A is for Architecture Podcast Fatina Abreek-Zubiedat: Making Gaza.
Jan 15, 2026
Fatina Abreek-Zubiedat, a Palestinian architect and Assistant Professor at Tel Aviv University, discusses her compelling new book on Gaza's spatial history. She reveals the intricate relationship between architecture and politics in the region, asserting that Palestinian refugee camps are designed sites rather than informal settlements. Fatina shares insights on the challenges of documenting Gaza's material history and explores how international influences shape its architecture. The conversation highlights the role of urban design in exerting control and the need for ethical reconstruction efforts.
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Personal Roots Shape Research
- Fatina Abreek-Zubiedat grew up in a poor Palestinian refugee family and navigated dual identities as a Palestinian and an Israeli citizen.
- Her upbringing shaped her interest in refugee camps, informal architecture, and conflicted identities that inform her research.
Camps Are Often Formal, Not 'Informal'
- Palestinian refugee camps are often mislabeled 'informal' though many were formally designed and enforced by architects and agencies.
- Treating camps as informal erases the colonial and engineered nature of their planning and control.
UNRWA And The Politics Of Palestinian Camps
- Palestinian camps differ because their governing humanitarian agency (UNRWA) and lack of a Palestinian state created a unique political and administrative regime.
- This exceptional status shaped how Gaza's camps were managed and remembered politically.
