Palestinian resistance to Israeli hegemony is transforming significantly. In this Focus On, Al-Shabaka’s policy analysts examine the trajectory of contemporary Palestinian resistance. They focus on ongoing challenges, including the censorship of anti-Zionist activists, and the persecution of Palestinians by Palestinian security forces. They emphasize which actors and tactics should be harnessed as the resistance continues to grow and confront oppression.

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. 

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…

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine brings back to focus central questions surrounding the resilience of Palestinian Authority leadership and the efficiency of its governance in times of crisis. In this policy lab, Al-Shabaka analysts Mohammed Al-Khaldi and Fadi Quran join guest host Marwa Fatafta to weigh in on current emergency measures in…

Palestinian general elections in the near future are looking more and more likely. But are they necessary? In our final policy lab of 2019, Inès Abdel Razek joins host Marwa Fatafta to discuss the significance of elections within the current leadership crisis, foreseen challenges to the democratic process, and potential for new political players to…

Palestinians are facing mounting digital censorship from all angles - from the Israeli government to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. What are the implications of this growing trend, and what tools exist to fight back? In this policy lab, analysts Marwa Fatafta and Nadim Nashif join host Nur Arafeh to discuss the threat against Palestinian digital rights and anchor it within the wider global trend of digital repression.

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.

Current Palestinian governance is facing a legitimacy crisis. So what alternative options exist? Is a fully representative leadership even possible in the Palestinian context? Al-Shabaka analysts Marwa Fatafta and Fadi Quran will explore these questions and more in our second policy lab, facilitated by Alaa Tartir.  

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.