Narrating Gaza beyond dead bodies and rubble pile
A critical assessment of the destruction of Gaza’s cultural heritage and the role of international law
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12201248 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Baha Ebdeir (0009-0000-5286-3412, University College Dublin, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Pages | 1-32 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Cultural Property (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0940-7391 • E-ISSN: 1465-7317 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0940739126100253 |
| OpenAlex | W7140194359 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, a rich body of legal scholarship has tackled various legal issues arising from Israel’s overall military conduct. One issue that has received very little attention is Israel’s destruction of Palestinian cultural heritage. In this article, I demonstrate how Israel’s systematic destruction of Gaza’s cultural heritage has been facilitated through reliance on sources and language of law. Considering this unprecedented level of destruction, I examine the role of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in applying protection and accountability measures in response to the ongoing destruction of Palestinian heritage. I suggest that these three organizations provide the State of Palestine with an entry point to demand recognition, protection, and accountability for the destruction of this heritage. Rather than approaching each organization as an end in itself, I propose engaging with the three organizations simultaneously as tools to be utilized
Accountability · Cultural heritage · Economic Justice · International law · Rubble · Scholarship · State (computer science · Terrorism · Archaeological Research and Protection · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
The Impact of Israeli Occupation on the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Sites in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
The War Lawyers
Zionist Colonialism in Palestine (1965)
Attacks against Cultural Heritage as a Weapon of War
Destruction of Cultural Heritage before the ICC
Heritage under Siege
Genocide in Palestine
The Responsibility to Protect the Civilians of Gaza
Negotiating the Illegal
Military Necessity and the Cultures of Military Law
Salvage or Plunder? Israel's "Collection" of Private Palestinian Libraries in West Jerusalem
Taking the Land without the People
Plan Dalet
Liberating voices
The Status of Gaza as Occupied Territory Under International Law
The Concept of Cultural Genocide
The Racial Question of Palestine and the Question of Anti-Racism in Palestine
Consuming Palestine
A Threshold Crossed
Settler-Colonialism, Memoricide and Indigenous Toponymic Memory
Settler colonialism and the elimination of the native
Cultural heritage and the International Court of Justice
Cultural heritage protection versus social and economic development
Heritage Conflict and the Council
Coerced migration
Zionism from the Standpoint of Its Victims
Uprooting Identities
Unesco's World Heritage Convention at 40
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |