Comments on: Link Roundup: Author Interviews and Publishing News http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/05/29/author-interviews/ A National Blog of Literature & Discussion Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:47:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Elliott Woods http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/05/29/author-interviews/#comment-2933 Elliott Woods Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:48:35 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=2298#comment-2933 Julien Bousac's map of the "Palestinian Archipelago" is an excellent, innovative way to conceptualize the crisis of Israel's closure policies in the West Bank. The map shows that the system of walls, fences, closed military zones, and checkpoints constructed by Israel is no mere "separation wall," i.e., a neat dividing barrier between the WB and Israel, running from north to south. The closure system cuts off families from one another, interrupts the flow of goods between agricultural markets and towns, and prevents farmers from accessing their land. This map shows that critics are not hyperbolic when they describe Israel's closure as a "cancer." It has metastasized, and it is strangling the West Bank. Maps are powerful. While this one might provoke a smile, purely by its ingenuity, the real maps of the West Bank today — whether those made by Israel or those made by groups like UN Office of Coordination and Humanitarian Aid (OCHA), the one showing what Israelis would like to imagine and the other showing what they have actually accomplished — are nothing to laugh about. As Meron Benvenisti's book Sacred Landscapes makes clear, those who control maps — and those involved in the processes of mapping, naming, and zoning — are in a position of extreme power. For example, consider a map that shows the outskirts of the Ariel settlement circumscribed by clearly delineated boundaries. Is not the person who looks at that map — local or foreigner — inclined to deem that area "Ariel?" How many years have to pass before mapping and zoning of that sort become "facts on the ground," even in the consciousness of some Palestinians? Mapping Israel and the West Bank in such a way has been central to the Israeli occupation and land-grabbing strategy for more than 100 years. Bousac's map also shows a very clear picture of how much West Bank land falls under Areas B and C, the areas that are partially or completely under Israeli administration. Movement for Palestinians in Area B — where Pal. Authority troops and municipalities cooperate with the Israel Defense Forces — is severely restricted. Area C includes closed Israeli military zones, settlements, and settler roads. More than half of West Bank Palestinians live in Area A, under full PA administration — Area A comprises less than 20% of West Bank land. I read a smart criticism of Bousac's map the other day on The Arabist, a blog dedicated to culture and politics from the Arabic-speaking world: "[Bousac's map] would be properly descriptive except water is maneuverable and Israeli occupation and control isn't." (http://arabist.net/archives/2009/04/24/the-palestinian-archipelago/#comments) Julien Bousac’s map of the “Palestinian Archipelago” is an excellent, innovative way to conceptualize the crisis of Israel’s closure policies in the West Bank. The map shows that the system of walls, fences, closed military zones, and checkpoints constructed by Israel is no mere “separation wall,” i.e., a neat dividing barrier between the WB and Israel, running from north to south. The closure system cuts off families from one another, interrupts the flow of goods between agricultural markets and towns, and prevents farmers from accessing their land. This map shows that critics are not hyperbolic when they describe Israel’s closure as a “cancer.” It has metastasized, and it is strangling the West Bank.

Maps are powerful. While this one might provoke a smile, purely by its ingenuity, the real maps of the West Bank today — whether those made by Israel or those made by groups like UN Office of Coordination and Humanitarian Aid (OCHA), the one showing what Israelis would like to imagine and the other showing what they have actually accomplished — are nothing to laugh about.

As Meron Benvenisti’s book Sacred Landscapes makes clear, those who control maps — and those involved in the processes of mapping, naming, and zoning — are in a position of extreme power. For example, consider a map that shows the outskirts of the Ariel settlement circumscribed by clearly delineated boundaries. Is not the person who looks at that map — local or foreigner — inclined to deem that area “Ariel?” How many years have to pass before mapping and zoning of that sort become “facts on the ground,” even in the consciousness of some Palestinians? Mapping Israel and the West Bank in such a way has been central to the Israeli occupation and land-grabbing strategy for more than 100 years.

Bousac’s map also shows a very clear picture of how much West Bank land falls under Areas B and C, the areas that are partially or completely under Israeli administration. Movement for Palestinians in Area B — where Pal. Authority troops and municipalities cooperate with the Israel Defense Forces — is severely restricted. Area C includes closed Israeli military zones, settlements, and settler roads. More than half of West Bank Palestinians live in Area A, under full PA administration — Area A comprises less than 20% of West Bank land.

I read a smart criticism of Bousac’s map the other day on The Arabist, a blog dedicated to culture and politics from the Arabic-speaking world:

“[Bousac's map] would be properly descriptive except water is maneuverable and Israeli occupation and control isn’t.”

(http://arabist.net/archives/2009/04/24/the-palestinian-archipelago/#comments)

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