Settler Colonialism in Palestine between Structure and Process: Elimination or Power and Control?

Abstract

This paper seeks to answer the central question: Is settler colonialism in Palestine a “structure” or an ongoing “process”? The paper engages with most prominent theorists in the field of settler colonialism, with a special focus on the nature of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. By employing Michel Foucault’s concept of power and its types, the study argues that settler colonialism in Palestine is a process rather than a structure. It is subject to transformations on the ground, including the agency of the governed and the attitudes of major international and regional players, and the contexts in which the entire process takes place. Settler-colonialism as a process shaped by trial and error. Its overriding logic is the pursuit of power and control, facilitated by policies that most importantly include elimination, economic exploitation and population management.