Hever - The Privatization of Israeli Security

The Privatization of Israeli Security

Shir Hever

First published 2018 by Pluto Press

345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA

www.plutobooks.com

Copyright Shir Hever 2018

The right of Shir Hever to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 0 7453 3720 3 Hardback

ISBN 978 0 7453 3719 7 Paperback

ISBN 978 1 7868 0172 2 PDF eBook

ISBN 978 1 7868 0174 6 Kindle eBook

ISBN 978 1 7868 0173 9 EPUB eBook

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental standards of the country of origin.

Typeset by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England

Simultaneously printed in the United Kingdom and United States of America

This book would never have been possible without the help and support of many people who have worked with me over the past five years to turn this project from an idea raised in political discussion to the book in its current form.

My deepest gratitude to my two PhD supervisors, Professor Cilja Harders and Professor Yehouda Shenhav, who have patiently guided me in the long journey from a research proposal to a book, dedicating a great deal of time far beyond my expectations, and sharing their own experiences with me. Professor Harders has not only guided me in my academic process but also in making valuable contacts and inviting me to take part in academic life in the Freie Universitt in Berlin. Without her help I would not have been able to find funding for my work nor to find teaching opportunities. Professor Shenhav has expressed faith in me throughout the process, and despite the long distance has made himself available to guide me and offer invaluable advice.

The group of PhD students under the supervision of Professor Harders formed a community and I am exceedingly grateful for all the help that I received from them. Anna Antonakis, Sherry Basta, Naoual Belakhdar, Imad Al Soos, Ebtisam Hussein, Sebastian Neubauer, Eva Schmidt and Allison West have all read parts of my work and have given me useful criticism and priceless advice.

During the years of studying the privatization of security in Israel, I encountered several scholars with a similar research interest. The generosity of these fellow scholars and their willingness to share their findings, empirical data and to recommend literature served my research tremendously. I would like to mention the scholars Galit Gelbort, Wassim Ghantous, Gregor Reisch, Leila Stockmarr and Alaa Tartir.

In addition, five professors have given me guidance during my work. These professors are Gadi Algazi, Shimshon Bichler, Itzhak Galnor, Jeff Halper and Amir Paz-Fuchs. Not only have I learned much from their writings but also from conversations with them in which they explained a great deal about the process of academic writing and about the study of Israels security sector.

Thanks are also due to Roger Van Zwanenberg. He approached me to write my first book at Pluto Press and also helped me decide on the topic of this second book. Im very grateful to David Shulman who stayed interested in the topic and was very patient with me, so that I could graduate before turning my dissertation into a book.

My familys mobilization to help me graduate cannot be overestimated. The long conversations Ive had about my research with my brothers Tal and Yaar, with my father Hannan and my mother Yael, and with my partner Hadas, have transformed my thinking about many of the aspects I write about. My parents have provided me with books and journals which I needed and was not able to access, my brothers helped in dealing with a German-speaking university and its bureaucratic requirements, and Hadas helped with every stage of the project, although she had her own research to worry about. In addition to the direct help with research, my family and especially Hadas have given me tremendous support in overcoming the magnitude of this task, convincing me that it was even possible.

Since my university years I have been an activist in joint Palestinian-Israeli organizations for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. In the early 2000s, very few economists were part of those activist circles, and as a fledgling political economist I found an eager audience interested in economic analysis of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, even as an inexperienced researcher. The Alternative Information Center, a joint Palestinian-Israeli organization, gave me the opportunity to combine political activism and research. The topic of security (Hever, 2009) and the topic of privatization (Adut & Hever, 2006; Hever, 2011b, 2013) came up frequently as relevant to my research there (along with other elements), but the idea of privatized security in Israel seemed to me almost unthinkable at the time.