Introduction

The ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip has been front and center in the world’s attention for the last couple of months, and it's important that we keep it there. But it's also important to remember that this latest escalation in violence is just that: an escalation, an increase in violence in a region where violence is the norm, not just militarily but also politically and economically — what we might call structural violence.

The suffering in Palestine has been seen primarily as a humanitarian issue for decades now, but the reality is that reducing Palestine to a matter of humanitarian concern obscures issues of geopolitics and the political economy of the region in a way that decontextualizes much of what is taking place in Palestine, and, importantly, the material conditions and incentives driving the Israeli occupation.

In this conversation, part 5 of our ongoing series on Palestine, we're going to explore the political economies of Palestine and Israel with a guest who is deeply immersed in these questions. Adam Hanieh is a Palestinian professor at the Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies at the University and Exeter and author of Lineages of Revolt: Issues of Contemporary Capitalism in the Middle East, published by Haymarket Books. 

In this conversation Adam helps us understand the relationships between the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Israel, how class manifests in these different regions, what the political economies of these regions are and how they shape Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign, and in general, the importance of understanding the geopolitical dynamics of the broader region and neighboring Arab states when trying to understand what is happening in Palestine and Israel.

Further Resources:

• Lineages of Revolt: Issues of Contemporary Capitalism in the Middle East, by Adam Hanieh
• Upstream: Palestine Pt. 1: A Socialist Introduction with Sumaya Awad
• Upstream: Palestine Pt. 2: Justice for Some with Noura Erakat
• Upstream: Palestine Pt. 3: Settler-Colonialism and Medical Apartheid with Rupa Marya & Jess Ghannam
• Upstream: Palestine Pt. 4: False Solutions and Paths of Resistance with Sumaya Awad
• Donate to Middle Eastern Children's Alliance (MECA)
• Anera: Provide urgent humanitarian aid to Palestinians
• Write your member of Congress to demand an immediate ceasefire

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