ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN STALEMATE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE PROCESS: POLICIES, DISINCENTIVES, AND PROCPECTS

Abstract

This thesis aims to answer the question on how appealing is it for the Israeli government to successfully implement peace? Understanding the wide range of variables within this question, the scope of the paper studies the policies regarding the natural resources: land, water and natural gas, and their implications on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Two complimentary frameworks are used, Third Worldsim and Settler Colonialism. The first approach provides an assessment of the economic aspect of the conflict and the superiority of Israel, as a power center, over Palestine, a periphery. This superiority is translated in exploitative measures which significantly increases the economic inequality between the Israelis and Palestinians. Settler Colonialism provides an analysis of political and cultural dimensions of the conflict. It allows to study the Palestinian Israeli case from a modestly discussed framework, which put Israel as a settler colonial power. It highlights the symbolic and physical ways of elimination of the natives through the policies that are imposed against their primary natural resources. The paper finds out that there are substantially restrictive and exploitative policies against Palestinian natural resources in a way the considerably affects Palestinians well being and their economic development. The paper argues that Israel is benefiting from the status quo in two major ways. First, it is capable of realizing major economic and financial incentives. Second, the imposed restrictive policies challenge any possibility for the PA to develop its economy. The paper concludes that the Israeli government has essential disincentives to successfully implement peace with the Palestinians.

Date of Award	2017
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Law