Reviews

Hollow Land: Israel's Architecture of Occupation by Eyal Weizman

zachcarter's review against another edition

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5.0

The territorial logic of Israel's settler-colonial occupation of Palestine is exposed in meticulous details of architecture and land. Weizmann shows that evidence for the vast crimes of the Zionist regime against Palestinians can be seen not just in the political/military record, but also in the drawings of architects. The scope of this book is impressive - focusing a lot of attention on 1967, but still providing crucial context for the initial dispossession and ethnic cleansing, all the way to the Second Intifada, the 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, and the 2006 war against Lebanon. Took a while to get through each chapter, but it's so worth it.

honeyvoiced's review against another edition

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challenging informative

4.5


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khuzyma's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.75

من أهم كتب العام.

يتناول الكتاب أدوات اليهود في احتلال المدن وتغييرها، وطرائقه الأخرى في السيطرة على المدن التي لم يحتلها كلها، كالضفة وغزة.
يحلل بإتقان استخدام اليهود للعمارة وأدواتها وفلسفتها في فرض الهيمنة والاستيلاء على أراضٍ جديدة، أو توظيفها في اقتحام المدن والمخيمات، أو في إعادة تشكيل المدينة وتهويدها معمارياً (كما يفعلون بالقدس خاصة)، أو في سيطرتهم الجوية على الفضاء.
البيئة الطبيعية هنا هي ذخيرة المعركة، من أشجارٍ وتلالٍ، وكذا الاصطناعية من حواجز ومستوطنات وجُدُر!
وشحن الكاتب كتابه بالربط التاريخي لكل النوازل التي يحللها ويبحثها، وقد أحسن في ذلك، مع سردٍ متماسك بين الفصول يجرُّ بعضها بعضاً. 

الكتاب لا يُستغنى عنه.

وللكاتب لغة حسنة، والترجمة جيدة مع بعض الهنات تتبيَّن عند الرجوع للنص الأصلي.

وبه تُختم قراءات العام اللاتيني.
جعل الله كل معرفةٍ في سبيله؛ تقويةً لسبيل المؤمنين، وإعانةً للمجاهدين الذين لا تنقلُ معاركهم قناة الجزيرة!

seeceeread's review against another edition

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5.0

The conflict over Palestine has been a relatively straightforward process of colonization, dispossession, resistance and suppression. 

Each chapter in Weizman’s book reveals a different strategy in the state of Israel’s playbook to construct an occupation.
  • Complicate definitions, such as "space" and “ownership”
  • Imbue materials with meaning
  • Corral colonial chaos
  • Seize land now; explain it later
  • Normalize violence
  • Divide "them" to unify "us"
  • Transform every landscape into military theater
  • Obfuscate by renaming
  • Puppet offstage

The book is thorough, with incredibly creative, interdisciplinary methodological approaches that the author has since refined. I’m particularly impressed with the ways Weizman argues that the label “humanitarian” has become a bludgeon and his careful historical review.

bs_'s review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

4.75

kingkong's review against another edition

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4.0

Fun look at all the ways Israel oppresses the Palestinian people

monagi's review against another edition

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5.0

كتاب مهم جدا

suzyreadsbooks's review against another edition

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I’ll return to this when I have the time. This book is so excellent! but it’s been long enough since I last picked it up that I’ll have to reread the beginning of it before continuing. 

sophiewoz's review

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challenging informative slow-paced

4.5

For an assigned reading for a grad school class, I found this a surprisingly enjoyable read!  Very informative.
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