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Imagining an ‘alternative spatial future’ in Israel/Palestine

ispal access
Access, 2011: (left to right): Israeli ID, West Bank ID, Gaza ID, stateless Palestinian refugee.

The above image shows how freedom of movement in Israel/Palestine is determined by the form of identification a person holds (or doesn’t hold). It was produced by a new website called Arena of Speculation. This is from a press release announcing the project:

The recent release of the ‘Palestine Papers’ (the leaked cache of PLO negotiations documents) laid bare the structural failings of the ‘peace process’, underlining the need for a transformative discourse. In parallel, we are witnessing an overwhelming wave of political change across the Arab World, driven by a renewed belief in the power of individual and collective action. Can we read these regional developments as a prelude to new ways of challenging entrenched territorial realities in Israel-Palestine?

arenaofspeculation.org was established by an international group of architects, planners and spatial thinkers as a collective platform for exposing, confronting and subverting the dominant structures of spatial power in Israel-Palestine. Already, a growing movement of civil society organisations, academic institutions and activist groups are engaged in such ‘spatial resistance’ through practices ranging from concrete acts of construction to academic research and political advocacy work.

arenaofspeculation.org seeks to build on this sphere of agency, sharing critically aware perspectives in the form of original publications, field reports, interviews, mappings and other related projects. The website also supports and publicises key events and actions both on the ground and internationally.

Co-founder Ahmad Barclay explains, “By deliberately juxtaposing speculation with activism, we hope to provoke collective engagement towards an alternative spatial future.”

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