Necroviolence: On Israel's Corpse Captivity Policy and Palestinian Practices of Dignity & Defiance

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Hilary Rantisi speaks with researcher Randa Wahbe about the Israeli policy and practice of holding Palestinian corpses as part of the broader Israeli regime of control over Palestinians. At present, Israel holds more than 740 Palestinian bodies. Randa describes this practice of control, which can be defined as "necropolitics" and/or "necroviolence,"  and which includes desecration of burial sites and cemeteries. She also describes Palestinian practices of defiance and dignity that aim to counter the impact that this particular form of violence has on Palestinian families and communities. FMEP initiated this conversation after FMEP's partner and friend Awdah Hathaleen was murdered on 7/28/25 by an Israeli settler who invaded Awdah's village, Umm al Khair in Masafer Yatta, and Israel then held Awdah's body, refusing to return it to his family for burial. Women in Umm al Khair, including Awdah's mother, widow, and extended family, launched a hunger strike to demand that Israel return his body for burial without conditions. 10 days after the murder, Israel returned Awdah's body and allowed his family to bury him. Read more about Awdah Hathaleen and the events surrounding his murder, Israel withholding his body, and his village's response here: "Awdah Hathaleen laid to rest after Israel withheld body for 10 days" (Oren Ziv, +972 Magazine, 8/7/25) and "Israel is holding Awdah Hathaleen’s body. His killer roams freely through his village" (Sahar Vardi and Basel Adra, +972 Magazine, 8/5/25)  Also see this 2021 conversation FMEP hosted, "Palestinian Bodies Held Hostage by Israel," with human rights advocate & researcher Budour Hassan and Professor Noura Erakat about Israel’s policy of holding hostage the bodies of slain Palestinians. This conversation drew on Israeli authorities holding the body of Ahmad Erekat, Noura's cousin.  Randa May Wahbe earned her PhD in anthropology from Harvard University. Her dissertation is titled “The Politics of Karameh: Palestinian Dignity and Defiance Against the Necrocarceral State” in which she investigates Israel’s exploitation of the Palestinian dead. Randa currently works in movement advocacy to support progressive groups elevate their voices in the media and is an Adjunct Professor at University of San Francisco. Previously, she served as head of international advocacy for a leading human rights organization in Palestine that defends political prisoners rights, where she led global campaigns during hunger strikes and moments of escalating violence. Hilary Rantisi grew up in Palestine and has been involved with education and advocacy on the Middle East since her move to the US. She is a 2025 Fellow at FMEP and was most recently the Associate Director of the Religion, Conflict and Peace Initiative (RCPI) and co-instructor of Learning in Context: Narratives of Displacement and Belonging in Israel/Palestine at Harvard Divinity School. She has over two decades of experience in institution building at Harvard, having been the Director of the Middle East Initiative (MEI) at Harvard Kennedy School of Government prior to her current role. She has a BA in Political Science/International Studies from Aurora University and a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago. Before moving to the US, Hilary worked at Birzeit University and at the Jerusalem-based Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. There, she co-edited a photo essay book Our Story: The Palestinians with the Rev. Naim Ateek. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.