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Paper short abstract

I examine the planning and planting of forests as security measures within the context of Israel’s continued efforts of Judaization of the Negev/Al Naqab through a security discourse that is informed by orientalist imaginaries and motivated by the creation of productive (Jewish) landscapes.

Paper long abstract

In this paper, I examine the planning and planting of forests as security measures within the context of Israel’s continued efforts of Judaization of the Negev/Al Naqab desert. Zionism, Israel’s foundational ideology, is known for attaching powerful symbolism to tree planting (Braverman, 2009a; Long, 2005), representing the rootedness of the Jewish people in the ‘Promised Land.’ Both the Israeli state and right-wing settler movements, I argue, instrumentalise this symbolism through their involvement in forest-related political actions framed as necessary for security reasons. These afforestation activities are ultimately used to gain control over land that is often owned and inhabited by Bedouin people. Here, I will scrutinise the planning and planting of forests as part of a security discourse that is informed by orientalist imaginaries and motivated by the creation of productive (Jewish) landscapes.