Following the existential naval-gazing of the last post (quick summary: Why I am in Palestine = desire to mitigate injustice + personal connection to people + career prospects + post-colonialist guilt) the BIG question for this one is a natural corollary: Should I or any of the 'internationals' even be here at all?
(Now before your politics filter has you reaching for the remote let me say that I'm writing about this stuff because it is relevant to my own decision of whether to stay or go back the UK. If you have got this far then you might at least care about that.)
Even if you exclude all the careerists and conflict tourists and consider the large numbers of foreigners who are here ‘showing solidarity’ or ‘trying to make a difference’ you shouldn't take for granted their added value. In fact there is an argument that says that they (and really I mean 'we') are actually doing more harm then good. There are a few dimensions to this argument.
Firstly there is the perennial debate over the value of humanitarian and development spending which has been hashed and rehashed by academics and journalists over the last two decades. However this is not unique to Palestine and I will spare you my thesis on the problems caused by the huge quantities of foreign aid thrown at the Occupied Territory (even my MA tutor wouldn't want to read that again).
Then there are the day to day economic tensions that arise from having large numbers of highly paid and highly qualified (or at least highly educated) internationals living in a small town like Ramallah. The cost of living is inflated as is the competition for jobs and housing. Again, however, these tensions are common to any town with an overly-developed international development sector.
There is one dimension though that I think is unique to Ramallah or at least is particularly exaggerated - that of the power imbalance in favour of internationals caused by the occupation. Foreigners are subject to less stringent movement restrictions and are rarely threatened with violence or arbitrary imprisonment. Most don't have to worry about the safety of their families and can go home whenever they want. These are all luxuries deprived of Palestinians and when such political inequality exists discrimination surely follows, with internationals disproportionately favoured by employers and landlords. Suddenly it is not just the Israelis who are labelled as 'colonisers'.
By now you must be wondering how, if my motivations are genuine, I can justify my own presence here in Ramallah. Well I struggle with this everyday. I often think I would actually be more useful to the Palestinian people working and campaigning in London given that nothing will change for the better here without political pressure from outside.
However, at this stage of my life, when the only people I can really hope to influence are my friends, then perhaps I am better off here. At least if I stay here there might be some people back home who think that maybe this is something they should fight for too. And they may even tell their friends about it.
Not a strong argument, I admit, given all the above stuff about the damage done by aid and latent colonialism. It might even be a feeble rationalisation. Despite this, when combined with the hope that I am actually doing some useful work with Al Haq, it is just about enough to assuage my own conscience. When September comes and my contract ends, however, I may have to think again.
Here endeth the ramble.
P.S. As a change of pace, here are some nice photos of the Sinai.
(Now before your politics filter has you reaching for the remote let me say that I'm writing about this stuff because it is relevant to my own decision of whether to stay or go back the UK. If you have got this far then you might at least care about that.)
Even if you exclude all the careerists and conflict tourists and consider the large numbers of foreigners who are here ‘showing solidarity’ or ‘trying to make a difference’ you shouldn't take for granted their added value. In fact there is an argument that says that they (and really I mean 'we') are actually doing more harm then good. There are a few dimensions to this argument.
Firstly there is the perennial debate over the value of humanitarian and development spending which has been hashed and rehashed by academics and journalists over the last two decades. However this is not unique to Palestine and I will spare you my thesis on the problems caused by the huge quantities of foreign aid thrown at the Occupied Territory (even my MA tutor wouldn't want to read that again).
Then there are the day to day economic tensions that arise from having large numbers of highly paid and highly qualified (or at least highly educated) internationals living in a small town like Ramallah. The cost of living is inflated as is the competition for jobs and housing. Again, however, these tensions are common to any town with an overly-developed international development sector.
There is one dimension though that I think is unique to Ramallah or at least is particularly exaggerated - that of the power imbalance in favour of internationals caused by the occupation. Foreigners are subject to less stringent movement restrictions and are rarely threatened with violence or arbitrary imprisonment. Most don't have to worry about the safety of their families and can go home whenever they want. These are all luxuries deprived of Palestinians and when such political inequality exists discrimination surely follows, with internationals disproportionately favoured by employers and landlords. Suddenly it is not just the Israelis who are labelled as 'colonisers'.
By now you must be wondering how, if my motivations are genuine, I can justify my own presence here in Ramallah. Well I struggle with this everyday. I often think I would actually be more useful to the Palestinian people working and campaigning in London given that nothing will change for the better here without political pressure from outside.
However, at this stage of my life, when the only people I can really hope to influence are my friends, then perhaps I am better off here. At least if I stay here there might be some people back home who think that maybe this is something they should fight for too. And they may even tell their friends about it.
Not a strong argument, I admit, given all the above stuff about the damage done by aid and latent colonialism. It might even be a feeble rationalisation. Despite this, when combined with the hope that I am actually doing some useful work with Al Haq, it is just about enough to assuage my own conscience. When September comes and my contract ends, however, I may have to think again.
Here endeth the ramble.
P.S. As a change of pace, here are some nice photos of the Sinai.
