From Colonialism to Neocolonialism: Palestine as a Case Study in The Legacy of Orientalism in Modern Geopolitics

Abstract

One of the most persistent geopolitical problems of the contemporary age is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has been characterized by decades of political unrest, bloodshed, and failed diplomatic attempts to find a solution. The legacy of Orientalism, a school of thought that portrays the East as inferior, illogical, and needing Western control or intervention, provides a crucial lens through which this conflict might be interpreted. The neocolonial structures that result from Orientalist discourse serve to sustain the colonial forces that have defined the Palestinian fight for statehood. This article looks at how Orientalism still affects the world views Palestine, especially in terms of how it affects media representations, Western policy, and how Palestinians are treated as permanent "others" within a framework that supports Israeli hegemony. Israel's continuous occupation of Palestinian territory is a type of neocolonialism that is supported by Western assistance and Orientalist rhetoric. This study uses a qualitative research methodology to examine the impact of Orientalism on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by combining discourse, content, and historical analysis. With special reference to Israeli occupation and Western assistance, historical research traces the origins of Orientalism in colonial-era policies and investigates its evolution into neocolonial practices. Content analysis looks for Orientalist motifs that depict Palestinians as violent or incapable of self-governance in political speeches, media reports, and policy documents. debate analysis is used to examine how Orientalist narratives continue to shape opinions about Palestine and provide justification for neocolonialism in intellectual debate. A thorough grasp of how Orientalism upholds geopolitical injustices in the Palestinian context is made possible by this multi-method approach.