Shir Hever is speaking across Scotland about his new book that analyses the impact of Palestinian resistance on Israeli occupation and U.S. military aid. He shows how the Israeli security elites turn violence into a commodity. This is highly relevant here in Scotland as Israeli hyper-surveillance systems (NICE Safe Cities Solutions) are piloted in Glasgow.
SPSC believes it's crucial not just to get angry at Israel's ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people but to take effective, collective action based on an understanding of the forces at work in the Middle East, Washington and Europe. That's why they bring experts in their fields to sustain an informed conversation in Scotland on Palestine.
Shir Hever is an economic researcher based at the Alternative Information Centre in Jerusalem. He is the author of The Privatisation of Israeli Security (Pluto, 2017) and The Political Economy of Israel's Occupation (Pluto, 2010).
Between
1994-2014, Israel’s security service was transformed, becoming one of the most
extreme examples of privatised security in the world. This book is an
investigation into this period and the conditions that created ‘Occupation
Inc.’: the institution of a private military-security-industrial complex.
State
sponsored violence is increasing as a result of this securitisation, but why is
it necessary, and what are its implications? In this book, Shir Hever considers
the impact of the ongoing Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation, the
influence of U.S. military aid and the rise of neoliberalism in Israel, to make
sense of this dramatic change in security policy. Through the lens of political
economy, this book shows how the Israeli security elites turn violence into a
commodity in order to preserve their status and wealth, providing a fresh new
perspective on the Israeli occupation.
"Shir
Hever is an "engaged intellectual" par excellence. As a political
economist and activist, he is well-placed to explore a little-known but key
facet of Israel's occupation: the privatization of Israeli security and the
economic and political benefits that accrue from both Israel's Occupation and
its constant state of militarism." Jeff Halper, author of War Against the People: Israel, the Palestinians, and
Global Pacification"Shir Hever has emerged as one of the most incisive analysts of the critical Israeli Left."
Prof. Jonathan Nitzan, York University
http://glasgow.stv.tv/
And, shocking but not surprising, a Glasgow City Council spokeperson claims that opposing hyper-survellance is 'anti-semitic'...
https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/392/big-brother-is-watching-glasgow-city-council-partners-with-israeli-surveillance-company-to-monitor-unusual-behaviour-among-citizens