Politics

Palestine recently submitted a complaint with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination involving Israeli violations of the rights of the Palestinian people. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Zaha Hassan outlines why the complaint’s findings could build the factual and legal basis for prosecutions in international courts against Israeli officials as well as the state of Israel itself.

With current Palestinian governance facing a legitimacy crisis, Al-Shabaka convened an open-ended Policy Circle on Leadership and Accountability to elicit recommendations for a leadership that fully represents Palestinians, restores their unity, and respects their rights. Our experts suggest models ranging from a restructured PLO to a populist democracy represented by civil society organizations.

Though prospects for self-determination appear hopeless under the current Palestinian leadership, Al-Shabaka analyst Fadi Quran argues that a new generation of young leaders is emerging with the potential to achieve Palestinian liberation. He outlines their challenges and opportunities in light of past leadership trends in this contribution to Al-Shabaka’s Policy Circle on Leadership and Accountability.

Palestinians have perhaps never been more in need of a forward-looking vision to shape their struggle. On the Nakba’s 70th anniversary, Al-Shabaka analysts propose visions they contend would resonate with the greatest number of Palestinians – whether one-staters or two, refugees, exiles, citizens of Israel, or those under occupation – and map ways to get from here to there. 

World attention has refocused on Gaza since the Palestinians imprisoned there for more than a decade began their peaceful “Great March of Return” on March 30. In this collection of publications, Al-Shabaka analysts review the conditions and developments of the past decade to address the most important political and economic issues informing the current situation.

Buoyed by US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as its capital, Israel has intensified efforts to annex settlements and areas bordering the city, including Ma’ale Adumim and the E1 corridor. Al-Shabaka US Policy Fellow Zena Agha analyzes the implications of annexation and recommends ways the international community and Palestinians can work to block this disastrous outcome.

With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing possible corruption charges, Israeli political parties are preparing to vie for the country’s leadership. But for Palestinians, Israel’s politics foreshadow a deterioration of their rights regardless of who prevails. Al-Shabaka Analyst Amjad Iraqi examines the political scene and recommends ways to alter the structures that allow Israel to systematically deny Palestinian rights.

Emboldened by the election of US President Donald Trump, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu government has introduced bills aimed at annexing the West Bank, particularly around Jerusalem. Al-Shabaka US Policy Fellow Zena Agha examines the latest of these bills, analyzes their implications, and recommends ways Palestinians and the international community can impede Israel and hold it to account.

Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has spurred many proclamations of the end of the two-state solution. Yet is it time to move to a struggle for one state? Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab argues that Palestinians should work for either outcome, and calls for the reframing of the Palestinian narrative to advance that struggle.

What does Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital mean for Palestine and the Palestinians? In a new commentary, Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Osamah Khalil traces seven decades of US policy that laid the ground for this move.