SCARS OF SETTLEMENTS; Destruction of mobility, identity, and urban space in Al-Khalil

Abstract

This thesis examines the fragmented urban landscape of Al-Khalil (Hebron), where the Zionist settler-colonial state («Israel») imposes severe restrictions on Palestinian mobility. Through architecture, urban planning, and physical barriers such as checkpoints, settlements, and militazy zones, the occupation reshapes daily life and transforms the relationship between people, space, and identity. My research focuses on how these spatial practices operate as tools of control, and how they affect the social fabric, sense of belonging, and lived realities of Palestinians. Because of the ongoing genocide in Ghaza (Gaza) (Amnesty International, 2024; Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2024) and the vulnerability of conducting on field research as a Palestinian myself, the study utilizes remote research methods. Conversations with Palestinian people, both who were and who are still in Al-Khalil, combined with mapping tools, provide critical insights into the social, psychological, and spatial effects of these restrictions and the highly oppressive spatial interventions. In addition to that, this research aims to raise awareness of how architecture functions as a tool of power and domination, emphasizing the need for a more conscious engagement with the built environment in contexts of occupation and segregation. Methodologically, the thesis is grounded in narrative and decolonial approaches, drawing on indigenous Storywork (Archibald, 2008), narrative analysis (Czarniawska, 2004), and decolonizing methodologies (Smith, 2022). These frameworks guide me to treat testimonies not as data but as living knowledge. Storytelling becomes central in my thesis. Tatreez (Palestinian embroidery) is woven into this process as both symbol and method. Through the slow, repetitive act of stitching in response to each testimony, I engaged with the stories in a way that allowed me to listen through the hands as well as the mind. The resulting visual works combined with Tatreez serve as another layer of interpretation, translating lived experiences into material form. By documenting the realities of daily life under occupation,and by centering Palestinian storytelling and embodied forms of making, I aim to contribute to a broader discussion on spatial justice, highlighting how architecture is used as a mechanism of domination, while also foregrounding the resilience, memory, and lived knowledge of Palestinians navigating an environment structured to control them.