The Race for Identity: Movement and Politics across the Israel-Palestine Border – A seminar with Dr Una Mcgahern

Dr Una McGahern is a Senior Lecturer in Politics from Newcastle University. Her research interests focus on issues relating to security, mobility and space. This can be observed in works including “Making Space on the Run: Exercising the Right to Move in Jerusalem” (Mobilities, 2019, 14 (6), pp. 890-905) and “The Struggle to be Seen and Heard in Israel–Palestine“(Geopolitics, 2020, 25 (1), pp. 267-271 ) .

Dasha Krasnodembskaya is the MECACS Seminar Reports Intern and a third year student of International Relations and French at the University of St Andrews. Her interests include ethnic conflict, identity and gender.

On the 14th of October 2021, Dr Una McGahern presented an insightful talk on cross-border mobilities in Israel and Palestine to the MECACS Institute. This informative discussion allowed us to understand further the current political situation and permitted the opportunity to consider what may follow.

The theme of mobility was crucial to this lecture, being the main motivation behind Dr McGahern’s research. Mobility is a universal characteristic present in all living things, even our planet is unable to stay still. Thus, how can mobility be used to understand the theoretical realms of International Relations and Politics? Does mobility have a role to play in moving these spheres forward and our understanding of them? Dr McGahern therefore set the scene with two juxtaposing scenarios of movement- leisure and necessity, which permits her research to uncover how both share the ability to shape and influence the development of politics, with a specific focus on the Israeli-Palestinian divide within Jerusalem. Presently, just over 20% of Israeli citizens are Palestinian Arab (not Jewish) and when specifically looking at Jerusalem, the majority of the Palestinian population are not citizens but rather permanent residents. This distinction in a legal status creates inequality in key rights, including voting, obtaining a passport and accessing university. In this context, how can mobility be used as a tool to strengthen the presence of the Palestinian identity in an environment where that identity is disenfranchised in key areas?

The research into cross-border mobility was conducted, quite relevantly, through the act of group mobility which enabled Dr McGahern to use traditional forms of research whilst also utilizing new forms and incorporating alternative approaches to research within her own. By joining a running club and participating in the practice, Dr McGahern had the opportunity to introduce an ethnographic domain to the study of how everyday movement shaped and solidified Palestinian identity. This subjective approach to research was more informal as it was conducted without the use of recording equipment and cameras. Instead, the runners were able to choose the length of discussion and topics of concern as they ideologically marked their space on the streets through the everyday act of movement. The power of mobility meant that this project was very raw and present. The running club was an example of leisurely mobility as this movement was done for the purpose of relaxation and socialising between different genders and societal groups. The decisions made during these runs, like what route would be taken or at what time of day the movement would be carried out, permitted the runners to reclaim their presence within Jerusalem. This was achieved by the power of their network, agency in their decision-making, and the confidence gained as a byproduct of exercise that they achieved through the physical act of covering a territory.

The leisurely running club acted as a window into the opposing choice for mobility- necessity. Through conversations with fellow runners, Dr McGahern furthered her understanding regarding the stark differences in autonomy of mobility possessed by Palestinian and Israeli students. For Palestinian students who had overcome difficult entry requirements to gain acceptance to an Israeli university, the presence of a physical wall and daily border checks on the West Bank were still present in everyday student life. The continued determination of the students to attend lectures and seminars has, however, allowed the Palestinian identity to remain concrete among the student body. The persistent movement of the students on buses and in carpools has strengthened confidence among young people who feel united by this shared mobility. Consequently, the strong network links and presence created by a Palestinian student body encourages other Palestinians to think of Israeli universities as an option, furthering solidifying identity networks. The everyday, necessary mobility of Palestinians reminds the community of their presence, rights, and the choices they can make as they exercise their rights to education and to exist within the shared surface area.

As the seminar drew to a close, multiple questions were asked on various facets of the discussion. The point was raised as to whether these mobilities were successful in stirring change in the legal domain. In the present moment, such an influence requires more time. This, excitingly, means that the study into this field is not yet completed. It will be interesting to see how the research progresses from here and what the outcome will be in the long term.

Diverting from the Israeli-Palestinian environment, it was fascinating to listen to Dr McGahern’s talk with the worst of Covid-19 Pandemic hopefully behind us. The idea that mobility carries power to solidify our presence and identity within a community becomes sobering when we assess how the pandemic took complete ownership of our mobility and our autonomy in movement. Working from home, curfews and cessation of travel are just some of the well-remembered examples. Now, on the other side of the pandemic, with things slowly returning to normality and communities receiving the chance to again be mobile, we must remember how lucky we are to have these opportunities again. I encourage everyone, on an individual level, to reflect on how the restart of movement has influenced our identity. Do you feel more in control? Do you feel more engaged and present? Or maybe it feels overwhelming? It is easy in the movement of time and life to forget the value of mobility, yet without it there can be no past, no present and no future.