Author: Elia Zureik
Affiliation: Queens University, Kingston, Canada
Organization/Publisher: Middle East Critique, Routledge
Date/Place: February 24, 2020/UK
Type of Literature: Research Paper
Number of Pages: 18
Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19436149.2020.1732043
Keywords: Iran, Israel, Palestinians, Neoliberalism, Settler Colonialism, Surveillance
Brief:
The article analyzes how Israel’s role in the Middle East and beyond highly relies on its private high-tech sector to recruit private companies to carry out the colonial functions of its military rule over Palestinians. Moreover, Israel uses them to reshape its relationship with some of the Arab Gulf States in their attempts to confront Iran. On the one hand, private securitization is reaping tremendous profits in the economic sector, but on the other hand, the Israeli state remains in control of the core military and political aspects of contracting out and privatizing such services. The growth of sophisticated Israeli surveillance technologies has captured the imagination of commentators, that how a small country like Israel could make it to the globally advanced countries in cyber technology. Israel argues that surveillance has become a necessary tool for its security. In the name of security necessities, Israel continues to justify the expansion of its colonization of Palestinian lands; apart from the implications of neoliberalism for Israel’s occupation. Sociologists argue that it’s hard to untangle the relationship between neo-liberalism and settler colonialism, Andy Clarno refers to it as neoliberal colonization. This article shows how Israel has used discursive surveillance in the form of monitoring the internet and social media participation to criminalize the Palestinians.
By: Saima Rashid, CIGA Research Assistant
