Unsilencing Gaza

Sara Roy

Description

'Roy is humanely and professionally committed in ways that are unmatched by any other non-Palestinian scholar' - Edward W. Said

Gaza, the centre of Palestinian nationalism and resistance to the occupation, is the linchpin of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the key to its resolution. Since 2005, Israel has deepened the isolation of the territory, severing it almost completely from its most vital connections to the West Bank, Israel and beyond, and has deliberately shattered its economy, transforming Palestinians from a people with political rights into a humanitarian problem.



Sara Roy unpacks this process, looking at US foreign policy towards the Palestinians, as well as analysing the trajectory of Israeli policy toward Gaza, which became a series of punitive approaches meant not only to contain the Hamas regime but weaken Gazan society.



Roy also reflects on Gaza's ruination from a Jewish perspective and discusses the connections between Gaza's history and her own as a child of Holocaust survivors. This book, a follow up from the renowned Failing Peace, comes from one of the world's most acclaimed writers on the region.

List of Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Introduction: “I can’t eat my lights”

PART I - SETTING THE STAGE FOR CONFLICT IN GAZA: US POLICY FAILURES REDUX

1. Yes, You Can Work With Hamas: The US Approach to the Palestinian Territories is Inviting Disaster (July 17, 2007)

2. US Foreign Policy and the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict: A View From Palestine (September 2011)

PART II - THE MARGINALIZED CENTER: THE WARS ON GAZA AND THEIR AFTERMATH

3. If Gaza Falls … (January 1, 2009)

4. Endgame in the Gaza War? (January 4, 2009)

5. Degrees of Loss (October 8, 2010)

6. Gaza After the Revolution (March 16, 2011)

7. It’s Worth Putting Hamas to the Test (January 6, 2012)

8. Before Gaza, After Gaza: Examining the New Reality in Israel/Palestine (2013)

PART III - TOWARD PRECARITY: EXCEPTIONALIZING GAZA

9. Statement on Gaza before the United Nations Security Council (July 20, 2015)

10. Humanitarianism in Gaza: What Not to Do (Summer 2015)

11. The Gaza Strip’s Last Safety Net is in Danger (August 6, 2015)

PART - IV UNDOING ATTACHMENT: CREATING SPACES OF EXCESS

12. Yes, They Are Refugees (March 22, 2018)

13. Floating in an Inch of Water: A Letter from Gaza (2018)

14. “I wish they would just disappear” (December 2018)

PART V - A JEW IN GAZA: REFLECTIONS

15. A Jewish Plea (April 7, 2007)

16. A Response to Elie Wiesel (September 9, 2014)

17. Hunger (June 9, 2017)

18. Book Review, Palestinians in Syria: Nakba Memories of Shattered Communities (September 2018)

19. On Equating BDS with Anti-Semitism: A Letter to the Members of the German Government (June 4, 2019)

20. Tears of Salt: A Brief Reflection on Israel, Palestine and the Coronavirus (published here for the first time)

PART VI - THE PASSING OF A GENERATION: COMMEMORATING COURAGEOUS PALESTINIAN VOICES

21. A Tribute to Eyad el-Sarraj (Spring 2014)

22. Remembering Naseer Aruri (2015)

PART VII - THE PAST AS FUTURE: LESSONS FORGOTTEN

23. Gaza: Out of Sight (Autumn 1987; published here in English for the first time)

24. When a Loaf of Bread Was Not Enough: Unsilencing the Past in Gaza (published here for the first time)

PART VIII - BETWEEN PRESENCE AND ABSENCE: PALESTINE AND THE ANTILOGIC OF DISPOSABILITY— CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS

25. An Unacceptable Absence: Countering Gaza’s Exceptionalism (published here for the first time)

Epilogue: On the Falseness of Distinctions—“We are no different than you” (2014)

Notes

Index

Sujets

• International Relations
• Middle Est
• Human Rights
• HISTORY
• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Histoire
• Hamás
• Diplomacy
• Gaza War
• Presidency of Barack Obama
• 21st century
• History of the Middle East
• Geopolitics
• General officer
• Israeli?Palestinian conflict
• West Bank
• Middle East
• Gaza Strip
• Foreign policy of the United States
• Hamas
• General
• Diplomatie (homonymie)
• Gaza

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 juin 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781786808264
• Langue: English

Extrait

Unsilencing Gaza
Roy is humanely and professionally committed in ways that are unmatched by any other non-Palestinian scholar.
-Edward W. Said
Roy is the leading researcher and most widely respected academic authority on Gaza today.
-Bruce Bennett Lawrence, Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Humanities Professor of Religion at Duke University
A compelling study that continues the author s investigation of the dehumanizing and destabilizing effects of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian politics and society. Essential reading for those intent on understanding both the causes and the consequences of this conflict.
-Irene Gendzier, Professor Emerita, Boston University and author of Development Against Democracy
For several decades, Sara Roy has been bringing her unique moral authority to bear on the searing injustice that continues to be Palestine. This indispensable collection confronts us all with the inhuman conditions of life for the people of Gaza, tempered by the courage with which Roy explores it, her insistence on the unbreakable link between Jewishness and justice, and her ultimate faith in the resilience of the Palestinian people.
-Jacqueline Rose, Professor of Humanities, Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities
Unsilencing Gaza
Reflections on Resistance
Sara Roy
First published 2021 by Pluto Press
345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA
www.plutobooks.com
Copyright Sara Roy 2021
The right of Sara Roy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7453 4136 1 Hardback
ISBN 978 0 7453 4137 8 Paperback
ISBN 978 1 7868 0825 7 PDF
ISBN 978 1 7868 0826 4 EPUB
ISBN 978 1 7868 0827 1 Kindle




This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental standards of the country of origin.
Typeset by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England
Simultaneously printed in the United Kingdom and United States of America
In memory of Peter Gubser, Augustus Richard Norton and Hilda Silverman
Contents
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: I can t eat my lights
PART I SETTING THE STAGE FOR CONFLICT IN GAZA: US POLICY FAILURES REDUX
1 Yes, You Can Work With Hamas: The US Approach to the Palestinian Territories is Inviting Disaster (July 17, 2007)
2 US Foreign Policy and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A View From Palestine (September 2011)
PART II THE MARGINALIZED CENTER: THE WARS ON GAZA AND THEIR AFTERMATH
3 If Gaza Falls (January 1, 2009)
4 Endgame in the Gaza War? (January 4, 2009)
5 Degrees of Loss (October 8, 2010)
6 Gaza After the Revolution (March 16, 2011)
7 It s Worth Putting Hamas to the Test (January 6, 2012)
8 Before Gaza, After Gaza: Examining the New Reality in Israel/Palestine (2013)
PART III TOWARD PRECARITY: EXCEPTIONALIZING GAZA
9 Statement on Gaza before the United Nations Security Council (July 20, 2015)
10 Humanitarianism in Gaza: What Not to Do (Summer 2015)
11 The Gaza Strip s Last Safety Net is in Danger (August 6, 2015)
PART IV UNDOING ATTACHMENT: CREATING SPACES OF EXCESS
12 Yes, They Are Refugees (March 22, 2018)
13 Floating in an Inch of Water: A Letter from Gaza (2018)
14 I wish they would just disappear (December 2018)
PART V A JEW IN GAZA: REFLECTIONS
15 A Jewish Plea (April 7, 2007)
16 A Response to Elie Wiesel (September 9, 2014)
17 Hunger (June 9, 2017)
18 Book Review, Palestinians in Syria: Nakba Memories of Shattered Communities (September 2018)
19 On Equating BDS with Anti-Semitism: A Letter to the Members of the German Government (June 4, 2019)
20 Tears of Salt: A Brief Reflection on Israel, Palestine and the Coronavirus (published here for the first time)
PART VI THE PASSING OF A GENERATION: COMMEMORATING COURAGEOUS PALESTINIAN VOICES
21 A Tribute to Eyad el-Sarraj (Spring 2014)
22 Remembering Naseer Aruri (2015)
PART VII THE PAST AS FUTURE: LESSONS FORGOTTEN
23 Gaza: Out of Sight (Autumn 1987; published here in English for the first time)
24 When a Loaf of Bread Was Not Enough: Unsilencing the Past in Gaza (published here for the first time)
PART VIII BETWEEN PRESENCE AND ABSENCE: PALESTINE AND THE ANTILOGIC OF DISPOSABILITY-CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS
25 An Unacceptable Absence: Countering Gaza s Exceptionalism (published here for the first time)
Epilogue: On the Falseness of Distinctions- We are no different than you (2014)
Notes
Index
List of Abbreviations
ACTA-Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act
AIPAC-American Israel Public Affairs Committee
ANERA-American Near East Refugee Aid
BDS-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
CMWU-Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (Gaza)
COGAT-Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories
EU-European Union
FAO-(UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation
GMR-Great March of Return
GRM-Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism
ICAHD-Israel Committee Against Home Demolitions
IDF-Israel Defense Forces
IFRI-Institut fran ais des relations internationales
MB-Muslim Brotherhood
MEPP-Middle East peace process
MERIP-Middle East Research and Information Project
MFA-Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)
MMUP-Materials Monitoring Unit Project
MOH-Ministry of Health (West Bank)
NIS-new Israeli shekel, currency in Israel and Palestine
OPE-Operation Protective Edge
PA-Palestinian Authority
PCBS-Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
PEP-Paris Economic Protocol
PHRI-Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
PIJ-Palestinian Islamic Jihad
PLA-Palestine Liberation Army
PLO-Palestine Liberation Organization
PWA-Palestinian Water Authority
RAO-Refugee Affairs Officer
UN-United Nations
UNCTAD-United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDP-United Nations Development Program
UNICEF-United Nations Children s Fund
UNOCHA-UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
UNRWA-United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
USAID-United States Agency for International Development
WFP-World Food Programme
WHO-World Health Organization
Acknowledgments
Over the many years of research and writing represented in this book, there have been more people than I can mention-teachers, mentors, colleagues, friends and students throughout the world-who deserve my profound thanks for their commentary, counsel and constant support. I shall always be in their debt.
I do want to acknowledge just a few, each of whom, in their own way, played a significant role in my research: Elaine Hagopian, Herbert Kelman, Martha Myers, Irene Gendzier, Lani Frerichs, Norman Finkelstein, Marc Ellis, Walid Khalidi, the late Fr. Vincent Martin OSB, Denis Sullivan, Noam Chomsky, William Granara, Lenore Martin, Susan Kahn, Brian Klug, Afif and Christ l Safieh, Husam Zomlot, Salim Tamari, Desmond Travers, Karam Dana, Nubar Hovsepian, Alexandra Senfft, Brigitte Schulz, Ellen Siegel, Paul Aaron, the late Thomas Mullins, the late Allen Bergson, Deirdre Bergson, the late Edward Said and Roger Owen, the late Russell Davis and Donald Warwick, the late Haidar Abdel Shafi, Huda Abdel Shafi, the late Hatem Abu Ghazaleh, the late Eyad el-Sarraj and Naseer Aruri, the late Alya Shawwa, Talal Abu Rahme, Amira Hass, Ruchama Marton, the late Dan Bar-On, Ibrahim Barzak, Raji Sourani, Omar Shaban, Adnan Abu Hasna, Charles Shammas, Hiromu Odagiri, Takanori Hayao, Mari Oka, Thomas and Patricia Neu, Marilyn Garson, Brian Moore, Chris Gunness, Linda Butler, Michelle Esposito, Deena Hurwitz, Hilary Rantisi, Susan Akram, Sherman Teichman, Anne Joyce, Rhona Davies and the late Peter Johnson, the late Ellen Greenberg, Kim Burnham, Leticia Pena, Lisa Majaj, Nancy Murray, Angela Bader, Souad Dajani and Marie Francis.
The late Augustus Richard Norton, Peter Gubser and Hilda B. Silverman to whom this book is dedicated, were pivotal to my learning and thought, dear friends and cherished colleagues who are deeply missed.
A special note of gratitude to Roger van Zwanenberg for his years of support and friendship.
Just as I was completing this manuscript, Meron Benvenisti passed away at the age of 86. I am especially grateful to Meron who, more than anyone, set me on a trajectory that would become my life s endeavor. As a young doctoral student, I read a report that he had written on US economic assistance to the West Bank and Gaza as part of the West Bank Data Base Project, which he founded and directed. I was struck by his argument, which was both compelling and courageous especially at that time (1984). His paper and our many subsequent conversations helped me formulate my doctoral research and was the seed of all my future work. Meron was prophetic, brilliant and principled, among the most decent human beings I have known. He spoke truth to power throughout his life. He was consistent and unafraid. I shall always be grateful to him.
A special note of thanks to the superbly talented staff at Pluto Press: my editor, Neda Tehrani, Melanie Patrick, Robert Webb, Dave Stanford, Jeanne Brady, Tania Palmieri, Emily Orford and David Shulman.
I also want to extend my sincere thanks to the following individuals and publications for permission to reprint the articles contained in this book (the original source is cited in each chapter). They are:

Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University
Christian Science Monitor
Counterpunch
Foreign Policy
Informed Comment
Institut fran ais des relations internationales (IFRI)
Jamie Stern-Weiner
Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies
Journal of Islamic Studies
Journal of Palestine Studies
London Review of Books
Middle East Policy
Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP)
Olive Branch Press
OR Books
Postcolonial Studies
Professor Juan Cole
P