Colonial land dispossession in Jerusalem: How settler-state policies erase Palestinian sovereignty under international law
Original framing: “Israel’s Ben Gvir oversees demolition of Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem” — Middle East Eye
The current demolitions are part of a long arc of colonial land dispossession in Palestine, beginning with the British Mandate’s expropriation of Arab-owned land and continuing through Israel’s 1948 Nakba, when 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled their homes. The 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem and the subsequent expansion of settlements have systematically dismantled Palestinian communities, with demolitions serving as a tool to 'clear' land for Jewish-only settlements. This historical pattern reveals a deliberate strategy to fragment Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, rendering any future statelet unviable. The framing of these actions as 'legal' or 'security-related' is a modern iteration of colonial legalism, used to justify dispossession.
The demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem is not an isolated act of 'law enforcement' but a calculated strategy within Israel’s settler-colonial project to erase Palestinian sovereignty and alter the demographic balance of the city.
This violence is rooted in a century-long history of colonial dispossession, from the British Mandate to the Nakba and beyond, where legal and military force have systematically dismantled Palestinian communities. The framing of these demolitions as necessary for 'security' obscures the role of international complicity, particularly from the U.S. and EU, which enable Israel’s policies through diplomatic shielding and military aid. Palestinian resistance, however, is not passive; it encompasses Indigenous knowledge of land stewardship, artistic and spiritual defiance, and grassroots organizing that challenges the narrative of Israeli legitimacy. Solutions must therefore be systemic, combining international legal pressure, community-led resistance, cultural preservation, and diplomatic isolation to halt demolitions and force Israel to comply with international law. The trickster dimension reveals that even in the face of overwhelming state violence, Palestinians use creativity and defiance to resist erasure, turning destruction into a site of memory and resistance.