of Jewish rights, history, and claims to the area. Lest there be any confusion about what a “settler” is, those who use the terminology “settler-colonialist” against Israel clearly mean the entire Zionist enterprise, ...
When did Egypt gain independence?
Egypt, occupied by England since 1882, gained full independence in 1952. Lebanon and Syria became independent from the French Mandate in 1943 and 1946, respectively. Another Hashemite family in Jordan was granted independence in 1946 in territory originally a part of the Palestine Mandate.
Which country gained independence from England in 1932?
Saudi Arabia (originally Hejaz and Nejd), although never colonized after World War I, became an independent kingdom in 1932 as well. Egypt, occupied by England since 1882, gained full independence in 1952.
When did North Yemen become independent?
North Yemen became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1918.
Where did the word "settlement" come from?
The word comes from the "Latin colonia ‘settlement, farm’, from colonus ‘settler, farmer", describing a "settlement formed mainly of retired soldiers, acting as a garrison in newly conquered territory in the Roman Empire".
Why did Jews leave their homes?
There was no rational reason for Jews to leave their homes and come to live in this land. Those that sought a "better life" in the material sense didn't come here to drain swamps – they went to America, in the millions, to seek their fortune in the "golden country".
Why was Judea called Judea?
Indeed, the land known as Judea to the Romans was called that because of the Jews who lived there. If an exiled people return to their homeland, where part of the people had always lived despite foreign occupiers and their oppressive policies – it's impossible to call them colonizers or colonialists.
How did the colonists seek a better life?
The colonists probably sought a better life by gaining access to resources they couldn't easily gain access to in their original country, such as land, natural resources found in the new country or labor hands in the form of the indigenous people. The original country also often gains from having a colony and exploiting the resources ...
Who were the only imperialists in the Middle East?
As to the imperial question: the only imperialists still in the Middle East are the Islamic Arabs. After all: Arabic is today a spoken language from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf. However, before Islam gave the Arab tribes an excuse and motivation to conquer lands that belonged to other people, no one outside of the Arabian Peninsula spoke Arabic. Arabic spread as a result of Arab imperialism.
Did Jews seek empire?
In contrast – Jews and Judaism never sought empire, to conquer lands outside of the Promised Land, or even to convert other peoples. Jews just wished to live as Jews in the Jewish Homeland. Tags europe and israel arabic. Sign up for The Jerusalem Post Premium Plus for just $5.
What is the most important commonality between all these different current and historic settler-colonies?
The most important commonality between all these different current and historic settler-colonies is the unique role that the settlers themselves play.
How long has the Palestinian struggle been a constraint?
It has become constrained thanks to 140 years of the Palestinian struggle against this particular form of European settler-colonialism – the one that aims to enforce a permanent regime of Jewish supremacy on Palestine.
What role do settlers play in the colonial state?
Settlers play a key role as a reactionary vanguard in any settler-colonial state. As my colleague at The Electronic Intifada Maureen Murphy recently explained, much like the role played by White European “frontier” settlers in the historical expansion of the US: “Israel finds utility in its violent settlers who enthusiastically deliver the final push in a state system of oppression to force Palestinians off of their land.”
Does Israel have apartheid?
As I’ve argued in previous columns, the main point is simply that Israel fits the definition of apartheid under international law – which applies globally, and not just in southern Africa.
Is apartheid only one factor in the oppressive systems enforced by settler colonial regimes?
For this reason, it is vital to understand that apartheid is only one factor in the oppressive systems enforced by settler-colonial regimes.
Was apartheid defeated in all the colonies?
After much sacrifice and struggle, formal political apartheid was defeated in all these settler-colonies – except for in Israel.
Is Israel a colonial state?
To understand all this, in a nutshell, it is important to know one central fact: Israel is a settler-colonial state. Settler-colonialism is a very well-understood academic framework in political and intellectual history. While it is important to understand Israel’s specificities (as a Jewish supremacist regime), ...
Where are the Israeli settlements?
Israeli settlements currently exist in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the Syrian territory of the Golan Heights. East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights have been annexed by Israel, so residents are treated equivalently to the rest of Israel under Israeli law.
What are the settlements in East Jerusalem?
East Jerusalem settlements (2006) Golan Heights settlements (1992) Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Jewish ethnicity, built in violation of international law on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israeli settlements currently exist in ...
How many settlements were there in the Gaza Strip?
Before Israel's unilateral disengagement plan in which the Israeli settlements were evacuated, there were 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip under the administration of the Hof Aza Regional Council. The land was allocated in such a way that each Israeli settler disposed of 400 times the land available to the Palestinian refugees, and 20 times the volume of water allowed to the peasant farmers of the Strip.
What was the Allon Plan?
It implied Israeli annexation of major parts of the Israeli-occupied territories, especially East Jerusalem, Gush Etzion and the Jordan Valley. The settlement policy of the government of Yitzhak Rabin was also derived from the Allon Plan.
How was Kiryat Arba established?
According to a secret document dating to 1970, obtained by Haaretz, the settlement of Kiryat Arba was established by confiscating land by military order and falsely representing the project as being strictly for military use while in reality, Kiryat Arba was planned for settler use.
What territories did Israel control?
It took over the remainder of the Palestinian Mandate territories of the West Bank including East Jerusalem, from Jordan which had controlled the territories since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, which had held Gaza under occupation since 1949. From Egypt it also captured the Sinai Peninsula and from Syria it captured most of the Golan Heights, which since 1981 has been administered under the Golan Heights Law .
How does settlement affect the economy?
Settlement has an economic dimension, much of it driven by the significantly lower costs of housing for Israeli citizens living in Israeli settlements compared to the cost of housing and living in Israel proper. Government spending per citizen in the settlements is double that spent per Israeli citizen in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while government spending for settlers in isolated Israeli settlements is three times the Israeli national average. Most of the spending goes to the security of the Israeli citizens living there.
What is colonialism in Israel?
Many anti-Israel activists and academics use the term “settler colonialism” to describe the political and demographic changes over the last 150 years in what today is the State of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They argue that Jews were only a small minority of the population in the late 19th century (in what was then part of the Ottoman Empire) and that European Jews subsequently “colonized” and seized Palestinian land and resources.
Why did Jews come to Israel?
Many Jews came and still come to Israel escaping antisemitism and other forms of persecution. Typically, European settler colonists were not escaping persecution or bigotry.
Why is Zionism nefarious?
Some critics call for Israel’s dissolution or allege that Zionism itself is inherently nefarious by simplistically pointing to the fact that Zionist leaders in the late 19th and early 20th centuries used variations of the word “colonial” or “colonize” to describe their actions to build the yishuv (the pre-1948 Jewish infrastructure). But the use of such terms only signified an effort to promote Jewish immigration to the Jewish people’s historic homeland, establish communities and fulfill the universal right of self-determination. Zionist leaders did not view their actions as identical – ethically or practically – to the European settler colonial projects of that time.
What was the Zionist movement's raison d'etre?
Unlike European settler colonial powers, the modern Zionist movement’s raison d'etre was never to subjugate the existing population and steal their resources and land holdings. Instead, attempts were made at coexistence and interdependent development, for examples: the Zionist movement’s acceptance of the 1947 United Nations partition plan which would have established an Arab independent state alongside a Jewish state.
What is colonialism in the Middle East?
The term “settler colonialism” conjures historical memories of exploitative white European empires militarily invading lands in the Middle East, Asia and Africa [i], implanting their citizens in colonies through the use of force , subjugating the native and indigenous populations and stealing their natural resources.
Is Israel a Jewish land?
Jews, like Palestinians, are native and indigenous to the land. The Land of Israel is integral to the Jewish religion and culture, the connection between Jews and the land is a constant in the Bible, and is embedded throughout Jewish rituals and texts. The Europeans who settled in colonies in the Middle East and North Africa were not indigenous or native to the land in any way.
Do Jews return to Israel?
There is no “motherland” to which the Jewish population in the land of Israel may otherwise return. Whereas, for example, the French in Algeria could return to France, and the British in India could return to the United Kingdom, many Jews in Israel, including the many who fled persecution, have no other country to which they may return. Instead, most Jews who immigrate to Israel use the word “return” to describe the act of making their home in the Jewish state. (The tragic irony is that Israeli Jews are told by some detractors to return to Europe, whereas Diaspora Jews are in turn told to return to Israel.)
Where did the Jews settle?
The first European Jews landed on the shores of Palestine and established early settlements in the 19th century. In 1948, Zionist forces systematically took over land, expelling people from their homes and relinquishing many to live as refugees in isolated enclaves.
What is the story of Israel and Palestine?
Israel and Palestine: a story of modern colonialism. The foundations of Israel are rooted in a colonial project that has modernized its face but continues to subject Palestinians to military occupation, land dispossession and unequal rights. Saint Mary’s Church, in the destroyed Palestinian village of Iqrit. Photo: Daniel Avelar.
Why was Hassan arrested?
The realities of living under a military occupation became all too obvious to Hassan at the age of 12, when he was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers during a clash in the refugee camp where his grandparents live.
How many villages were destroyed in Iqrit?
The story of Iqrit is similar to that of the other 530 villages that were razed to the ground in a process that came to be known to the world as the establishment of Israel — and to Palestinians as the “Nakba”, the Arabic word for “catastrophe”. The first European Jews landed on the shores of Palestine and established early settlements in ...
What were the three areas of the West Bank?
The treatise partitioned the West Bank into three areas: area A under Palestinian Authority (PA) control, area B under joint Israeli-Palestinian administration, and area C, run by Israel. The accords, which should have paved the way for the creation of a Palestinian state, instead led to increased Israeli presence in the territory through the expansion of Jewish settlements. Scholar Edward Said pointed out that Palestinian leaders had effectively given up the right to self-determination in most of the West Bank’s territory in exchange for Israel’s acknowledgement of the PA, and referred to the agreement as “an instrument of Palestinian surrender, a Palestinian Versailles”.
How much has the Gaza blockade shrunk?
Even more dire is the situation of Gaza, where residents are treated as enemy combatants and subjected to a land, air, and sea blockade that has shrunk the territory’s GPD by up to 50% since 2007, according to the World Bank.
Where do Palestinian refugees live?
On the other hand, most Palestinian refugees still live in the occupied territories or in other countries in the region , often in camps that were hastily built in the 1950s as temporary accommodations. As such, they cannot cross into Israel without prior permission.
What was the first colonial settlement in South Africa?
In 1652, the arrival of Europeans sparked the beginning of settler colonialism in South Africa. The Dutch East India Company was set up at the Cape, and imported large numbers of slaves from Africa and Asia during the mid-seventeenth century. The Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station for ships sailing between Europe and the east. The initial plan by Dutch East India Company officer Jan van Riebeeck was to maintain a small community around the new fort, but the community continued to spread and colonize further than originally planned. There was a historic struggle to achieve the intended British sovereignty that was achieved in other parts of the commonwealth. State sovereignty belonged to the Union of South Africa (1910–61), followed by the Republic of South Africa (1961–present day). As of 2014, the South African government has re-opened the period for land claims under the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Act.
What is colonialism based on?
As with all forms of colonialism, it is based on exogenous domination, typically organized or supported by an imperial authority. Settler colonialism is enacted by a variety ...
What is the difference between colonialism and exploitation?
Settler colonialism contrasts with exploitation colonialism, which entails a national economic policy of conquering a country to exploit its population as cheap or free labor and its natural resources as raw material.
What is the legacy of colonialism?
In the present day, the legacy of settler colonialism in the United States has created a complicated relationship between indigenous tribes and the United States, especially in the area of treaty rights and sovereignty.
How many Turkish settlers were brought to Cyprus?
Some suggest that over 120,000 Turkish settlers were brought to the island from mainland Turkey, in violation of article 49 of the Geneva convention. According to the UN resolution 1987/19, adopted on 2 September 1987, the UN expressed "its concern also at the policy and practice of the implantation of settlers in the occupied territories of Cyprus, which constitute a form of colonialism and attempt to change illegally the demographic structure of Cyprus".
What tribes colonized Chittagong?
Chittagong Hill Tracts have been subjected to large scale settler colonization by Muslim Bengalis with support from Government of Bangladesh after independence. Demographics of the region have changed so profoundly that the percentage of natives has fallen from 98% in 1941 to 35% in 2011.
What was the European colonial policy?
During the early modern period, some European nation-states and their agents adopted policies of colonialism, competing with each other to establish colonies outside of Europe, at first in the Americas, and later in Asia, Africa, and Oceania. This section needs expansion.
Arab Denial of Jewish Rights and History in Palestine
The Connection Between The Charge of Colonial Israel and Denial of Rights
The Colonial Background of The Entire Middle East
Decolonialization Following The Ottoman Defeat
The Process of Independence
Language and Perception: “Settler-Colonialism”
- Despite the essentially parallel processes of independence from colonial and protectorate influence over the first half of the twentieth century, only one of the national movements at the time and only one of the resulting states, namely Israel, is accused of being “colonial.” The accusation of colonialism against Israel is not without difficulty. ...
Reestablishing Accuracy: Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias