Indigenous Palestinian Urbanism in Israel: The Presence of the Absence

Abstract

In this essay, a theoretical framework for Palestinian Indigenous urbanism is presented. It argues that the fact that Palestinian cities existed before Zionist settlers colonised Palestine is a contributing factor in the peculiar and distinctive forms of this urbanisation. We emphasise the lengthy history of Palestinian urbanism as a foundational paradigm for understanding Palestinian experiences in modern-day Israel, and we link it to Israel's ongoing, symbolic, and concrete efforts to destroy Palestinian urban landscapes. We examine how, since the Nakba, the de-urbanization of historic Palestinian communities in Israel has profoundly altered the urban and rural landscapes of these towns, ultimately forcing Palestinians to adapt, develop, and create new types of urbanism in and around these towns.

Keywords- Palestinian Urbanism and  Israel