Israel wants to destroy Palestinian indigenous identity, like other settler colonizers: Academic

By Halil Ibrahim Medet

ISTANBUL (AA) - Settler colonialism has historically exhibited similar patterns of racist violence and nationalism, and Israel is trying to erase the identity of indigenous Palestinian people with the same goal in mind, according to an expert.

Dr. Yannick Giovanni Marshall, who researches colonialism and white supremacy, highlighted for Anadolu that settler colonialism has very similar patterns and practices everywhere.

It can be identified in the US, Canada, Australia or Israel and in all of those cases, you can see the same patterns of racist violence, fear against indigenous people, strong nationalism, building a place only for themselves and designing laws toward that end, said Marshall.

He underlined that wherever there is settler colonialism, there is a goal of eliminating all indigenous elements.

Marshall said the elimination of artifacts, homes, eventually languages and ultimately indigenous people is part of the goal.

- As long as there is Palestinian resistance, the colonial project cannot be completed

Marshall explained how settler colonialism applies a strategy of erasing all traces of the indigenous people to construct a new narrative on the land and make room for white settlers.

He stressed that the identity required for a "pure race," or in the case of Palestine, the Zionist-Jewish identity, can only be constructed on the land after the memories of the indigenous people are erased.

Marshall noted that Israel is providing significant funding for archaeological excavations to prove that there was never a place called Palestine and to show that Palestine is a modern invention through those studies.

The purpose of the archaeological works by Israel is to eliminate the indigenous people and replace them with the Israeli flag, said Marshall.

“This elimination means erasing the possibility of mentioning another name. Just like in the US, Israel has a dream of Americanization, but as long as there is Palestinian resistance, this dream will not be completed," he added.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz