Palestine-Israel

The Pitfalls of Democratic Elections in Palestine

In the post-colonial era, struggles for democracy have increasingly been seen and presented as necessary to fulfill the aborted promises of national liberation. Particularly since the end of the Cold War, electoral democracy has come to be viewed as the most effective mechanism to confront the usurpation of states, resources, and indeed independence by autocrats and narrow, self-selected elites. In a world where dictatorships of both the individual and party variety have generally approached governance as the challenge of subordinating institutions to their will, excluding the citizen from a meaningful role in decision-making, and keeping foreign sponsors satisfied in ...

Land Day and the Politics of Representation

On 30 March 1976, after the Israeli government published a plan to expropriate Palestinian lands for state use, along with an order to impose a curfew on several Palestinian villages, the Palestinian community in Israel called for a general strike and protests throughout the country. Israeli police and military killed six protestors, injured hundreds, and arrested hundreds more. Palestinians now commemorate March 30th as Land Day. Many claim that the protests in 1976 reaffirmed the Palestinians in Israel as part of the Palestinian nation. This claim is unfounded for two reasons. First, the Palestinians in Israel have publicly expressed their Palestinian identity ...

سامر العيساوي والسلطة الفلسطينية

O.I.L. Monthly Edition (March 2013)

 [This is a monthly archive of pieces written by Jadaliyya contributors and editors on the Occupations, Interventions,and Law (O.I.L.) Page. It also includes material published on other platforms that editors deemed pertinent to post as they provide diverse depictions of O.I.L.-related topics. The pieces reflect the level of critical analysis and diversity that Jadaliyya strives for, but the views are solely the ones of their authors. If you are interested in contributing to Jadaliyya, send us your post with your bio and a release form to post@jadaliyya.com [click "Submissions" on the main page for more information] Caught Shopping While Iranian: ...

Samera Esmeir in Coversation with Adalah's Suhad Bishara, Marking Land Day in Palestine; and Lina Attalah on the Future of Egypt Independent Newspaper

30 March marks Land Day in Palestine. On the latest edition of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, Professor Samera Esmeir speaks with Suhad Bishara, Director of the Land and Planning Rights Unit of Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, about Israel's contemporary land policies. Egypt Independent, a weekly English language newspaper and its website have become one of the premier sources of news, information and analysis on Egyptian politics, arts and culture. Yet, financial woes have beset the newspaper. Last month, the management of its parent company, Al-Masry Al-Youm notified Egypt Independent's staff that it “can no longer continue to ...

Jadaliyya Launches DARS Page: Daily Acts of Resistance and Subversion

Overview The DARS Page chronicles daily acts of resistance and subversion (DARS) in contemporary Arab societies and beyond. All forms of resistance and subversion to political, economic, social, or cultural forms of exploitation will be of interest. This includes resistance to authoritarianism, occupation, imperialism, and social norms, and the many ways these are subverted. While acts of resistance and subversion are ubiquitous, the focus is conventionally placed on the grand and visible, even as these constitute a small portion of the daily actions of millions of people who find themselves resisting and subverting on a daily basis. We intend to cover and analyse both ...

Beyond the State: The Refugee Camp as a Site of Political Invention

Refugee camps have been at the center of radical historical transformations that have undermined the political existence of entire communities. Although states and non-governmental organizations have and continue to actively participate in conceiving and managing camps, we are still struggling to fully comprehend how the camp form has complicated and transformed the very idea of a city as an organized and functional political community. The birth of the camp thus has the capacity to call into question the very idea of the city as a democratic space. If the political representation of a citizen is to be found in the public space, what is found in the camp is its inverse: ...