Settler vigilantism and place remaking in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: A legal geography of displaceability in Susiya

Abstract

Using a case study approach, we examine displaceability in the geographical landscape of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). We examine incidents in four Palestinian localities in the Susiya region. Similar to other regions in the OPT, the Palestinians in Susiya are affected by legal and geographical processes, both formal (such as land expropriations and declarations of “state lands”) and informal, which include the seizure of agricultural land, harassment, and violent displacement of Palestinians by Jewish settlers, resulting in creeping Judaization. The present article examines informal processes that took place under the cover of the Second Intifada (2000–2005). We demonstrate how, despite its legal obligation to protect Palestinians’ land rights and security, Israel facilitates Jewish encroachment on their land and homes and illuminate the often-understudied aspect of the Palestinians’ agentic resistance. These processes became more pronounced over time. This is particularly true now, following the outbreak of the war on Gaza (2023), when soldiers and armed settlers intensified the intimidation of Palestinian communities with the aim of removing Palestinian residents from the area. Hence the relevance and topicality of this study.