Denmark and Sweden's aid to the Palestinians and their involvement in new humanitarian projects

Workshop organized by Liora Sion, ToRS, the University of Copenhagen and Maria Småberg, CMES, Lund University.

The workshop focuses on the Nordic aid to Palestine. The modern aid industry has changed dramatically since the end of the Cold War and there is no better example than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Increasingly, humanitarian action became part of a strategy led by donor governments and agencies to transform conflicts, decrease violence, and promote peace and human rights. Humanitarian action was no longer sufficient on its own; it must also contribute to, or at least not contradict, conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts. This implies that humanitarian assistance can be conditional on such expectations being met. This “new humanitarianism” became an instrument of international regulation, obeying new strategic interests incorporated in the emerging complex networks and structures that constitute liberal peace and development models. This “new” humanitarian agenda is reinforced by efforts to produce the appropriate subjectivities for the “new” imperialism by repackaging and marketing the nineteenth-century civilizing mission.

The United States has been at the forefront of the humanitarian efforts in Palestine, but the Nordic countries are also among the top donors. Their long experience of peace and welfare, coupled with their influential diplomatic and economic capital, play an important role as promoters of peaceful solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the realization of a two-state solution, while also striving to promote stability in the region and improving the lives of Palestinians. The Nordic countries promote strategically human rights, democracy, greater gender equality, inclusive economic development, environment and climate, as well as resilience, peace and stability. There is a particular focus on civil society, women and young people, to contribute to inclusive peacebuilding processes.

Yet, despite their important contribution, there is only scarce literature on Nordic aid to the Palestinians and their involvement in new humanitarian projects. For instance, how is it possible to promote democratization and civil society when the Palestinian Authority (PA) under President Abbas constrains political rivals, monopolizes Palestinian decision-making processes, and pursues authoritarian measures to shrink the space for Palestinian democracy? How can we talk about gender equality and human rights under occupation and ongoing oppression from both Israeli and Palestinian authorities? What is the development strategy of the Nordic countries and can it reach beyond the promotion of domestic interests? What role do Palestinians themselves play in these plans?

This workshop aims to initiate research which will add to the literature on “new humanitarianism” and to develop theory, ethics and practice of humanitarianism with perspectives from research in humanities and social sciences by focusing on Nordic initiatives in the oPt. We are interested in state projects as well as the work of NGOs over a long time, from 1948 until today. Palestinian experiences of humanitarianism should not be understood as an exception: rather, Palestinian refugees’ ways of living with and navigating humanitarianism can teach us about refugee conditions more generally.

Programme

Participants

The University of Copenhagen

• Christine Crone, Assistant Professor
• Ehab Galal, Associate Professor Emeritus. ToRS
• Minoo Mirshahvalad, postdoctoral fellow
• Liora Sion, associate professor, ToRS

Lund University

• Elsa Hedling, Assistant Professor, European Studies and Affiliated Researcher
• Department of Political Science and The Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI)
• Altea Pericolo
• Maria Småberg, History researcher and Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, Departments of History and Political Science
• Lisa Strömbom, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer, Peace and Conflict Studies, Department of Political Science

External Guests

• Kjersti Gravelsæter Berg, Associate Professor Intercultural Studies, NLA University College Bergen
• Pelle Valentin Olsen, Associate Professor, AHKR: Department of Archeology, History, Cultural Studies, and Religion, University of Bergen