Abstract
■ The geopolitical border is a uniquely modern form of social and economic control. When marked and functional, one usually finds military or police personnel who stop, search, turn back, detain and sometimes beat or kill people trying to cross. This article describes how border enforcement on the Green Line, between the West Bank and Israel proper, contributes to the under-development of the West Bank and the intensified exploitation of Palestinians. Particular examples are provided from the construction industry and the textile industry. However, this article argues that the border is not simply a tactic to squeeze workers. Violence is rarely deployed in such a straightforward, utilitarian fashion, but is, instead, usually mediated by complicated patterns of fear. Like the US-Mexico border described by Heyman, the Israeli-Palestinian border is shaped by popular fears of criminal and racial invasion.
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