Weaponized Camera in the Middle East: Videography, Aesthetics, and Politics in Israel and Palestine

Liat Berdugo's book "The Weaponized Camera in the Middle East" argues for a visual studies approach to videographic evidence in Israel/Palestine, highlighting the politics of visual surveillance and counter-surveillance. It explores how what is seen and who is seeing affects how conflicts are visually recorded, using over 5,000 hours of footage from BTselem, an Israeli NGO.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 272 pages
\n Publication date: 28 January 2021
\n Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Liat Berdugo, a researcher, has analyzed a vast collection of video archives from BTselem, an Israeli NGO that provides cameras to Palestinians residing in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Through her analysis, she presents a compelling argument for adopting a visual studies approach to studying videographic evidence in Israel/Palestine. The book utilizes video stills as its primary source material to explore the politics of videographic evidence in the region. By highlighting the inequality of visual rights resulting from the conflict, Berdugo demonstrates how the conflict has generated a power imbalance in the visual realm.

The book delves into visual surveillance and counter-surveillance at the citizen level, shedding light on how Palestinians initially used cameras to retaliate against the armed Israelis occupying their land. It also traces how Israeli private citizens, armed with their own cameras, including personal cell phone cameras, began filming back at Palestinians, creating a simultaneous and echoing counter-surveillance.

However, The Weaponized Camera in The Middle East raises important questions about the limitations of relying solely on visual evidence to achieve justice. It explores how the perception of what is seen and who is seeing influences the visual recording of conflicts. By drawing on over 5,000 hours of footage, although only a fraction of it is readily accessible to the public, the book offers a unique perspective on the strategies and battlegrounds of the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Overall, Berdugo's book provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of visual evidence in the Israel/Palestine conflict, challenging the notion that visual evidence alone can secure justice. It encourages a deeper understanding of the visual politics that shape this ongoing conflict and highlights the need for a multi-dimensional approach to studying and analyzing this critical material.

\n Weight: 604g\n
Dimension: 169 x 240 x 23 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781838602710\n \n