Detention as Policy: The Unseen Machinery of Control
THE ACTORS: The Israeli military, particularly the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Palestinian Prisoners Club, and B'Tselem. Within the United States, key actors include members of Congress pushing for continued military aid, and lobbying groups like AIPAC and Christians United for Israel. THE FUNDING: The U.S. provides Israel with
approximately $3.8 billion annually in military aid under a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2016 (Reuters, 2016). This aid is largely unrestricted, allowing Israel significant discretion in its use, including for military operations and detention infrastructure. Furthermore, organizations such as the Jewish National Fund (JNF) raise significant funds globally to acquire and
develop land, often implicated in settlement expansion (JNF, annual reports). These funds indirectly support the ecosystem that necessitates and perpetuates these detention policies. THE INCENTIVES: For the Israeli government, large-scale detentions serve multiple purposes. Firstly, it disrupts social and political organization, preventing unified resistance. Secondly, it creates a climate of fear
and disempowerment, making land confiscations and settlement expansions less contested. The economic incentive is clear: controlling strategic land, water resources, and labor. For U.S. politicians, supporting Israel, often through unconditional aid, can translate into significant campaign contributions and political influence from powerful lobbying groups (OpenSecrets, 2024). Furthermore,