Critically analysing current debates in Communication for Development (ComDev) and International Development
The international development community must critically consider its post-war role in Gaza

The international development community must critically consider its post-war role in Gaza

Liam Cor coran

As I open my contributions to this blog, we have passed the one year anniversary of the war in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and large parts of the Strip have been bombarded into what Médecins Sans Frontières describes as “uninhabitable ruins”. This violence has unfolded in highly mediatised ways; Instagram stories showing dire living conditions of displaced people in makeshift tents, voice notes from medical staff responding to mass trauma casualties in overcrowded and partially defunct hospitals, and satellite photography documenting the ever-growing destruction from above. In considering where to focus attention for this first post, it is hard to look past Gaza as an urgent and extreme amalgam of some of the most pressing issues this blog set out to scrutinise; international development, global justice and communication of social change. 

I also consider my own lucky position as a part-time postgraduate student in Europe, where my studies are not interrupted by airstrikes, power outages and forced evacuation orders. In Gaza, the wholesale destruction of the education system appears practically complete, with 20 institutions of higher education in the Strip now “severely damaged” and 51 university buildings completely destroyed, largely by western-funded and Israeli-deployed munitions. This deliberate targeting has been referred to by experts as ‘scholasticide’, defined by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as “systemic obliteration of education through the arrest, detention or killing of teachers, students and staff, and the destruction of educational infrastructure.” 117 academics have been killed in Gaza since October 7 2023, and activists and researchers (including those in the field of development studies) have been detained and silenced. It is hard to escape the conclusion that the Israeli state is sending a long-term message to Gazans; that their agency in determining their own future is compromised. Such intentional dismantling of the education system can only have negative effects on the development of Gaza and hopes for its future pursuit of international justice and accountability. 

In face of this destruction, the response of the international development community, including institutions of education, is important. Once the killing stops, a long period of rebuilding will have to begin. Functioning hospitals, safe and dignified places to live, critical public infrastructure and places of education will have to be completely rehabilitated. There will be much to overcome. Rarely before have the institutions and structures of civil society, education, humanitarian practice and even the UN been so consistently and publicly delegitimised in the way the Israeli state has done so during the Gaza war. 

For development practitioners and those involved in development teaching, making a positive contribution will call for a new approach. The concept of ‘global citizenship education’ (GCE) seeks to “encourage global connectedness and global responsibility” among students. It is a worthy-sounding aim. The practical implementation of this, however, has highlighted the silences and contradictions that are seen when largely western education institutions (usually with significant financial, cultural and social capital) prioritise focussing on ‘soft’, rather than critical, approaches to global citizenship education and its implications when applied to Palestine (Gamal, Hoult and Taylor). This is something that the international development sector (including development studies programmes, academics and students) should reflect on as Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank look to rebuild after the war. An international response that truly centres local needs will require more than aid distributions and emergency shelter provision, but also pathways to justice, dignity and sustainability. The international development community’s responsibilities in this process will require robust and meaningful contributions which go beyond the approach frequently evoked in the GCE paradigm. 

Despite the devastation and destruction, the resilience of Palestinian academics and students is inspiring. In a recent article for Al Jazeera, Dr Hassan El-Nabih, an English language lecturer at the now destroyed Islamic University of Gaza, explains how he remains hopeful for the future of education in Gaza, despite not being able to teach a single class since the war started. Giving the example of two of his students, now displaced, who have been attempting to continue their studies by themselves, while working with lack of university supports and facilities and intermittent internet access. Despite this, one student continues to work towards completion of her MA dissertation. “I encouraged her to finalise her thesis for the viva voce. She happily welcomed the idea,” writes Dr El-Nabih. “By taking reasonable precautions, I feel we can organise this academic event somewhere in Gaza, even in a tent at a school shelter.” The student’s determination is a testament to the resolve of Gazans whose lives have been upended by war. To contribute positively to the Strip’s post-war future, the development community will have to listen to and engage with their experiences

References 

El-Nabih, H. (2024, October 8). Despite war horrors, hope remains for Gaza’s universities. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/10/8/despite-war-horrors-hope-remains-for-gazas-universities 

Gamal, M. Hoult, S. and Taylor K. (2024). Development Education and the Scandal of the Human: The Grammar of Silence and Erasure. Policy & Practice: A Development Education Review, (39), 11-33. 

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2024, April 18). UN experts deeply concerned over ‘scholasticide’ in Gaza. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/un-experts-deeply-concerned-over-scholasticide-gaza

2 Comments

  1. Sam

    Hi Liam!

    I really enjoyed reading your post – thanks again for sharing with me!

    My own privilege also consistently strikes me in this regard, living in Sweden where my daily routines are completely uninterrupted by the ongoing genocide in Palestine, Sudan, and beyond. Apart from on occasional protest partially blocking a road or local gathering spot.

    Coming from the UK, I have felt such a sense of shame and horror, whose government has and still enables the actions of Israel. You mention re-building which is a very important topic, I really worry however that there will be nothing left to even re-build for the people of Palestine. With the support of their greatest ally and fellow settler coloniser, the US, I fear the ethnic cleansing and genocidal acts will never stop until there’ll be nothing left for the remaining Palestinian people.

    Your closing message of hope regarding education in Gaza is an inspirational one, which I appreciate, and with all of my heart I hope for this also.

    Thank you for writing about this.

    Sam

    #FreePalestine ♥️🇵🇸

  2. Jessica Saler

    Great blog post Liam! I was speechless thinking about the university students in the middle of a war who are still so passionate and committed to their education. As someone who was born and raised in the west, as well as someone who received their first degree in a western university, I can say first-hand that there is a level of blindness to emerging ideas around critical thinking in development, especially in the education system.

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