Political tourism in the Israeli‐Palestinian space (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)

Abstract

With the violent clashes that took place in May 2010 during the attempt by the Free Gaza movement flotilla to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the remarkable strength of pro‐Palestinian networks became globally apparent. Drawing on an ethnography of political activism in the Israeli‐Palestinian space, we suggest that the striking visibility of these networks does not exclusively derive from the prominence of the Israeli‐Palestinian conflicts, but is also a consequence of the activists’ ability to produce innovative forms of sociality. However, some of the approaches taken can exist in problematic relation to the experiences of people who live with the conflict. In this context, the issue is not so much the precise relationships between indigenous ‘truths’ in Palestine and their foreign representations, but the way in which encounters redefine the conflicts that activist networks seek to represent.

Conceptualizing justice tourism and the promise of posthumanism

“…Supremacism and lack of recogni;on of the different "other" are common in postcolonial and se?ler colonial spaces. Koensler and Papa (2011) note that both jus;ce tourism i;neraries and social ac;vism volunteering ogen clash with the goals of locals and introduce unintended nega;ve outcomes including subjec;on of the other through stereotyping and ethnocentrism. These are commonly a?ributed to factors such as lack of interpre;ve opportuni;es to understand differing lifestyles of locals and visitors, lack of visitors' knowledge of the sociopoli;cal space, the dominance of white savior narra;ves, etc.…”

Visiting Dark Murals: An Ethnographic Approach to the Sustainability of Heritage

“…Examples of 'dark mural attractions' include Belfast with its Unionist and Republican Northern Ireland murals [42,43]; Berlin with its East Side Gallery [44]; El Salvador and its controversial Ataco murals [45]; Teheran and its 'anti-enemy' murals [46] and Palestine with its polemic artworks by Banksy and the Walled Off Hotel [47]. These examples reveal that the more recent the event, the greater the controversy.…”

Tourism as a Space of Possibilities: Reconciliation Tourism Enterprises in a Conflict-Ridden Destination

“…Tourism has flourished in this area even without the long-awaited peace. As conflict has been present for decades, each side has learned to use tourism to advance its own interests (Banfield, Haufler, and Lilly 2005; Blanchard and Higgins-Desbiolle 2013; Farmaki 2017; Hercbergs 2012; Koensler and Papa 2011; Miklian, Alluri, and Katsos 2019; Wohlmuther and Wintersteiner 2014). In the past decade, however, more tourism initiatives in the region are incorporating the themes of reconciliation and peace into the products and services that they offer tourists (e.g., Moufakkir and Kelly 2010; Schneider 2019).…”