The Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) entrenches Israel’s siege of Gaza. Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Talal Abu Rokbeh, argues that Palestinians need a new mechanism that revitalizes and unifies Palestinians politically, and that pressures Israel to lift its siege. He offers recommendations to Palestinian leadership and civil society, and to the international donor community, for how to bring about this new mechanism.

The PLO diplomatic corps is a main point of contact for Palestinian refugees and exiles. How can this help revive national aspirations? In the first study of its kind, Zaha Hassan, Nadia Hijab, Inès Abdel Razek, and Mona Younis review the corps’ legal foundations, days of glory, shifting roles, and interaction with the diaspora and solidarity groups. They present clear, doable recommendations to the PLO and to the diaspora.

People-to-People (P2P) funded-projects are being revived in the US and Europe, threatening to undermine international law and Palestinians’ rights. Al-Shabaka’s Senior Analyst, Yara Hawari, examines the troubling implications of P2P initiatives and offers recommendations for how policymakers can counter them in order to bring about a just peace that holds Israel accountable for its violations of Palestinians’ rights.

Palestinian political leadership is in a state of crisis. How did this come to be and what does the future hold? In this Focus On, we look back on several pieces authored by Al-Shabaka analysts which explore issues of Palestinian leadership in the past and present, and which propose concrete possibilities for future models that specifically engage youth.  

For Palestinians, the Palestinian leadership’s year-end decision to restore security coordination with Israel means a return to a status quo that did little to forward Palestinian liberation. Yet 2020 has demonstrated that radical and abrupt change to established orders is possible. Can Palestinians aspire to such changes in the new year? Marwa Fatafta explores how Palestinians can reclaim and redefine their leadership in the PLO. 

Israel has directly contributed to the deterioration of Palestinians’ health during the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Yara Asi, explores the different ways in which Israel has impacted Palestinians’ ability to respond to and mitigate the disastrous effects of the pandemic, and recommends approaches to addressing the Palestinian health crisis.

COVID-19 is stalking Hebron, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem despite all efforts to keep it at bay. What lessons can be drawn from the Palestinian leadership's response of the past months at the national and community level? Al-Shabaka policy analysts Fadi Quran and Tahani Mustafa draw insights, lessons and conclusions based on a review of global and local actions.  

Reports that Israel is compiling lists of officials who might be arrested during travel abroad if the International Criminal Court decides to investigate war crimes in Palestine highlight the power and potential of the Court. Al-Shabaka policy analysts Dana Farraj and Asem Khalil discuss three key indicators that support the strong possibility of ICC intervention against alleged war criminals.

How can the PLO maintain accountability as both a national liberation movement and governing body? How might Hamas and Islamic Jihad be integrated after decades of exclusion? What models of Palestinian youth leadership can be further developed? Al-Shabaka analysts address these and other questions in this full-length report, a year-long exercise facilitated by Alaa Tartir…

At a time of paralysis due to the pandemic and multiple Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, it is more urgent than ever for the Palestinian people to move beyond the sterile vision of a “feasible” future. Al-Shabaka Senior Policy Fellow Yara Hawari reviews efforts to break through imposed limits and envision a revolutionary consensus.