State-Led Ethno-Gentrification and the Intensification of Minority Political Displacement in Ethno-Nationally Contested Cities

This article examines the political displacement of minority communities in gentrifying neighborhoods within ethno-national contested cities. While prior research on gentrification-induced political displacement has primarily centered on class- and race-based marginalization in Global North cities, this study expands the analytical lens to contexts where gentrification is entangled with struggles over sovereignty, national identity, and territorial control. Using a qualitative comparative case study of Israeli mixed cities of Jaffa and Lydda, the research identifies four key expressions of political displacement efforts: (1) delegitimization of minority leadership and representation; (2) exclusion from decision-making and resources; (3) creation of exclusionary ethno-national institutions; and (4) nationalist demonstrations. The study reveals that political displacement in these contexts is not merely a byproduct of demographic change, but a mechanism of ethno-national domination. The study contributes a context-sensitive framework for understanding political displacement in divided/contested cities and highlights broader implications for urban democracy, minority agency, and conflict escalation.