Building Uninhabited Villas and Strong Ties: US Remittances to West Bank Villages

Estimated at $399 in 2012, remittances are considered “untapped sources for development funding” by the World Bank and the G20. Beyond the contentions about communities using the monies for consumables instead of development, there is recognition that conflict zones need remittances to stay afloat. The West Bank is on of those places. From a development perspective, the West Bank remains stagnant, yet for West Bank Palestinians they consider themselves involved in political resistance against the Israeli occupation by building homes and supporting relatives in their everyday lives. The arguments made in this paper are based on data collected in an ethnographic study conducted in New York and New Jersey between 2001-2008. Using Viviana Zelizer and Charles Tilly’s “Relations and categories,” this paper contends remittances do not have to produce dependency or corrupt intimate relationships when those involved imbue the financial transfers with positive meaning. By tracing the informal mechanisms devised to send remittances, it is concluded that such mechanisms and not only the dollar amount bolster West Bank Palestinian networks and community pride, and build commitments among the American-born.