The Gaza Strip as Laboratory: Notes in the Wake of Disengagement

Abstract

Chronically described as poor, overcrowded, and dangerous, the Gaza Strip exemplifies the longstanding Zionist ““dilemma”” of how to deal with dense concentrations of Palestinians who must not be granted equality but who cannot be removed or exterminated en masse. This article analyzes key Israeli policies toward the Gaza Strip---specifically, the use of closure, buffer zones, and air power---in the context of the Zionist movement's broader geographic and demographic goals. It argues that the Gaza Strip can be usefully seen as a ““laboratory”” in which Israel fine-tunes a dubious balance of maximum control and minimum responsibility, refining techniques that are also suggestive of possible futures for the West Bank.

The 2014 War on Gaza: engineering trauma and mass torture to break Palestinian resilience

“…The Gaza Strip is often portrayed in contemporary mainstream media as a distinct geographic and political entity, exceptionalized by its “crushing poverty, suffocating crowdedness, and mind‐numbing isolation” (Li, , p. 38). A more accurate view of the Gaza Strip is to see it as part of the larger Palestinian nation, which includes the West Bank, historical Palestine and the Diaspora, all vexed by the Zionist colonial project in Palestine that started over a century ago.…”

Nova Varsóvia, laboratório de ocupação ou ninho de terroristas?: a Faixa de Gaza e a vida nua

“…Embora a ação tenha findado com a presença israelense permanente, iniciada em 1967, para esses críticos seu real significado foi apenas uma mudança na forma de controle exercida sobre a região e uma tentativa de reduzir os custos e as fricções para aprimorar e acelerar a colonização da Cisjordânia (ROY, 2005(ROY, , 2009ARONSON, 2005;LEVY, 2010). Nessa mesma linha, OrenYiftachel (2006, p. 82) Darryl Li (2006) interpreta a situação da Faixa pós-desengajamento como um "laboratório da ocupação", onde Israel testa e refina várias técnicas buscando conciliar "máximo controle" com "mínima responsabilidade" por meio de um controle a distância. Ou seja, apesar da retirada, a Faixa permaneceu um território ocupado e sua população foi efetivamente encerrada.…”

Citizenship in Palestine: a fractured geography

“…Under his government Israel further refined the autonomy model by beginning the construction of the 'security fence' and through the unilateral disengagement from Gaza. In doing so, the Israeli leadership tried to stabilize its control over the land -by fencing the majority of the Palestinians into territorially restricted areas (Li 2006, Gordon 2008) -and in the same time severing the institutional and administrative links with the WBGS. Following the disengagement 'Israel's responsibility for what's happening [in Gaza] has ended, or been drastically reduced' said the then Foreign minister Tzipi Livni (MFA 2007a), so that in 2007 the government could declare Gaza a 'hostile territory' (MFA 2007b(MFA , 2007c.…”