Covid-19 in Palestine: The Settler Colonial Context

During the pandemic, Israel was praised as a vaccination world leader, while Palestinians were forced to adopt crude survival measures and endure economic privations. This book demonstrates how Israel utilized the pandemic to tighten surveillance and control over Palestine and the Palestinians, using settler colonialism and the concept of 'necropolitics' to understand the lived experiences of Palestinians.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 11 January 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The pandemic that claimed over five million lives globally brought Israel and Palestine to vastly different ends of the spectrum. While Palestinians were forced to resort to crude survival measures and endure economic hardships, Israel was lauded as a global vaccination leader. This book serves as a powerful testament to the ongoing reality of the Israeli settler colonial project. Through a combination of case studies and in-depth interviews with Palestinians from various regions, including the Gaza Strip, Hebron, Kufr Aqab, and the Jalazoon refugee camp, the author aims to shed light on the lived experiences of Palestinians. The book delves into the latest colonial policies implemented by Israel, including the activation of a counter-terrorism database that allowed for the tracking and enforcement of lockdown regulations among citizens. Furthermore, it highlights how Israel deliberately destroyed Palestinian infrastructure vital for water, sanitation, and hygiene, leaving Palestinians inadequately equipped to combat the virus. The book underscores that for Palestinians, the pandemic was merely the latest in a long line of national catastrophes in a context where settler colonialism persists.

Weight: 340g
Dimension: 138 x 216 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780755651177