How Neoliberal Capitalism Fortifies Israel’s Occupation of Palestine

When we think of Palestine we think of the struggle for liberation against occupation, settler colonialism, and brutal military oppression. What often gets left out is how this fits into neoliberal capitalism. Adopting private development and neoliberalization under Israeli occupation not only failed to promote Palestinian sovereignty but instead it led to further subjugation to Israel.

To delve into this topic, Rania Khalek was joined by Kareem Rabie, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois and author of the book, “Palestine is Throwing a Party and the Whole World is Invited: Capital and State Building in the West Bank.”

TIME CODES
0:00 Intro
1:09 Why focus on neoliberalism in Palestine?
5:55 What is the Rawabi housing complex?
11:49 How non-state actors & the private sector shape policy in Palestine
18:00 Remaking Ramallah
23:58 Why did the PA adopt neoliberal state building?
26:51 How dependence on international aid preserves the Palestinian Authority
28:49 How has neoliberalism entrenched the Israeli occupation?
31:38 How has this given rise to different classes of Palestinians?
37:34 How capitalism pacifies
38:36 Is this unique to Palestine?
43:03 Was this research hard?
48:17 Where to follow Kareem’s work