Middle East Today Series Editors Fawaz A. Gerges, Department of International Relations, London School of Economics, London, UK Nader Hashemi, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, Center for Middle East Studies, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA The Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the US invasion and occupation of Iraq have dramatically altered the geopo- litical landscape of the contemporary Middle East. The Arab Spring upris- ings have complicated this picture. This series puts forward a critical body of first-rate scholarship that reflects the current political and social reali- ties of the region, focusing on original research about contentious poli- tics and social movements; political institutions; the role played by non- governmental organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood; and the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Other themes of interest include Iran and Turkey as emerging pre-eminent powers in the region, the former an ‘Islamic Republic’ and the latter an emerging democracy currently governed by a party with Islamic roots; the Gulf monarchies, their petrol economies and regional ambitions; potential problems of nuclear proliferation in the region; and the challenges confronting the United States, Europe, and the United Nations in the greater Middle East. The focus of the series is on general topics such as social turmoil, war and revolution, international relations, occupation, radicalism, democracy, human rights, and Islam as a political force in the context of the modern Middle East. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14803 Alaa Tartir · Tariq Dana · Timothy Seidel Editors Political Economy of Palestine Critical, Interdisciplinary, and Decolonial Perspectives Editors Alaa Tartir Tariq Dana The Graduate Institute of International Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and Development Studies (IHEID) Doha, Qatar Geneva, Switzerland Timothy Seidel Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, VA, USA Middle East Today ISBN 978-3-030-68642-0 ISBN 978-3-030-68643-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68643-7 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and informa- tion in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: Mikadun/shutterstock.com This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Acknowledgments First and foremost, we would like to thank the contributing authors to this edited volume for their great dedication and commitment to this book project, and for their outstanding scholarly contributions and intel- lectually stimulating and courageous chapters. The authors not only wrote their own chapters and engaged with us—the editors—throughout the rounds of edits and long email exchanges, but they also peer-reviewed the chapters of each other and offered valuable, serious, and constructive feedback that exemplified their commitment to the highest quality stan- dards. This collective engagement meant that the final output, this book, is a collective scholarly work that gained from the virtues of interdisci- plinarity, and it is a book that we all own. The journey to produce this book was not only rewarding, but also joyful and delightful, thanks to the contributing authors and their eager and serious commitment. Special and sincere thanks go to Professor Sara Roy who has not only inspired us through her work, ideas, and books, but also through her great appreciation for and commitment to this book project. Professor Roy was not only keen on reading all chapters of this book, but she also wrote the book’s thoughtful and moving concluding remarks based on her extensive decades-long experience researching and writing on Palestine and the Palestinians. v vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We also would like to thank our publisher, Palgrave Macmillan, and in particular the editorial team, Alina Yurova, Anne-Kathrin Birchley-Brun, Henry Rodgers, Manikandan Murthy, and Ranjith Mohan, for all their support, patience, and guidance throughout the process of producing this book. We also extend our sincere thanks to our colleagues Yara Hawari and Mandy Turner for reviewing and commenting on chapters in this book, and our colleagues Marwa Fatafta and Megan Driscoll for their creative engagement in the book cover design process. To the esteemed scholars and colleagues who endorsed our book, we are truly humbled, honored, and thankful for all your great support and the inspiration you offered us over the years. Your endorsements to our book and scholarly work truly mean a lot to us and we appreciate that highly and greatly. Another big thank you to all the colleagues and scholars with whom we discussed individual chapters as well as the book as a whole; we are in your debt for all our conversations, debates, and exchanges. Last but not least, we thank our families for their support and patience, and for all the love and the positive energy they offered us that made it possible to pursue and finish this book project. We owe you many hours, days, and weeks for the work that we gave to this book. For being with and for us, we dedicate this book to you. Inspired by Edward Said, our colleague Cherine Hussein argues, “everything we research, everything we write, the very analysis we are able to see or piece together on a particular topic is shaped by where we as intellectual and academics choose to place our point of beginning.” With this book, we have attempted to contribute not only a collective schol- arly work but to a community of intellectuals and advocates committed to liberation, in recognition that our intellectual work is always at the same time unavoidably political work, even struggle, for someone. It is the struggle for justice and well-being for Palestinian people in Palestine, and beyond, that this edited volume aspires and commits to. And it is to Palestine and the Palestinian people that we also dedicate this book. Praise for Political Economy of Palestine “The Political Economy of Palestine is a remarkably coherent and impor- tant volume. The authors take a critical political economy approach, placing issues of class and power at the center of their analyses of poli- tics and development of contemporary Palestine. Their essays on such key issues as land allocation and control, food sovereignty, labor and waste management are historically grounded and empirically rich. Taken together, they provide important lessons regarding the complex dynamics and interdependencies of international, Israeli and Palestinian forces that shape Palestinians’ lives. The volume is a must-read not only for scholars who seek to understand Palestine today, but also for those interested in issues of class, power and politics more generally.” —Ellen Lust, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Governance and Local Development, University of Gothenburg “This fascinating collection of articles by a number of deeply knowl- edgeable researchers offers exciting new vistas into Palestinian political economy, covering a range of subjects in thoughtful ways. Using a critical perspective, the authors encourage us to examine everything from infras- tructure and security to class formation and struggles around land with new eyes.” —Laleh Khalili, Professor of International Politics, School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London vii viii PRAISE FOR POLITICAL ECONOMY OF PALESTINE “The Political Economy of Palestine provides an extensive and exemplary analysis of reasons behind and the consequences of Israeli occupation. It does so with analytical heft, theoretically grounded evaluation and empir- ical case studies. It is the ‘go to’ collection of timely essays committed to liberation and decolonisation. Based on wide ranging and rigorous research authors reject eurocentrism and neoliberal tropes demonstrating, among other things, that political circumstances are not inevitable but conditional on a history of de-development and unfinished struggles for Palestinian sovereignty and self-determination. A fabulous yet daunting read.” —Ray Bush, Professor of African Studies and Development Politics, University of Leeds “The political economy perspective