Viewpoint: Between exclusionary nationalism and urban citizenship in East Jerusalem/ al-Quds

In recent years, Israel has witnessed a wave of heightened nationalism. Although nationalism is not new at all in this part of the world—quite the contrary—Israel’s acting Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government are today part of an international alliance of leaders (including Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Viktor Orbán, and Narendra Modi) promoting neo-nationalism and right-wing populism. Notwithstanding the significant global aspects of neo-nationalism, as described by de Souza (2020), Koch and Vora (2020) and Yiftachel and Rokem (2020), this commentary focuses on nationalism’s localized manifestations in Jerusalem/al-Quds, highlighting the way local dynamics complicate and subvert nationalism’s powerful influence.