Politics

Progressive political analysts often critique Arab states for abandoning the Palestinian struggle for liberation. This roundtable, facilitated by Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Nadine Naber and with contributions from Al-Shabaka Policy Analysts Ibrahim Fraihat, Loubna Qutami, and Sherene Seikaly, interrogates this critique, offering nuanced perspectives on whether and to what extent Arab states have abandoned or compromised the Palestinian cause.

Palestinian citizens of Israel have organized a campaign to boycott the April 9 Knesset elections, calling on Palestinians to refuse participation so as not to recognize the Knesset as a legitimate entity. In this roundtable debate, Al-Shabaka Analyst Nijmeh Ali and Al-Shabaka Palestine Policy Fellow Yara Hawari argue against and for the boycott, respectively.

Palestinians are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to the Israeli occupation. In this policy brief, Al-Shabaka US Policy Fellow Zena Agha examines how Israel’s appropriation of Palestinian natural resources and restrictions on movement prevents Palestinians from pursuing climate change adaption, and recommends options available to those in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

What’s behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent expulsion of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) – a group that had monitored human rights in the city for more than 20 years? Al-Shabaka Analyst Belal Shobaki sheds light on Netanyahu’s move and suggests ways for the international community to better defend Palestinian rights.

Israel has wielded collective punishment against the families of alleged Palestinian attackers since the military occupation began in 1967, but measures such as forcible transfer, home demolitions, and economic warfare have increased over the past several years. Al-Shabaka guest contributor Nada Awad tracks this surge and suggests possibilities for countering Israel’s expanding use of such tactics, which violate international law.

Israel’s sale of Pegasus software to Saudi Arabia, which it used to surveille Jamal Khashoggi before his October 2018 murder, brought relations between the two states into the public eye. Al-Shabaka spoke with analyst Ibrahim Fraihat about what the Israeli-Saudi alliance means for Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and the Palestinian struggle for rights, and what Palestinians can do to counter it.

What’s behind Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ recent dissolution of the Palestinian Legislative Council? Al-Shabaka Palestine Policy Fellow Yara Hawari analyzes the move, uncovering likely motives and consequences in light of Abbas’ broader grip on power, and proposes ways to increase Palestinian democratic space.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) in no way resembles the Palestinian government promised in the heady years of the Oslo Accords, a discrepancy in part attributable to political neopatrimonialism and its resultant corruption. Al-Shabaka analyst Marwa Fatafta examines PA corruption through its overreach, patronage practices, and collusion with Israel, as well as international pressures, and proposes avenues for genuine reform.

Though the EU routinely fails to transcend statements of condemnation and implement international law regarding Palestinian rights, there is potential for it to hold Israel to account. In light of the US embassy move, Al-Shabaka’s Yara Hawari considers the status of Jerusalem and offers ways the EU can induce Israel to respect the rights of the city’s Palestinian inhabitants.

Australia recently voted against the UN resolution elevating Palestine’s status in the body and is considering moving its embassy to Jerusalem. While these acts may cause little surprise as the country’s policy has always leaned pro-Israel, Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Noura Mansour examines how Australia’s ruling party has moved further to the right and recommends ways to impede this trajectory.