Flying While Palestinian: A Critical Analysis of Palestinian Aviation Diplomacy

Abstract

Abstract This article provides a study of Palestinian aviation diplomacy by examining two “states of exception”: the deterritorialized Palestinian state and the supraterritorial, supranational state of aviation. It discusses five important episodes in Palestine’s aviation history: aviation as a colonial instrument in Palestine prior to 1948, Jerusalem Airport as a contested site of power, Palestinian airplane hijackings as media spectacle, Yasir Arafat’s creative aviation diplomacy, and Gaza International Airport and Palestinian Airlines as symbols of Palestinian sovereignty. Although Palestinians have faced difficulties with conventional aviation diplomacy, they have been somewhat successful in exploiting aviation as an unconventional weapon of resistance to disrupt dominant narratives.