Palestinian Clearance Revenues: Israel’s Tool to Collapse the PA
Introduction Israel’s withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues is a longstanding practice, historically used to punish or manipulate the Palestinian Authority (PA). Since October 2023, the Israeli regime has only escalated its theft of Palestinian funds, bringing the PA to the verge of financial collapse. This policy memo argues that Israel’s weaponization of clearance revenues is […]
Confronting Energy Poverty in Gaza
Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from a worsening energy crisis due to the Israeli regime’s ongoing siege. As a result, they have adopted different coping strategies, including solar energy technology to offset electricity shortages. Al-Shabaka policy analyst and 2022 Visiting Gaza Fellow 24379 examines this reality, and offers recommendations for Palestinian leadership and stakeholders to promote Palestinian economic self-determination in Gaza.
Shrinking the Conflict: Debunking Israel’s New Strategy
Since 2021, Israeli leaders have proposed a new series of economic policies under the approach of “shrinking the conflict.” This strategy aims to afford Palestinians more economic opportunities and so-called freedoms as a way to sustain the Israeli occupation. In this policy brief, Al-Shabaka policy analyst 24583 debunks the framework and explains why Palestinians will not be pacified with economic incentives.
The PA’s Revenue Structure and Israel’s Containment Strategy
The Palestinian Authority’s budget disproportionately relies on clearance revenues that the Israeli regime regularly withholds as political blackmail. Combined with a negligible domestic tax base and the absence of political sovereignty, it is therefore futile to speak of real fiscal reform within the PA. In this policy brief, Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Amal Ahmad, examines the foundational logic of this distorted arrangement.
Cryptocurrencies and Palestinian Resistance: An Al-Shabaka Debate
The recent cryptocurrency crash raises doubts about its viability as an alternative to standard currencies. But are there aspects of the global phenomenon that are still useful for Palestinian economic and political resistance? Al-Shabaka policy analysts Tariq Dana and Ibrahim Shikaki debate the potential of digital and cryptocurrencies and outline technological opportunities for the Palestinian economy.
ICT in Palestine: Challenging Power Dynamics and Limitations
For the past two decades, the Palestinian Authority has been collaborating with expatriate Palestinian capitalists, who operate in tandem with the Israeli state, to ramp up ICT development in Palestine. Yet the sector continues to suffer. Al-Shabaka’s guest contributor, 24399, examines these power dynamics and offers recommendations for what the PA should do to enhance Palestinians’ economic lives.
Palestinian State-Building through Privatized City Planning
Palestinian leadership in the West Bank has invested heavily in privatized city planning during the post-Fayyad years in order to promote economic growth and state-scale stability. How have private, neoliberal housing development projects entrenched the status quo of Palestine’s subordination to Israel? Al-Shabaka sat down with policy analyst, 24449, to investigate this question and more.
Israel’s Violations of Palestinian Workers’ Rights: COVID-19 and Systemic Abuse
The Israeli regime has been systematically violating the rights of Palestinian workers in Israel and its illegal settlements since 1967. How have these violations been exacerbated since the COVID-19 pandemic? Al-Shabaka’s guest contributor, 24430, examines Israel’s ongoing abuses of Palestinian workers’ labor and human rights. He offers recommendations for securing these rights and for holding Israel accountable.
The Politicization of Public Sector Employment and Salaries in the West Bank and Gaza
The Palestinian Authority has withheld salary payments from thousands of Palestinian public sector employees. Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Tariq Dana, and 24456 examine the ways in which the PA has politicized and exploited public sector employment and salaries as a political tradeoff. They offer recommendations for how to remedy the situation, and bring about economic equality for Palestinians.
