Green Apartheid: Environmental Justice in Gaza through a Postcolonial Lens

Abstract

This study examines the ecological dynamics of the ongoing crisis in Gaza through the lens of "green apartheid," a concept denoting the systematic use of environmental access and natural assets as instruments of domination. Deforestation, water scarcity, agricultural devastation, and energy deprivation in Gaza are analysed not as incidental consequences of conflict but as deliberate mechanisms of political control. Drawing on Rob Nixon's theory of slow violence and postcolonial ecocriticism, this paper interprets Gaza's environmental condition as an ongoing, cumulative, and structurally invisible form of domination. The destruction of greenery and agriculture is shown to exceed material damage, severely affecting both survival and cultural identity. This analysis exposes how green apartheid constitutes a form of environmental segregation that restricts equitable access to ecological resources, positioning Gaza at the intersection of human survival and environmental justice. The study argues that Gaza's ecological crisis demonstrates how environment, politics, and culture intersect within colonial and postcolonial contexts. Recognising Gaza through a postcolonial framework reveals that environmental justice must account for both ecological conservation and cultural survival, ensuring the balance of human and non-human existence. This qualitative document analysis offers fresh opportunities to explore how examining ecological oppression through a postcolonial lens can reshape understandings of environmental justice and resistance.