Shaped by Zionist settler-colonialism, the field of Palestine studies has contributed unique concepts and insights to humanities and social sciences. This peculiar form of settler-colonialism has not only generated peculiar phenomena but also redefined existing ones, thereby challenging
traditional scholarly paradigms and academic interpretations. For example, the application of the concept of “apartheid” in the Palestinian context, originally associated with the racial segregation system in South Africa, does not fully capture the severity and nature of the brutal domination of the Israeli segregation system over Palestinians, as highlighted by scholars and South African leaders alike. Similarly, while the term “genocide” has been invoked to describe the large-scale mass killing and destruction of Gaza by Israel, it does not sufficiently reflect the multilayered atrocities, including mass extermination, ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, starvation, and other war crimes taking place in Gaza simultaneously, unprecedented in their visibility and the brazenness of their execution. Adapting those terminologies into the Palestinian context deepens our understanding of the peculiarity of that context and pushes the boundaries of social sciences to accommodate such extraordinary realities.
Ali Jarbawi’s book, From Expulsion to Self-Rule: The Zionist Quest to Bury Palestine Alive attempts to interrogate a concept that has been taken for granted for decades, which in turn fills an important conceptual gap in the field. In particular, the book critically examines the notion of “Palestinian Autonomy” or selfrule, presenting a reconceptualization that diverges markedly from conventional interpretations and existing models of autonomy. Jarbawi’s analysis underlines the unique nature of Palestinian self-rule, as enforced and promoted by Israel, which starkly contrasts with global norms and practices of autonomy. Despite its profound implications on understanding the dynamics of power, resistance, and governance in Palestine, the critical questioning of Palestinian autonomy has been largely under-researched.
*** This study was published in the 15th issue of AlMuntaqa, a peer-reviewed academic journal for the social sciences and humanities. You can read the full paper here.
