Thorough Surveillance de Ahmad H. Sa'di

Thorough Surveillance

Ahmad H. Sa'di

Israel's ability to maintain its control over a large indigenous Palestinian population, both citizens and subjects who have been living under occupation into the twenty-first century, well after the demise of colonialism, represents a challenge for scholars of surveillance and colonialism. While this success might be attributed to multiple factors, one key element is the nature of the policies of population management, surveillance and political control it has employed. This book traces the genesis of these policies, their evolution and implementation in the first two decades of Israel's existence. The book begins by discussing the reasons and circumstances which allowed 156,000 out of 900,000 Palestinians to stay in the territory on which Israel was established and the initial debates among Israeli leaders on how to manage this non-Jewish population which remained in Israel; a state that was established for Jews. The book traces and analyses the various aspects of the policy plans and principles which were fashioned to manage the Palestinians in all aspects of their lives: their spatial distribution, natural growth, identities and categories of affiliation, the content of their education and the various means which affect their consciousness, their political behaviour and economic activities. Moreover, these plans identified the bureaucratic structures and the legal edifice through which they were governed.

The book details how these policies and principles were fashioned and the mindset of those who composed them: their outlooks, calculations and reasoning. Moreover, it explores the ways in which they morally justified their decisions and reflected on the consequences of their judgements. It also deals with the ways in which these policies were implemented and thus affected the everyday lives of the Palestinians.

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