The Palestinian-Israeli diagram: From normative and symbolic spatialities to geographies of compensations

Abstract

This research challenges unilinear and disparate explanations of the Palestinian-Israeli spatial composite. We argue that traditional Westphalian spatial model and related Geographies of Adaptation predicated on mimetic structural expectations, as well as a localized response to its problems, that is, Geographies of Defiance informed by post-colonial theory, are insufficient. By introducing novel research around Geographies of Compensations, we rethink spatial relations and political organization, revealing the hidden functionalities within ostensibly dysfunctional spaces. Utilizing Deleuze and Guattari’s diagrammatics, we avoid perspectivist normativity and symbolism, which have obfuscated much of the existing analyses. Through spatial analysis grounded in human geography, we re-examine three critical sites: Palestinian refugee camps, Palestinian embassies, and Israeli settlements. Our study demonstrates that while the Westphalian structure dominates, it is far from operating according to normative isomorphism and has in fact been a part of a wider assembled spatial composite. We show how non-Westphalian actors—both Palestinian and Israeli—effectively penetrate and operate within this structure, showcasing its elasticity. Although our primary contribution is theoretical, exemplifying transferrable research on trans-structural spatial circulations, our research carries notable empirical implications. The article utilizes recent interviews conducted by the authors with experts, diplomats, journalists, humanitarian workers, and representatives of UNRWA.