Colonialism in the Gaza Strip: Understanding the Degradation of Infrastructure Following the 2007 Blockade

Brenna Dufour

Abstract

This paper analyzes the economic and security policies that have been implemented by Israel in the Gaza Strip. Following the Six-Day War and the implementation of the 2007 air, land, and sea blockade, Israel deployed numerous preemptive self-defense measures that have degraded the Gaza Strip's infrastructure. The 2007 Israeli blockade led to a vast humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and has been associated with numerous violations of international humanitarian law. Scholars have theorized that the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and subsequent degradation of the Gazan socio-political, economic, and physical infrastructures can be understood through several theoretical frameworks: postcolonialism (Gregory 2004), ethnocratic settler states (Yiftachel 2003) and self-determination (Awawda 2018). The "colonial like" structures implemented by the Israelis have facilitated the de-development of Gaza's basic infrastructure and municipalities, which has crippled Gaza's capacity to provide essential utilities to its people.

 

Colonialism in the Gaza Strip: Understanding the Degradation of Infrastructure Following the 2007 Blockade

This paper analyzes the economic and security policies that have been implemented by Israel in the Gaza Strip. Following the Six-Day War and the implementation of the 2007 air, land, and sea blockade, Israel deployed numerous preemptive self-defense measures that have degraded the Gaza Strip's infrastructure. The 2007 Israeli blockade led to a vast humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and has been associated with numerous violations of international humanitarian law. Scholars have theorized that the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and subsequent degradation of the Gazan socio-political, economic, and physical infrastructures can be understood through several theoretical frameworks: postcolonialism (Gregory 2004), ethnocratic settler states (Yiftachel 2003) and self-determination (Awawda 2018). The "colonial like" structures implemented by the Israelis have facilitated the de-development of Gaza's basic infrastructure and municipalities, which has crippled Gaza's capacity to provide essential utilities to its people.