Politics

Though the international community has hailed the two-state solution since the early 1990s, it has become clear that Israel’s fragmentation of Palestinian people and territory over the past 50 years aims to make a sovereign Palestinian state impossible. While politicians explain this as a result of misunderstandings or missed opportunities between the two parties, the accurate explanation is that Israel does not, in fact, desire two states. This outcome would undermine its goal of conserving preferential rights for Israeli Jews in the territory under its control. Numerous progressives now argue that one state with equal rights for all is the logical alternative. While such a binational state may be just, it is highly unlikely, especially in the short to medium term.

As Israel’s military occupation reaches its 50th year, Al-Shabaka Program Director Alaa Tartir argues that the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces have not protected Palestinians, but have instead contributed to the criminalization of the Palestinian struggle for freedom. Tartir analyzes the evolution and “reform” of the PA security establishment and concludes with recommendations to overhaul the PA forces.

Palestinians are mired in a one or two-state debate that leapfrogs the need for a process of decolonization and reparations, argue Al-Shabaka Policy Analysts Nadia Hijab and Ingrid Jaradat Gassner. The authors compare different frameworks of analysis and conclude the anti-apartheid framework is most strategic in furthering Palestinian goals in the absence of a near-term political settlement.

Benjamin Netanyahu recently claimed that the Palestinian demand to dismantle illegal Israeli settlements constitutes “ethnic cleansing” against settlers. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Dina Matar argues that such rhetoric is part of an Israeli strategy of appropriating a narrative of victimhood to garner public support, and recommends ways Palestinians can counter this tactic to further their quest for rights.

Al-Shabaka is pleased to share this policy memo by policy analyst Belal Shobaki, which details current considerations Hamas may be taking into account given news of the party's likely decision to amend its charter.

As Israeli right-wing leaders push to illegally annex occupied Palestinian territory, Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab argues that the Green Line is a powerful tool to hold Israel accountable for its multiple violations of Palestinian human rights. For Europe especially the Israeli moves threaten the global order in a way that goes far beyond Palestine.

The past year has seen Latin American right-wing parties sweep elections and signal support for Israel. Al-Shabaka Policy Member Cecilia Baeza assesses this shift through an examination of Latin American-Palestinian relations, Palestinian and Jewish diaspora lobbying in the region, and potential avenues for local action against Israeli efforts to push its agenda in violation of Palestinian rights.

The failure to conduct local elections in the occupied territories and the Fatah conference, which largely reaffirmed a moribund status quo, are the latest examples of stymied Palestinian democracy. Al-Shabaka analysts examine the notion of democracy under military occupation, the factors constraining it, and the form that makes sense for the Palestinian people.

With the election of Donald Trump, Israel believes it is free to do what it likes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, making a difficult Palestinian leadership transition much harder. Al-Shabaka policy analysts examine different scenarios and propose alternatives ranging from consolidating the state to a struggle for the rights of the Palestinian people as a whole.

Is one state the only alternative to an unrealized two-state solution? Al-Shabaka Policy Member Asem Khalil discusses the minimal changes in governance the PA has made post-Oslo and forecasts a “status quo+,” an institutionalized system of apartheid and a no-state solution. He also foresees three states – but argues none of this would be sustainable over time.