Cellular Borders

This chapter details the conditions and contestations underlying cellular phone infrastructures in Israel–Palestine. It shows how cellular infrastructures in the occupied territories are dynamic manifestations of territorial disputes and tensions. Indeed, the arrangement of telecommunication systems is not merely a metaphor for the conflict; rather, “it is the conflict in material form.” The chapter then focuses on three locations—Migron, Ramallah, and Qalandia—and describes the material infrastructures and regulatory regimes that shape conditions in each. Rather than connecting people, these infrastructures are critical dimensions of state power and territoriality, and as such they function in ways that divide and disconnect.