Jeremy Wildeman

The Trump Administration’s aid cuts to Palestinians, while disastrous, can spur a reassessment of the Oslo Accords aid model, which for decades has failed to bring Palestinians closer to freedom, self-determination, or statehood. In this collection of pieces, Al-Shabaka analysts examine aid to Palestine and its harmful ramifications, and suggest ways to reform and reinvent Palestinian aid.

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.

In this compilation Al-Shabaka’s top analysts dissect the Accords’ political and economic dimensions and discuss their repercussions for Palestinians while also providing recommendations on ways forward.

The Oslo Accords not only left the Palestinian people much worse off politically; they also devastated the economy of those living under Israeli occupation despite the $23 billion-plus that donors have poured into the territory. What’s worse, Wildeman and Tartir found no signs of a change in donor policies in their recent study.

The recent World Bank growth report frankly concludes that the Palestinian economy is fragile and dependent on foreign aid: No surprises there. Far more surprising – not to say shocking – are the Bank’s irrelevant and sometimes harmful recommendations, as Al-Shabaka Program Director Alaa Tartir and Guest Author Jeremy Wildeman reveal in this compelling analysis. The Bank’s prescriptions are all the more worrying given the influence it exercises over the donor community’s approach to Palestinian development.