Gendered suffering and the eviction of the native: The politics of birth in occupied East Jerusalem

The treatment of pregnant women in Palestine offers an important perspective on the interlocking power of gender and race in the context of settler colonialism. However, the gendered violence experienced by pregnant women remains mostly invisible. This chapter shares the voices of pregnant Palestinians to explore how they experience specific forms of gendered violence in a militarized and occupied homeland. It explains the steps taken by Israel to invade and attempt to control this intimate sphere of Palestinian life and the motivations behind targeting pregnant women. The chapter closes with a description of the “birthing resistance” of Palestinian women, recognizing their ability to reproduce as exercises of agency and power that challenge the continuing process of colonization.