E nog á ica
Re is a do Cen o em Rede de In es igação em
An opologia
ol. 23 (1) | 2019
Inclui dossiê "Con lic s wi hin a con lic : c i ical
obse a ions om he Is aeli ield"
“I ’s a g ea place o kids!”: he se lemen o
Ma’ale Adumim as a subu ban sa e space
“É um sí io ideal pa a as c ianças!” O colona o de Ma’ale Adumim como espaço
subu bano segu o
Ma co Alleg a
Elec onic e sion
URL: h p://jou nals.openedi ion.o g/e nog afica/6455
DOI: 10.4000/e nog afica.6455
ISSN: 2182-2891
Publishe
Cen o em Rede de In es igação em An opologia
P in ed e sion
Da e o publica ion: 1 Feb ua y 2019
Numbe o pages: 181-200
ISSN: 0873-6561
Elec onic e e ence
Ma co Alleg a, « “I ’s a g ea place o kids!”: he se lemen o Ma’ale Adumim as a subu ban sa e
space », E nog áfica [Online], ol. 23 (1) | 2019, Online since 21 Ma ch 2019, connec ion on 30 Ap il
2019. URL : h p://jou nals.openedi ion.o g/e nog afica/6455 ; DOI : 10.4000/e nog afica.6455
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e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 181-200
“I ’s a g ea place o kids!”:
he se lemen o Ma’ale Adumim
as a subu ban sa e space
Ma co Alleg a
The s a us o Je usalem is almos uni e sally ega ded as he single mos di isi e
issue in Is aeli-Pales inian ela ions; and Is ael’s se lemen policy – and i s e i-
o ial and demog aphic implica ions – is widely conside ed as he mos signi ican
“ ac on he g ound” es ablished by Is ael since 1967. We add ess hese issues by
obse ing how Is ael’s se lemen policy in he a ea o me opoli an Je usalem
ans o med he ma e ial, symbolic and poli ical landscape o Is aeli-Pales inian
ela ions. Th ough he case s udy o he se lemen o Ma’ale Adumim, his pape
ocuses on se le s’ place a achmen , pe sonal geog aphies, and he ela ion
be ween he la e and he p oduc ion o space. We main ain ha he “subu ban
expe ience” embodied in he li es o he esiden s illus a es he ac ion o powe -
ul d i e s o he o e all p ocess o no maliza ion o Jewish p esence in he Wes
Bank; in u n, his ende ed he se lemen policy ela i ely uncon o e sial o
la ge sec o s o Is aeli public opinion. Also, we main ain ha se lemen s such
as Ma’ale Adumim a e also he p oduc o he ques o a subu ban “sa e space”
– i. e. an enclosed space designed o a oid con ac s wi h “unpleasan o he ness”
ha esiden s o he subu bs all o e he wo ld o en associa e o li e in he inne
ci y.
KEYWORDS: Je usalem, Is aeli se lemen s, Is aeli-Pales inian con lic , Wes Bank,
subu bs.
“É um sí io ideal pa a as c ianças!” O colona o de Ma’ale Adumim como
espaço subu bano segu o  O es a u o de Je usalém é quase uni e salmen e
conside ado a ques ão mais a u an e nas elações is aelo-pales inianas; a polí ica
dos colona os de Is ael – e suas implicações e i o iais e demog á icas – é ampla-
men e conside ada como o “ ac on he g ound” mais signi ica i o es abelecido po
Is ael desde 1967. A a és do exame do es udo de caso do Ma’ale Adumim, abo -
da emos es as ques ões obse ando como a polí ica dos colona os na á ea me o-
poli ana de Je usalém ans o mou a paisagem ma e ial, simbólica e polí ica das
elações is aelo-pales inianas. O a igo a a á as geog a ias pessoais dos colonos e a
elação en e es as e a p odução do espaço. A “expe iência subu bana” da ida dos
colonos pe mi e-nos comp eende os p incipais a o es do p ocesso de no maliza-
ção da p esença judaica na Cisjo dânia; ao mesmo empo, es e enómeno o nou
a polí ica de ixação ela i amen e incon o e sa pa a g andes sec o es da opinião
pública em Is ael. Além disso, a i mamos que colona os como Ma’ale Adumim
ambém são o p odu o da busca de um “espaço (subu bano) segu o”– ou seja, um
espaço echado onde os esiden es podem e i a con ac os com “al e idades desa-
g adá eis”, associados à ida na inne ci y de Je usalém.
182  MARCO ALLEGRA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 181-200
ISRAEL’S SETTLEMENT POLICY AND ITS WIDE-RANGING IMPLICATIONS
ha e been subjec o in ense deba e o decades. Thei de elopmen has ep e-
sen ed a sou ce o ic ion be ween Is aelis and Pales inians and has subs an-
ially changed he human geog aphy o he Wes Bank. Con en ional wisdom
(and, o a ce ain ex en , he schola ly li e a u e on he subjec ), howe e , is
o en misleading; indeed, se le s a e usually depic ed as commi ed ac i is s
o messianic ana ics who ha e mo ed o he Wes Bank o eligious o ideo-
logical easons – and, ul ima ely, o edeem he land and claim i o Zionism
and he Jewish people.
S ill, his con en ional wisdom – which is isually ep esen ed by he image
o g oups o bea ded, a med se le s pa olling he hills o he Wes Bank –
ha dly ep esen s an accu a e accoun o he eali y o he se lemen s, and
canno ully explain he dynamics o hei p oli e a ion. As I ha e a gued else-
whe e (Alleg a, Handel and Maggo 2017), he de elopmen o Is ael’s se le-
men policy can be unde s ood only i we iew i agains he backg ound o
b oade his o ical, poli ical and socioeconomic ends ha ha e de ined Is a-
el’s and he egion’s his o y. This a icle, in pa icula , ocuses on he ela i ely
unde - esea ched eali y o subu ban se lemen s (i. e. o la ge, non-ideological
communi ies loca ed a commu ing dis ance om Is ael’s main u ban cen es)
and, speci ically, on he se lemen o Ma’ale Adumim.
My a gumen is wo old. In he i s place, I a gue ha he ela i e suc-
cess o Is ael’s se lemen policy, o a signi ican ex en , is due o – and can
be measu ed by – he banaliza ion o Jewish p esence in he Wes Bank. In
o he wo ds, se lemen s ha e p oli e a ed la gely because o dina y Is aelis
can li e pe ec ly o dina y li es in hei communi ies; in u n, he banali y o
li e in he se lemen s ha e g ea ly eased he inco po a ion o he Wes Bank
in o Is ael’s socioeconomic ab ic. In he second place, I a gue ha he se -
lemen s a e pa and pa cel o ongoing dynamics o socio-spa ial seg ega ion
ha a e no exclusi ely p emised on he Jews-Pales inians dicho omy, bu
conce n he Is aeli-Jewish socie y as well; in pa icula , subu ban se lemen s
like Ma’ale Adumim ep esen he pe ec des ina ions o Is aeli Jews ha
a e looking o a subu ban “sa e space,” an enclosed space designed o a oid
KEYWORDS: Je usalém, colona os is aeli as, con li o is aelo-pales iniano,
Cisjo dânia, subú bios.
ALLEGRA, Ma co (ma co[email p o ec ed]) – Ins i u o de Ciências Sociais,
Uni e sidade de Lisboa (ICS-ULisboa); ISCTE – Ins i u o Uni e si á io de Lisboa,
Cen o de In es igação e Es udos de Sociologia (CIES-IUL), Po ugal.
“IT’S A GREAT PLACE FOR KIDS!”: THE SETTLEMENT OF MA’ALE ADUMIM…  183
con ac s wi h “unpleased o he ness” ha esiden s associa e o li e in he
inne ci y.
This a icle is based on a p ojec o in es iga ion on Is ael’s se lemen
policy, whose main ocus has been he own o Ma’ale Adumim, a commu-
ni y o some 40,000 esiden s loca ed in he eas e n pe iphe y o Je usalem,
and which has esul ed in se e al publica ions (Alleg a, 2013, 2014, 2016;
Rokem and Alleg a, 2016; Alleg a, Handel and Maggo 2017). While no an
e hnog aphy by any s anda d, my esea ch in Ma’ale Adumim in ol ed se e al
ield isi s o e a ious yea s and aimed a building a comp ehensi e p o ile o
he se lemen s encompassing his o y, planning and a chi ec u al issues, poli -
ico-s a egic con o e sies and he daily li e o esiden s. This a icle is mainly
based on he in e iews I conduc ed wi h some o he esiden s o he com-
muni y ( he names gi en in he ex a e ic i ious). The i s sec ion p esen s
some backg ound in o ma ion on he se lemen s. The second sec ion in o-
duces he main a gumen s o he a icle h ough he idea o “banali y o colo-
niza ion” – i. e. he idea ha he se lemen s ha e p oli e a ed la gely because
hey a e in many ways indis inguishable om o he locali ies in Is ael. The
hi d sec ion in oduces he case s udy o Ma’ale Adumim as ep esen a i e o
he la gely o e looked ca ego y o “subu ban se lemen s.” The ou h, la ge
sec ion p esen s he empi ical ma e ial on Ma’ale Adumim and a gues ha , in
o de o unde s and he p oli e a ion o se lemen s, we need o conside hem
no only h ough he Is aeli-Pales inian dicho omy, bu also as “sa e spaces”
which o e hei esiden s a subu ban li es yle and dis ance hemsel es om
he nega i e ex e nali ies associa ed o li e in he inne ci y. The las sec ion
o e s some b ie conclusi e ema ks.
THE SETTLEMENTS
Be o e going u he , some e minological cla i ica ions and backg ound in o -
ma ion a e in o de . The wo d “se lemen s” indica es he e he 270-280 Jewish
communi ies es ablished by Is ael in he Wes Bank and in he Golan Heigh s
(and in Gaza, be o e hei comple e e acua ion in 2005) a e he 1967 A ab-
-Is aeli wa , i espec i ely o hei s a us in Is ael’s adminis a i e sys em and
in e na ional law; his de ini ion includes wha is commonly known as “Eas
Je usalem,” an a ea o some 70 squa e kilome es ha con ains he medie al
Old Ci y o Je usalem and cons i u es he only pa o he Wes Bank ha has
been o mally annexed by Is ael. Whe e e used o iden i y speci ic e i o ies,
he e ms “Is ael” (o “Is ael p ope ”) and “Wes Bank” will e e o he p e-
1967 a mis ice lines be ween Is ael and i s neighbou s – meaning ha he Wes
Bank, in he de ini ion used he e, includes Eas Je usalem. The e m “Is ael/
Pales ine” will e e o he whole a ea ha is p esen ly unde Is aeli con ol,
which includes Is ael p ope , he Wes Bank, Gaza and he Golan Heigh s.
184  MARCO ALLEGRA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 181-200
Se lemen s, which conside ably a y in na u e and scale ( om u ban cen-
es coun ing ens o housands o esiden s, o single-building se lemen s),
hos oday mo e han 600,000 esiden s (o which some wo hund ed housand
Jewish esiden s o Eas Je usalem) ou o a o al Is aeli popula ion o some
eigh million (Alleg a 2016). Majo popula ion cen es (wi h a popula ion o
10,000 esiden s o mo e) a e he “new neighbou hoods” es ablished in Eas
Je usalem (Gilo, Ramo Allon, Ne e Ya’ako , Pisga Ze’e , Ha Homa, Rama
Shlomo, and Eas Talpio ) and a ew la ge communi ies in he Wes Bank
(Modi’in Illi , Bei a Illi , Ma’ale Adumim, A iel, and Gi ’a Ze’e ), whose
combined popula ion amoun ed o 330,000 esiden s in 2011; a he same
da e, nine o he se lemen s in he Wes Bank (E a , F ench Hill, Ki ya A ba,
Al ei Menashe, Rama Eshkol, O ani , Ka nei Shom on, Kocha Ya’ako , and
Bei El) had a popula ion be ween 5,000 and 10,000 uni s (B’Tselem 2018).
Adminis a i ely speaking, hese communi ies a e la gely indis inguishable
om o he cen es in Is ael, al hough bo h local au ho i ies and indi idual
se le s enjoy a la ge sha e o public unds han he Is aeli a e age, in he
o m o ax discoun s, di ec go e nmen ans e s, and in as uc u al in es -
men s. While Is ael has o mally main ained he Jo danian legal sys em in he
Wes Bank (wi h he abo emen ioned excep ion o Eas Je usalem), i has also
epea edly amended Jo danian legisla ion h ough he enac men o hund eds
o mili a y o de s. Technically, he se lemen s emain unde he esponsibili y
o Is ael’s mili a y adminis a ion, bu he mili a y o de s ha apply o hem
ha e been modelled on Is aeli laws, so ha as Eyal Ben enis i (1989: p e ace)
poin ed ou , since he end o he 1980s, “ he p e-June 1967 bo de s ha e
aded o almos all legal pu poses ha e lec Is aeli in e es .” Pa allel o he
legal in as uc u e, a physical in as uc u e has been c ea ed o e he yea s
in he Wes Bank, which se es he se lemen s by connec ing hem o Is ael’s
anspo a ion ne wo k and main popula ion cen es.
Las bu no leas , he as majo i y o se le s li e in la ge subu ban com-
muni ies loca ed nea he G een Line ( he p e-1967 bo de be ween Is ael and
Jo dan) – in pa icula , be ween wo- hi ds and ou - i hs li e in he me o-
poli an a ea o Je usalem, bo h inside he municipal bounda ies o he ci y
and in he so-called “se lemen blocs” in i s immedia e pe iphe y, namely
he clus e s a ound he communi ies o Ma’ale Adumim, Modi’in Illi , Gi ’a
Ze’e , and he Gush E zion (see Alleg a 2016). These se lemen s, along wi h
he A iel bloc in he no he n pa o he Wes Bank, a e o en e e ed o as
being inhabi ed by “quali y-o -li e se le s,” Is aelis ha ha e mo ed o he
Wes Bank in sea ch o a o dable housing, economic bene i s, and, ul ima ely,
upwa d social mobili y.

“IT’S A GREAT PLACE FOR KIDS!”: THE SETTLEMENT OF MA’ALE ADUMIM…  185
THE BANALITY OF OCCUPATION
The men ion o “quali y-o -li e se le s” in oduces my i s b oad a gu-
men abou Is ael’s se lemen policy: while mos schola ly con ibu ions
ha e ocused almos exclusi ely on he ideological and s a egic d i e s o
he expansion o he se lemen s, I a gue ha se lemen s ha e p oli e a ed
la gely because o he ac ha hey a e ela i ely no mal communi ies o li e
in, which a e in many ways indis inguishable om o he locali ies in Is ael;
in o he wo ds, ha Is ael’s se lemen policy has been success ul p ecisely
because o he ela i ely banal and mundane ac o s unde lying i , which
has in u n allowed o he en enchmen o Is aeli con ol o e he Wes
Bank and he d ama ic ans o ma ion o he landscape o Is ael/Pales ine as
a whole.
In making his a gumen , I am ce ainly no implying ha s a egic and
ideological conce ns ha e no been impo an in he de elopmen o Is ael’s
se lemen policy; a he , I am sugges ing ha we should be scep ical o he
kind o single- ac o explana ions ha o en unde lie he s udies ha ocus on
he ole o he se le s’ mo emen and o i s symbiosis wi h he Is aeli s a e.
The idea o “banali y o he occupa ion” in i es us o hink abou he se le-
men s in a mo e holis ic manne : he no maliza ion o he se lemen s was no
p oduced by one speci ic agen mo i a ed by ideological conce ns, bu a he
by plu alis ic coali ions whose pa icipan s (poli icians and ac i is s, planne s
and bu eauc a s, businessmen and se le -consume s) did no necessa ily pa -
ake a common ideology, and we e ac ing agains he backg ound o la ge
p ocesses and ends which de eloped wi hin he Is aeli socie y (demog aphic
and economic cycles, dynamics o wel a e e enchmen , he changing poli ical
economy o indus y and employmen , and so o h).
The li e a u e on Is ael’s se lemen policy has o en assumed he his-
o y o na ional- eligious Gush Emunim ( he “Bloc o he Fai h ul,” a mo e-
men ounded in 1973 ha conduc ed agg essi e poli ical campaigns o he
“ edemp ion” o he land) as a pa adigm o he se lemen policy as a whole
(Feige 2009); indeed, he schola ly s udy o he se lemen s has been by and
la ge he s udy o he o ganiza ion, he poli ical cul u e and he agency o
he Gush Emunim and i s likes (Newman 1985; Lus ick 1988; A an 1991;
Sp inzak 1991; F iedman 1992). Many s udies in he las decade o so (Peled
and Sha i 2002; Go enbe g 2006; Elda and Ze al 2007; Ran a 2009) ha e
explici ly o implici ly c i icized he p e ious li e a u e o i s excessi e empha-
sis on he ole o he na ional- eligious mo emen , which, as Yehuda Shen-
ha a gued, has amed he p oli e a ion o he se lemen s as a “spon aneous
and andom unde aking by eccen ics” (Shenha 2012: 31), and as a p o-
cess in which he Is aeli s a e has been d awn agains i s will o bes in e -
es . These con ibu ions ha e emphasized he ole o he s a e in de eloping
186  MARCO ALLEGRA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 181-200
and suppo ing he expansion o he se lemen s; howe e , hey ha e ha dly
challenged he p e ailing consensus on he ole o he se le s’ mo emen , o
explo ed lines o enqui y ha did no ocus on he s a egic and e hnona ional
impe a i es behind he es ablishmen o he se lemen s.
I is no by chance ha , h oughou his li e a u e, he ounda ion o he
i s Gush Emunim se lemen s (and in pa icula o he “capi al” o he mo e-
men , he communi y o O a) has assumed a pa adigma ic alue. As he Is aeli
jou nalis A i Sha i ells us in his bes selle , My P omised Land: The T iumph
and T agedy o Is ael,
“The nigh ma e we [ he membe s o Peace Now du ing he 1980s] en i-
sioned u ned in o eali y. Tha is why some hi y yea s la e , I am d i ing
o O a – he mo he o all se lemen s – no o igh i , bu o unde s and i . To
unde s and how he se lemen s u ned om igh is an asy o his o ical
ac ” (Sha i 2013: 203, ou emphasis).
Fo Sha i and many o he s, unde s anding he se lemen s means unde -
s anding O a; I would a gue ins ead ha Ma’ale Adumim o e s a be e case
s udy in his espec .
In he i s place, O a was no he “mo he o all se lemen s.” No only
a he ime o O a’s ounda ion se e al o he se lemen s had al eady been
es ablished bu , mo e impo an ly, i would be di icul o unde s and he a i-
e y o se lemen pa e ns (in e ms o genesis, loca ion, socioeconomic ab ic,
and so o h) and explain he o e all de elopmen o Is ael’s se lemen policy
by looking o O a – a communi y es ablished in a ela i ely pe iphe al loca-
ion o he Wes Bank and inhabi ed by some 3,000 esiden s, mos o which
sha e he na ional- eligious ideology o he Gush Emunim. As we ha e no ed,
mos o he se le s’ popula ion is cons i u ed, a he han by se le s-ac i is s,
by se le s-commu e s ha li e in la ge, ully-se iced communi ies loca ed
nea he main Is aeli employmen cen es.
In he second place, he e e ence o O a e lec s he o e emphasis on he
agency o he Gush Emunim. Se lemen s a e no a “ igh is an asy” ha he
se le s’ mo emen has imposed on he o he wise sane and a ional body o
he Is aeli na ion. Indeed, many ecen con ibu ions ha e poin ed ou how
he se le s ha e always enjoyed he suppo o powe ul allies in he Is aeli
es ablishmen , bo h on he igh and he le (Go enbe g 2006; Elda and
Ze al 2007; Ran a 2009, 2015), and ha he Gush Emunim i sel has been
success ul, o a la ge ex en , because i was able o la ch on o some key ends
de eloping in he Is aeli socie y o he 1970s (Newman 2017). The success o
he se lemen s depended on he con e gence o di e en in e es s and a io-
nali ies, and, in a mo e ope a i e sense, on he o ma ion o b oad coali ions
o ac o s in suppo o a gi en p ojec .
“IT’S A GREAT PLACE FOR KIDS!”: THE SETTLEMENT OF MA’ALE ADUMIM…  187
In he hi d place, assuming O a, home o he a is oc acy o he na ion-
al- eligious mo emen , as pa adigm o Is ael’s se lemen policy ends o co -
obo a e he idea ha he se lemen s a e an enclosed communi y o eligious
undamen alis s, exis ing beyond he adminis a i e, cul u al and socio-poli i-
cal bo de s o Is ael p ope – o a c i ical assessmen o his iew, see Dalsheim
and Ha el (2009). As Adam LeBo has pu i ,
“[ ]he e a e wo Is aels: one inside he G een Line, he 1967 bo de ,
he o he an occupying powe ex ending beyond i . The i s is a ib an
democ acy, wi h A ab membe s o Pa liamen , uni e si y p o esso s and
lawye s, beau y queens and soldie s, and e en a Muslim cabine minis e
[…] Ac oss he G een Line, he Wes Bank, cap u ed in 1967, is ano he
coun y, nei he Is ael no Pales ine, bu a lawless place, whe e he Jewish
se le , i le in one hand and p aye book in he o he , is undispu ed king”
(LeBo 2007).
Agains his s e eo yped image o he se le -ac i is (and he con inued
eliance on he G een Line as a meaning ul e i o ial a e ac ), se e al ecen
s udies ha e poin ed ou how he popula ion o he se lemen s ends o mi -
o Is ael’s social and cul u al di e si y. Needless o say, a subs an ial pa o
Is ael’s poli ical, adminis a i e, economic and cul u al ins i u ions a e loca ed
“ac oss he G een Line,” including hal o he coun y’s capi al and se e al
bodies o local go e nmen , hund eds o schools and one o he nine Is aeli
uni e si ies, ou is ic si es and indus ial a eas, and so o h. The se le s’
popula ion includes eligious and secula communi ies, ecen immig an s
and e e an Is aelis, and a wide ange o socioeconomic g oups (Dalsheim
2008; Weiss 2011; Cahane and Shilha 2013; Cahane 2017). As a ma e
o ac , abou a hi d o he se le s a e oday membe s o he ul ao hodox
communi y o he ha edim, which has ne e comple ely accep ed he legi i-
macy o Zionism bu ne e heless gladly eaped he oppo uni ies ha he
se lemen en e p ise o e s o a demog aphically exube an bu none heless
e y poo communi y.
MA’ALE ADUMIM AND THE SUBURBANIZATION
OF ISRAEL’S SETTLEMENT POLICY
In o he wo ds, should we ha e o pick a single case s udy o in es iga e Is a-
el’s se lemen policy, Ma’ale Adumim would se e us much be e han O a.
Fi s , Ma’ale Adumim is in many ways a pa adigma ic example o how a la ge
pa o he se lemen s ha e bene i ed om hei condi ion o “double cen al-
i y” (Newman 1996, 2017) o subu ban se lemen s in Is ael e i o ial de el-
opmen policies: Ma’ale Adumim is loca ed a less han 10 kilome es om he
188  MARCO ALLEGRA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 181-200
Old Ci y o Je usalem, in an a ea ha is wi hin he economic and geog aphic
cen e o he coun y; a he same ime, land p ices in he Wes Bank ha e
been kep a an a i icially low le el by he go e nmen , which has also gene -
ously subsidized indi iduals and companies wi h inancial and iscal bene i s.
La ge pa o he own’s 40,000 cu en esiden s has mo ed beyond he G een
Line a ac ed by hese bene i s, by he high quali y o municipal se ices and
by he possibili y o commu ing o he coun y’s main employmen cen es.
Fo mos esiden s – and especially o ela i ely weak and ma ginalized sec-
o s o Is ael’s Jewish popula ion, such as second-gene a ion Miz ahi in he
1980s, and immig an s om he o me So ie Union in he 1990s – mo ing
o Ma’ale Adumim has been pa o a pa e n o upwa d social mobili y which
has allowed hem o join Is ael’s middle class.
Second, Ma’ale Adumim is commonly conside ed as a “consensus se le-
men ,” a se lemen whose exis ence is widely ega ded as non-con o e sial
by he Is aeli public. Since he a e ma h o he 1967 wa , he idea o building
a se lemen in he a ea o Ma’ale Adumim enjoyed he suppo o a wide and
di e se coali ion o ac o s. Be o e he i s nucleus o he se lemen was es ab-
lished in he o m o a small “wo ke s camp” a ached o he indus ial a ea o
Misho Adumim, he Gush Emunim leade s in ol ed in he ope a ion ac ed
essen ially as media o s be ween pa isan and non-pa isan se le s g oups,
and key membe s o he Is aeli es ablishmen o he ime (Alleg a and Handel
2017). A ew yea s la e , when he plans o he new own we e pu o wa d,
i became clea ha e e y sec o o g oup in he Is aeli socie y (apa om
he ma ginal inge oicing a adical, ideological opposi ion o he se lemen s
policy) could a gue in a ou o Ma’ale Adumim: poli icians and ac i is s ob i-
ously salu ed he es ablishmen o a la ge, as -g owing Jewish communi y in
he pe iphe y o Je usalem as an app op ia e answe o he e i o ial and
demog aphic challenges inhe en o Is ael’s con ol on he ci y; planne s and
bu eauc a s saw i as a a ional way o s ee u ban de elopmen and alloca e
e icien ly inancial and e i o ial esou ces in he ace o a g owing demo-
g aphic p essu e on he ci y o Je usalem; businessmen, de elope s and eal
es a e agen s immedia ely saw he oppo uni y o making handsome p o i s
om he cons uc ion o 10,000 housing uni s in a p ime eal es a e a ea; and,
o cou se, hund eds o amilies o Je usalemi es who could no a o d li ing in
he ci y ushed o buy new, mode n apa men s and illas ha we e on o e a
a ba gain p ice (Alleg a 2013, 2016). As Thomas Lei e sdo , he head o he
Ma’ale Adumim planning eam, no ed:
“[Ma’ale Adumim] was a success s o y and e e y apa men ha wen
on he ma ke was ins an ly g abbed. So he poli icians said, ‘Ok, he popu-
la ion in Judea and Sama ia is g owing, we ha e no ma ke ing p oblems and
we don’ ha e o pay huge subsidies o suppo mobile homes on a ious
“IT’S A GREAT PLACE FOR KIDS!”: THE SETTLEMENT OF MA’ALE ADUMIM…  195
“The ‘why’ would be a ques ion ma k… I am om New Yo k, he big
mel ing po , bu s ill you ha e China own, you ha e Li le I aly… E e yone
has hei own niche, ok? And ha goes o Is ael also… You ha e al-Eiza iya
and Ma’ale Adumim, you know… Do I see Jews li ing in al-Eiza iya? P ob-
ably no . Do I see A abs li ing in Ma’ale Adumim? P obably no … I don’
know wha kind o A ab would wan o li e in Ma’ale Adumim, [since] he
se ices ha he pe sonally may wan may no be a ailable o him in Ma’ale
Adumim: schooling, eligion… I know why I am he e, meaning i is a nice
Jewish communi y ou side Je usalem, less expensi e han Je usalem and I
lo e he place. And I mo ed o Is ael o be in a Jewish na ion” [Michael,
in e iew].
Clea ly, seg ega ion does no equi e open, iolen con lic s o be main-
ained and e en wished o ; o Michael i is jus pa o he human na u e, a
na u al pa e n which is in u n ein o ced by he p esence/absence o in a-
s uc u es and acili ies ha membe s o speci ic communi ies migh need o
desi e. Daniel – a o me Londone who, like Michael, comes om a cosmopol-
i an u ban en i onmen – exp essed a simila iewpoin oo ed in his pe sonal
expe ience as an obse an Jew:
“To be hones , om a social and cul u al poin o iew, he e a e li le
ela ions be ween he people he e and he A abs… Why?… The u h is ha
i you would ha e asked me a simila ques ion when I was li ing in England,
when I was ou een, he answe would ha e been p e y simila . I am a eli-
gious Jewish pe son, I don’ ha e much con ac wi h non-Jews, I don’ e en
ha e much con ac wi h non- eligious Jewish people… I li ed wi h non-Jews
in he pas : i ’s no some hing I wan bu i ’s no some hing I would igh .
I do belie e in people’s igh o li e whe e hey wan , as long as hey beha e”
[Daniel, in e iew].
Wha is mos in e es ing abou hese a gumen s is ha hey a e ema k-
ably de ached om he con en ional wisdom ha see Ma’ale Adumim simply
as a se lemen buil on occupied land in he con ex o a decades-long con-
lic ; a he , he own ep esen s o i s esiden s a communi y ha ca e s o
an audience o pee s, de ined by hei adhesion o a ce ain li es yle. In his
espec , he Pales inians ep esen jus one o he po en ial dis up ions o he
quie subu ban li e ha he esiden s o Ma’ale Adumim ha e planned o
hemsel es.
I is in e es ing o ela e one o he unexpec ed esul s o his men al
expe imen : when asked abou imagina y Pales inian neighbou s, my espon-
den s o en began alking abou ano he class o di icul “o he s,” namely
he ul ao hodox Jews. The ha edim, as he Pales inians, a e a key pa o he

196  MARCO ALLEGRA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 181-200
landscape o he inne ci y o Je usalem (whe e hey cons i u e a hi d o he
ci y’s popula ion) ha he esiden s o Ma’ale Adumim ha e enounced o
he com o o subu ban li e. Ul ao hodox communi ies in Je usalem li e in
ex eme seg ega ion ha is exp essed om he spa ial s andpoin in he exis-
ence o “ha edi encla es” such as he neighbou hood o Mea She’a im; ha e
a s ic unde s anding o eligious ules egula ing, say, Sabba h and women’s
modes y; and ha e ex emely low a es o pa icipa ion o he wo k o ce and
o he mili a y by i ue o gene ous subsidies p o ided by public and p i a e
bodies, and o special a angemen s wi h he Is aeli s a e. Because o his,
ha edi a e almos uni e sally despised by secula Jews.
In Ma’ale Adumim ha edi p esence is limi ed o he small communi y o
Mizpe Ne o (a neighbou hood app op ia ely loca ed a he end o a dead-end
s ee in he no he n pa o he own, which he esiden s close o on Sa u -
day), whose membe s a e gene ally desc ibed as a he nice people – meaning
“no like he ha edim in Je usalem.” The spec e o a u u e ha edi in asion,
howe e , seems o loom in he mind o he secula esiden s as a dis u bing sce-
na io. Indeed, I came ac oss (uncon i med) umou s ha he mayo o Ma’ale
Adumim has ough o he a emp by a la ge ha edi o ganiza ion o o ganize a
mo e en masse o he own, while o he esiden s said ha hey would lea e he
own should he p esence o eligious esiden s g ow abo e a ce ain h eshold
[Adam, in e iew] o ha when hey mo e om Ma’ale Adumim i would
be o he Tel A i a ea because o he as g ow h o he ha edi communi y in
Je usalem [Hannah, in e iew].
I is he e o e in e es ing, al hough no en i ely unexpec ed (also because
he pe spec i e o a “Pales inian akeo e ” o Ma’ale Adumim seems p obably
mo e emo e han an ha edi one), ha he compa a i e judgmen passed by
mos o my esponden s on Pales inians and ha edim was no gene ally a ou -
able o he la e , who a e seen as a conc e e h ea o he esiden s’ li es yle.
Hannah, Abigail’s mo he and a college eache , decla ed wi h no hesi a ion
ha she would ha e Pales inian neighbou s a he han ha edi:
“Yeah [laughs]! They would p obably be nice people. I’ll ell you why:
he ha edim ha e an ambi ion, hey wan me o be mo e ha edi, he A abs
would no do ha , hey don’ wan o con e me, he ones ha would come
he e, hey would jus li e hei li e” [Hannah, in e iew].
Voicing some so o sense o guil o le ing down he ellow Jews, bu in
an equally unequi ocal way, Rachel concu s:
“This is going o sound ho ible… Le ’s say ha [a g oup o ha edim]
would come o my neighbou hood… To me i would be he same hing
[as a g oup o A abs]. I would be aking he whole iden i y and change i .
“IT’S A GREAT PLACE FOR KIDS!”: THE SETTLEMENT OF MA’ALE ADUMIM…  197
The A ab in my neighbou hood would p obably no change much o i , bu
he eligious Jew… would insis ha I should wea a long ski …” [Rachel,
in e iew].
I seems ha in he opinion o he secula esiden s o Ma’ale Adumim,
Pales inians and ha edim sha e some key cul u al ai s ha dis ance hem om
he Is aeli-Jewish mains eam; he main di e ence be ween he wo g oups is
ha , somehow, he ha edim ine i ably ha e a collec i e and poli ical agenda
ha is ad anced h ough hei physical p esence in he u ban en i onmen ,
while Pales inians can be conside ed simply as indi iduals. Rachel goes on
no ing ha
“[A abs and ha edim] a e on he same le el and s anda ds: hey a e bo h
no wo king; hey ake money om he social secu i y and se ices, hey bo h
ha e lo s o kids and hey a e bo h a d ain on socie y. The ha edi side, e en i
hey a e supposedly Jewish, hey a e no on ou side… They h ow ocks a
us, jus like he A abs. I I d i e h ough al-Eiza iya I migh ge s oned, bu
i I walk h ough Mea She’a im [an ha edi neighbou hood loca ed no hwes
o he Old Ci y o Je usalem] like his [indica es he aining ou i , NdA]
I would o su e ge s oned” [Rachel, in e iew].
Beyond he inhe en cul u al ai s o he wo g oups and hei poli ical
agenda (o he absence he eo ), he esiden s’ assessmen on he pe spec i e
o neighbou hood ela ions depends on he socioeconomic s a us o ha edim
and Pales inians. And he e we can ind ye ano he explana ion o he esi-
den s’ ela i e p e e ence o he la e : once again, while he Pales inian soci-
e y as a whole migh sha e some socioeconomic ai s wi h ha edi communi ies,
indi idual Pales inians a e di e en . As Hannah explains,
“Would I be agains [ he idea o ha ing A ab neighbou s like in F ench
Hill]? No… The popula ion ha a e mo ing o F ench Hill ha e a ce -
ain socioeconomic s a us, hey would be doc o s, lawye s, e c. I ’s no he
uneduca ed… Tha ’s wha I eel; he ones ha a e upwa dly mobile would
choose o li e in hese a eas. The ones [who a e no ] would no hink
abou li ing he e, and hey could no a o d i in he i s place” [Hannah,
in e iew].
CONCLUSION
The unde lying a gumen o his a icle is ha he success o Is ael’s se le-
men policy is due o – and e lec ed by – he banaliza ion o Jewish p esence
in he Wes Bank. The collec ion o b ie lashes abou he expe ience o he
198  MARCO ALLEGRA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 181-200
esiden s o Ma’ale Adumim sheds some ligh on wo impo an ea u es o
his p ocess o banaliza ion.
In he i s place, hey make clea ha la ge pa o he se le s’ popula ion
mo ed o he Wes Bank o e y mundane easons ha had li le o do wi h
he ene s o Zionis ideology o g and schemes o socio-spa ial enginee ing.
A he same ime, banal ac i i ies such as mo ing o he subu bs, commu ing
o wo k o ob aining a mo gage ha e no been less consequen ial han ac i -
is s’ poli ical campaigns in eshaping he e i o y o Is ael/Pales ine. Wha
we ha e called “Is ael/Pales ine,” and he me opoli an a ea o Je usalem ha
s ands a i s cen e, is in many ways he p oduc o he subu baniza ion o
Is ael’s se lemen policy and o i s appeal o almos all sec o s and g oups ha
make up he Is aeli socie y; in u n, he subu baniza ion o Is ael’s se lemen
policy canno be unde s ood wi hou e e ing o la ge ends and p ocesses
ha ha e ma ked he Is aeli socie y s a ing om he 1970s (such as subu -
baniza ion, wel a e e enchmen , he dynamics o he eal es a e ma ke , and
so o h).
In he second place, as he o mula o “Is ael/Pales ine” sugges s, he
se lemen s ha e no p o ided Is ael wi h new bo de s. E en “consensus
se lemen s” such as Ma’ale Adumim canno be seen as a p o o ype o u u e
bo de s – i. e. e i o ial a e ac s ha unc ion (o will unc ion) like he G een
Line in he pe iod 1949-1967. The li es o he esiden s o Ma’ale Adumim
a e ce ainly p oo ha he G een Line does no exis anymo e; a he same
ime, howe e , while he G een Line unc ioned as a line o e i o ial discon-
inui y, he se lemen s ha e c ea ed a mo e po ous sys em by eshaping he
in e ac ions be ween di e en places and g oups – once again, me opoli an
Je usalem being he mos ob ious and isible case. This ans o ma ion has
p ima ily in es ed Is aeli-Pales inian ela ions, al hough, one migh suspec ,
no in he linea , s aigh o wa d way ha con en ional wisdom o en assumes.
This a icle has ied o show how he same p ocess has had an impac on he
Is aeli-Jewish socie y i sel , by p o iding a new socio-spa ial con ex in which
he ela ions be ween he di e en g oups (secula and eligious, low and mid-
dle-classes, Miz ahi and Askenazi, e c.) a e played ou .
“IT’S A GREAT PLACE FOR KIDS!”: THE SETTLEMENT OF MA’ALE ADUMIM…  199
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Receção da e são o iginal / O iginal e sion 2016 / 12 / 12
Receção da e são e is a / Re ised e sion 2018 / 02 / 23
Acei ação / Accep ed 2018 / 07 / 25