Synopses & Reviews
"Covering the four decades since the 1967 war rather than just the current situation,
Israel's Occupation offers a unique perspective on the changing dynamics of the Israel-Palestine conflict."and#151;Timothy Mitchell, author of
Rule of Experts "Interweaving a mountain of documents, reports, and firsthand testimonies, Neve Gordon, one of Israel's bravest intellectuals and activists, details and examines the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip as no one ever has before. His book will no doubt change the perspective from which the history of the occupation is told."and#151;Eyal Weizman, author of Hollow Land
and#147;Neve Gordon's Israel's Occupation provides a powerful and convincing structural framework for explaining Israel's changing methods of rule in the Palestinian territories from 1967 and until today. The arguments, insights, and supporting evidence are impressive, and the prose is written with a golden pen. This book will change the debate on Israel and its occupation, and I will not be surprised if Gordon's conceptual framework is harnessed to analyze the workings of other occupations, past and present. It's social science at its best.and#8221;and#151;Yinon Cohen, Columbia University
Review
"A must read."--Opednews.com
Review
and#8220;This book is a significant contribution to our understanding Israeland#8217;s changing methods of rule during the four decades of occupation.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;What is most interesting in Gordon's analysis is the way in which the renovation of occupation practices are identified as an immanent outcome of the and#8216;excesses and contradictionsand#8217; within the system itself.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Israeland#8217;s Occupation becomes a must read on my list; and my first question of anyone that wants to argue with any perspectives on Israel would be and#8216;Have you read this book yet?and#8217;and#8221;
Review
“A must read.” Jim Miles
Review
and#8220;A unique perspective on the changing dynamics of the Israel-Palestine conflict. . . . The breadth and detail of Gordon's scope provides a powerful systemic framework.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A must read.and#8221;
Synopsis
This first complete history of Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip allows us to see beyond the smoke screen of politics in order to make sense of the dramatic changes that have developed on the ground over the past forty years. Looking at a wide range of topics, from control of water and electricity to health care and education as well as surveillance and torture, Neve Gordon's panoramic account reveals a fundamental shift from a politics of lifeand#151;when, for instance, Israel helped Palestinians plant more than six-hundred thousand trees in Gaza and provided farmers with improved varieties of seedsand#151;to a macabre politics characterized by an increasing number of deaths. Drawing attention to the interactions, excesses, and contradictions created by the forms of control used in the Occupied Territories, Gordon argues that the occupation's very structure, rather than the policy choices of the Israeli government or the actions of various Palestinian political factions, has led to this radical shift.
About the Author
Neve Gordon is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel. He is coeditor of Torture: Human Rights, Medical Ethics, and the Case of Israel, editor of From the Margins of Globalization: Critical Perspectives on Human Rights, and a regular contributor to publications including The Nation, In These Times, and the National Catholic Reporter.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: Of Dowries and Brides
1. The Infrastructure of Control
2. and#147;The Invisible Occupationand#8221;
3. Of Horses and Riders
4. Identification Trouble
5. Civilian Control
6. The Intifada
7. Outsourcing the Occupation
8. The Separation Principle
Epilogue
Appendix 1: Structure of the Civil Branch of the West Bank's Military Government
Appendix 2: West Bank Settlements According to Year Established
Notes
Index