On the Existential Threat of Palestinian Kites to Colonial Power

There is an old colonizer adage that “the old will die and the young will forget.” In fact, Israel built its future wagering that the Palestinians violently displaced and expelled in the Nakba would eventually move on, assimilate, forget the

Résumé

Colonial fear of kites

The article describes how Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have declared Palestinian kites flown by children as an existential threat, equating them to drones and threatening to kill those launching them.

This reaction stems from the symbolic power of kites, which represent Palestinian resilience and hope despite decades of occupation, displacement, and violence.

The fear of kites reflects a broader colonial anxiety: the persistence of Palestinian memory and identity, even among children, challenges Israel’s narrative of erasure and assimilation.

The article highlights how colonial powers often underestimate the long-term consequences of displacement and violence, assuming that future generations will forget their stolen land.

However, Palestinian children like Khaled Al Khateeb, who built a kite from scraps, embody the refusal to forget and the determination to reclaim their future.