The western Golan Heights have been transformed by Israeli colonisation, including land and water resource appropriation, economic development, and military use. This book is the first academic study in English of Arab politics and culture in the occupied Golan Heights, focusing on the Jawlanis and their experience of everyday colonisation and resistance to settler colonisation. It covers governance, development, and resistance, including the six-month strike of 1982, youth mobilisation, Palestinian solidarity movements, and Jawlani art and writing as an act of resistance.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 17 November 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The Occupation of the Western Golan Heights

In 1967, Israel occupied the western section of Syria's Golan Heights, expelling 130,000 residents and leaving only a few thousand Arab inhabitants clustered in several villages. Sometimes characterized as the 'forgotten occupation,' the western Golan Heights have been transformed by Israeli colonization, including the appropriation of land and water resources, economic development, and extensive military use. This landmark volume is the first academic study in English of Arab politics and culture in the occupied Golan Heights. It focuses on an indigenous community, known as the Jawlanis, and their experience of everyday colonization and resistance to settler colonization. Chapters cover how governance is carried out in the Golan, from Israel's use of the education system and collective memory, to its development of large-scale wind turbines which are now a symbol of Israeli encroachment. To illustrate the ways in which the current regime of Israeli rule has been contested, there are chapters on the six-month strike of 1982, youth mobilization in the occupied Golan, Palestinian solidarity movements, and the creation of Jawlani art and writing as an act of resistance. Rich in ethnographic detail and with chapters from diverse disciplines, the book is unique in bringing together Jawlani, Palestinian, and UK researchers. The innovative format - with shorter 'reflections from young Arab researchers, activists, and lawyers that respond to more traditional academic chapters - establishes a bold new 'de-colonial approach.

Weight: 318g
Dimension: 139 x 215 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780755644520