Why Jabal an-Nar? Researching Nablus

This article explains why the politics of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, long an historic focal point of Palestinian independence and resistance to foreign rule, is still an important area for research today. Nablus suffered badly under an Israeli siege for eight years in the early 2000s but it now represents the front line of the Palestinian Authority’s neo-liberal ‘state-building’ agenda. The tensions between the city’s strong identity and rising tide of neo-liberalism are a microcosm of broader political dynamics in Palestine.