El’ad and religious Zionist settler colonialism in east Jerusalem: from origins to interventions

This paper demonstrates how El’ad, a religious Zionist non-state actor, functions as a strategic agent within Israel’s settler-colonial apparatus in East Jerusalem. It posits that El’ad exemplifies a form of salvific non-state actor, employing religious-messianic ideology to legitimize spatial and historical domination. Far from operating independently of the state, such organizations advance settler-colonial goals through cultural initiatives, archaeological projects, and property acquisition. These mechanisms have been identified as facilitators of the erasure of Palestinian presence and identity. Drawing on archival research, legal documents, media analysis, and fieldwork in Silwan, the study analyzes how El’ad reshapes contested urban space under the guise of heritage preservation. This paper offers an analytical focus of the organizational level by examining how settler organizations operate as non-state actors that influence state authorities, and how religious Zionist organizations have emerged as key players in this non-state actors’ landscape.