Water in Turtle Island and Palestine: A Comparative Analysis of United States and Israeli Settler Colonialism

Abstract

The Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island and Palestine face an ongoing water crisis in which their communities do not have access to safe and consistent water. Building upon a body of work that has critically assessed the usefulness of the settler colonial analytical framework and a close analysis of the historical and temporary use of water as a weapon by both settler states, I seek to demonstrate several interrelated claims on how we talk about comparative settler colonialism and settler colonialism in the world today. First, the water crises both communities face today are a consequence of ongoing settler colonialism in both Turtle Island and Palestine. Second, United States and Israeli settler colonialism can and should be compared, particularly regarding both settler state’s logic, tactics, and consequences. Third, comparing United States and Israeli settler colonialism can illuminate the ways in which solidarity and unified resistance is ultimately necessary for liberation. Once the similarities of histories and current conditions are laid out, we can begin to answer the question: how does knowledge of the similarity of United States and Israeli logic, tactics, and the conditions they create help generate solidarity?