Economics

The Palestinian Authority has withheld salary payments from thousands of Palestinian public sector employees. Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Tariq Dana, and Lamees Farraj 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. 

The Israeli occupation has crippled Palestinian productive sectors, leading to the dominance of internal trade in the Palestinian economy. Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Ibrahim Shikaki, examines how these structural distortions developed as a result of Israel’s oppressive economic policies since it occupied Palestine in 1967. He offers recommendations to the international community and aid agencies for how to support Palestinian economic self-determination. 

Tourism has been critical to the Zionist enterprise since the first Zionists settled in Palestine. Al-Shabaka policy analyst Halah Ahmad explores the role of tourism, and especially religious tourism, in propagating the Zionist and Israeli-state narratives, focusing on the damaging impacts of Israeli settlement tourism in illegally occupied Palestinian land. She offers recommendations for ethical tourism that promotes Palestinian rights to self-determination. 

The European Union’s highest court recently ruled that EU countries are required to identify products made in Israeli settlements on their labels. However, another international body – the UN – continues to avoid releasing its database of companies engaged in activities with Israel’s settlements. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Nada Awad and Guest Contributor Maha Abdallah explain why and recommend ways to pressure the UN to fulfill its mandate.

The Kyl-Bingaman Amendment, passed by the US Congress in 1997 under the pretext of protecting Israel’s national security, prevents US satellite operators and retailers from selling or disseminating high-resolution images of Palestine-Israel. Al-Shabaka US Policy Fellow Zena Agha argues that the legislation is an act of censorship that also harms US business, and calls for its dissolution. 

Though Western donors have poured billions into the Palestinian economy since the Oslo Accords, the funds have not resulted in development and regional peace. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Jeremy Wildeman examines and compares donor perceptions of Palestine through an assessment of donor reports to comprehend how donors have contributed to this result, and recommends Palestinian sovereignty over the aid process.

Five decades of occupation have severely limited Palestinian development, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Israel-controlled Area C. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Ahmad El-Atrash examines development as a vehicle for Palestinian steadfastness and resistance in Area C and beyond, and recommends ways Palestinians can advocate for development projects that would serve them for generations to come.

The rules that apply to the rest of the world have long applied differently to Palestine-Israel, and this even extends to satellite imagery. Al-Shabaka US Policy Fellow Zena Agha examines how a US law limits such imagery’s quality, circumscribing research as well as the documentation of Israeli human rights violations, and recommends ways to correct this wrong.

Israeli settlements violate international law, but so too do business dealings with them. Al-Shabaka Analyst Valentina Azarova examines the recent UN database of such businesses, arguing that it can protect states and their nationals and be applied to other country contexts. She also discusses how the UN, states, and Palestinians can counter claims that the database is a blacklist against Israel.  

The Palestinian Authority claims it is looking for ways to delink from Israel. It should start with the Paris Protocol: It expired 19 years ago but continues to be the basis for economic relations. Al-Shabaka Analyst Nur Arafeh demonstrates how the Protocol has hurt the Palestinian economy while benefiting Israel and outlines alternative economic arrangements.