Article - The Palestinian Economy: Dependency Under Occupation

As the Palestinian general elections fast approach, many are wondering whether new leadership would create opportunities for self-determined Palestinian economic development.

But with Israel’s ongoing siege, occupation, and fragmentation of Palestinians, and the COVID-19 pandemic crippling the Palestinian leadership’s ability to meet people’s most basic needs, can Palestinians really anticipate significant changes to their daily lives in the months and years ahead? More broadly, what are the impacts of international aid and “economic peace” initiatives on Palestinian aspirations for economic sovereignty, and which policies would actually benefit Palestinians?

In this policy lab, Al-Shabaka analysts Leila Farsakh and Ibrahim Shikaki join host Nadim Bawalsa to discuss these questions and more.

Nadim Bawalsa is Associate Editor with the Journal of Palestine Studies. From 2020-2023, Nadim served as Al-Shabaka’s commissioning editor. He is a historian of modern...
Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Leila Farsakh, is Associate Professor and Chair of the political science department at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is the author of Palestinian Labor...
Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Ibrahim Shikaki, is assistant professor of economics at Trinity College, Hartford, CT. He earned his PhD from the New School for Social...

Latest Analysis

 Economics
Since the start of the genocide in Gaza, Palestinian laborers working in the Israeli market have become a top target for Israel's brutal Civil and Economic Affairs Cabinet and the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. During this time, the Zionist regime terminated over 140,000 work permits, detained thousands of Palestinian workers, and began formal discussions with various Asian governments to recruit foreign laborers as replacements. In this policy brief, Ihab Maharmeh details a recurring pattern in which Israel summons, exploits, expels, or replaces the Palestinian workforce based on its needs. This calculated approach, Maharmeh argues, is designed to systematically dismantle Palestinian political, economic, and social structures, ultimately advancing the goal of Palestinian erasure.
Al-Shabaka Ihab Maharmeh
Ihab Maharmeh· Jan 5, 2025
 Politics
Al-Shabaka Board President Tareq Baconi reflects on over 12 months of genocide in Gaza and discusses its ramifications on the Palestinian liberation movement, the region, and beyond. In doing so, he highlights the façade of the international rules-based order and centers the growing power of the global majority.
Al-Shabaka Tareq Baconi
Tareq Baconi· Dec 17, 2024
 Politics
In this policy lab, Halah Ahmad and Andrew Kadi join host Tariq Kenney-Shawa to discuss what the incoming Trump Administration will mean for Palestinians, how it will affect the pro-Palestine solidarity movement in the US, and how to prepare for it.
Skip to content