Economics

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.

Palestinian women in Israel have one of the world’s lowest labor participation rates, while their Jewish counterparts have one of the highest. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Suheir Daoud argues this is not simply a result of “Palestinian culture” or “Islam,” but of Israeli state policies, and recommends ways Palestinians can promote Palestinian women’s rights in Israel.

Though apartheid is an important framework for challenging Israeli rule, Al-Shabaka Analyst Haidar Eid and Guest Contributor Andy Clarno argue that true justice can only come by recognizing apartheid as not only a system of racial discrimination, but also of racial capitalism. Drawing on the South African example, the authors recommend ways to move the analysis forward.

The Israeli occupation does not only exist above ground. Al-Shabaka Policy Fellow Tareq Baconi examines how Israel enjoys a gas bonanza while barring the Gaza Strip from tapping its own fields. He argues that Palestinian dependency on Israeli energy amidst US calls for “economic peace” undermines Palestinian rights, and suggests ways to challenge this status quo.