CIAO DATE: 10/2012
Volume: 41, Issue: 4
Summer 2012
From the Editor
Rashid I. Khalidi
As this issue went to press, prospective Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivered himself of a glaring series of gaffes and insults about the Palestinians in a speech in Jerusalem whose level of pandering led even some of the mainstream media to wince, and the Daily Show (31 July 2012) to gleefully exploit his blunders. Romney grossly misstated the per capita GDP of both Palestinians and Israelis (a strange misstep for a candidate whose claim to fame is his business acumen), and ascribed the yawning economic gap between them to “culture” and the hand of Providence. But his failure to mention forty-five years of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories as a factor holding the Palestinians back economically is lamentably not anomalous for an American politician. Romney is only one among many engaged in a dizzying race to the bottom when it comes to pandering to the most extreme Israeli positions and denigrating the Palestinians. Ignoring the elephant in the room, whether it is the occupation, or the failure of a so-called “peace process” to deliver peace for more than two decades, is par for the course in American political campaigns where Palestine is concerned.
Gaza's Tunnel Phenomenon: The Unintended Dynamics of Israel's Siege (PDF)
Nicolas Pelham
This article traces the extraordinary development of Gaza's tunnel phenomenon over the past decade in response to Israel's economic asphyxiation of the small coastal enclave. It focuses on the period since Hamas's 2007 takeover of the Strip, which saw the industry's transformation from a clandestine, makeshift operation into a major commercial enterprise, regulated, taxed, and bureaucratized. In addition to describing the particulars of the tunnel complex, the article explores its impact on Gaza's socioeconomic hierarchy, strategic orientation, and Islamist rule. The larger geopolitical context, especially with regard to Israel, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Nile Valley, is also discussed. The author argues that contrary to the intentions of its architects, the siege precipitated the reconfiguration of Gaza's economy and enabled its rulers to circumvent the worst effects of the blockade.
The Politics of International Aid to the Gaza Strip (PDF)
Tamer Qarmout, Daniel Beland
International aid to the Palestinian Authority is conditioned in part on democratization and good governance. However, since Hamas' victory in the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections and its takeover of the Gaza Strip, aid agencies have supported the international boycott of the Hamas government. This article argues that aid agencies, by operating in Gaza while boycotting its government, subvert their mandates and serve the political interests of donors and the PA rather than the humanitarian and development needs of Gazans. As a consequence, assistance has, inadvertently and unintentionally, increased Gazans' dependence on humanitarian aid, impeded economic development, and enabled Israel to maintain its occupation and the blockade of Gaza.
Israel, the Palestinians, and the 2012 Republican Primaries: Fantasy Politics on Display (PDF)
Lawrence Davidson
This essay looks at the 2012 Republican primaries through the lens of "localism" and how candidates and lobbies manipulate for their own purposes the ignorance of their voting constituencies on issues not relevant to their everyday lives. After a discussion of the wider process, the piece focuses on the eight leading candidates in the presidential primary race with regard to Israel and Palestine, with an overview of their positions and advisers. It ends with some reflections on the consequences of the peculiarly American mix of localism, national politics, and special interest groups.
Two Portraits in Resistance: Abu 'Umar and Mahjub 'Umar (PDF)
Jehan Helou, Elias Khoury
The word “Palestinian” today, at least in the realm of politics, almost automatically attaches itself to the word “Authority.” This calls forth images of an entity that in fact has no sovereignty, no real jurisdiction, painfully limited authority, and precious little dignity, dwarfed as it is by its Israeli and U.S. overseers and patrons. In such circumstances, it may be difficult to recall that there was a time when the word “Palestine” spontaneously evoked another word, “Resistance,” and a far different set of associations.
Not Just a Soccer Game: Colonialism and Conflict among Palestinians in Israel (PDF)
Grant Aubrey Farred
Not Just a Soccer Game: Colonialism and Conflict among Palestinians in Israel, by Magid Shihade. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2011. 224 pages. $29.95 cloth. DOI: 10.1525/jps.2012.XLI.4.77
My Life in the PLO: The Inside Story of the Palestinian Struggle (PDF)
As'ad Abukhalil
My Life in the PLO: The Inside Story of the Palestinian Struggle, by Shafiq Al-Hout, edited by Jean Said Makdisi and Martin Asser, translated by Hader Al-Hout and Laila Othman. London: Pluto Press, 2010. 320 pages. $104.00 cloth, $29.00 paper.
'This Time We Went Too Far': Truth and Consequences of the Gaza Invasion (Revised and Expanded) (PDF)
Sara Roy
‘This Time We Went Too Far’: Truth And Consequences of the Gaza Invasion (Revised and Expanded), by Norman G. Finkelstein. New York, NY: OR Books, 2011. 203 pages. Appendices to p. 230. Notes to p. 313. Index to p. 343. $15.00 paper.
Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza: Engaging the Islamist Social Sector (PDF)
Nubar Hovsepian
Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza: Engaging the Islamist Social Sector, by Sara Roy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2011. xvii + 236 pages. Notes to p. 287. Bibliography to p. 307. Index to p. 319. $35.00. cloth.
The Forgotten Palestinians: A History of the Palestinians in Israel (PDF)
Magid Shihade
The Forgotten Palestinians: A History of the Palestinians in Israel, by Ilan Pappé. New Haven, CT, and London: Yale University Press, 2011. 275 pages. Appendix to p. 276. Notes to p. 292. Bibliography to p. 316. Index to p. 336. $30.00. cloth.
Unsettling Gaza: Secular Liberalism, Radical Religion, and the Israeli Settlement Project (PDF)
Gil Anidjar
Unsettling Gaza: Secular Liberalism, Radical Religion, and the Israel Settlement Project by Joyce Dalsheim. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. x + 219 pages. Notes to p. 191. Bibliography to p. 204. Index to p. 219. $74.00 cloth.
Rethinking Israeli Space: Periphery and Identity (PDF)
Nasser Abourahme
Rethinking Israeli Space: Periphery and Identity, by Erez Tzfadia and Haim Yacobi. New York: Routledge, 2011. ix + 121 pages. Notes to p. 124. References to p. 140. Index to p. 144. $130.00. cloth.
Israel's Dead Soul (PDF)
Matthew Abraham
Israel's Dead Soul, by Steven Salaita. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2011. xi + 142 pages. Notes to p. 155. Bibliography to p. 159. $64.50. cloth, $24.95. paper. JSTOR
Preparing the Mothers of Tomorrow: Education and Islam in Mandate Palestine (PDF)
Andrea L. Stanton
Preparing the Mothers of Tomorrow: Education and Islam in Mandate Palestine, by Ela Greenberg. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2010. 195 pages. Notes to p. 245. Bibliography to p. 266. Index to p. 277. $55.00. cloth, $25.00. paper.
Arab Views (cartoons from al-Hayat) (PDF)
This section aims to give readers a glimpse of how the Arab world views current events that affect Palestinians and the Arab-Israeli conflict by presenting a selection of cartoons from al-Hayat, the most widely distributed mainstream daily in the Arab world. JPS is grateful to al-Hayat for permission to reprint its material.
Selections from the Press (PDF)
This section includes articles and news items, mainly from Israeli but also from international press sources, that provide insightful or illuminating perspectives on events, developments, or trends in Israel and the occupied territories not readily available in the mainstream U.S. media.
Photos from the Quarter (PDF)
This small sample of photos, selected from hundreds viewed by JPS, aims to convey a sense of the situation on the ground in the occupied territories during the quarter.
Update on Conflict and Diplomacy (PDF)
Michele K. Esposito
The Quarterly Update is a summary of bilateral, multilateral, regional, and international events affecting the Palestinians and the future of the peace process. More than 100 print, wire, television, and online sources providing U.S., Israeli, Arab, and international independent and government coverage of unfolding events are surveyed to compile the Quarterly Update. The most relevant sources are cited in JPS's Chronology section, which tracks events day by day.
Settlement Monitor (PDF)
Geoffrey Aronson
This section covers items-reprinted articles, statistics, and maps-pertaining to Israeli settlement activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Unless otherwise stated, the items have been written by Geoffrey Aronson for this section or drawn from material written by him for Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories (hereinafter Settlement Report), a Washington-based bimonthly newsletter published by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. JPS is grateful to the foundation for permission to draw on its material.
Congressional Monitor (PDF)
Paul James Costic
The Congressional Monitor provides summaries of all legislation dealing with Palestine, Israel, or the wider Arab-Israeli conflict introduced during the previous session of Congress.
Bibliography of Periodical Literature (PDF)
Norbert Scholz
This section lists articles and reviews of books relevant to Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Entries are classified under the following headings: Reference and General; History (through 1948) and Geography; Palestinian Politics and Society; Jerusalem; Israeli Politics, Society, and Zionism; Arab and Middle Eastern Politics; International Relations; Law; Military; Economy, Society, and Education; Literature, Arts, and Culture; Book Reviews; and Reports Received.
Chronology (PDF)
Michele K. Esposito
This section is part of a chronology begun in JPS 13, no. 3 (Spring 1984). Chronology dates reflect Eastern Standard Time (EST). For a more comprehensive overview of events related to the al-Aqsa intifada and of regional and international developments related to the peace process, see the Quarterly Update on Conflict and Diplomacy in this issue. 16 February- 15 May 2012