Talking Palestine: What Frame of Analysis? Which Goals and Messages?
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.
Whose “Ethnic Cleansing?”: Israel’s Appropriation of the Palestinian Narrative
Benjamin Netanyahu recently claimed that the Palestinian demand to dismantle illegal Israeli settlements constitutes “ethnic cleansing” against settlers. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst 24403 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.
Focus On: Palestinian-Israeli Security Coordination
The Palestine Liberation Organization’s top leadership body, the Central Council, called for a halt to Palestinian security coordination with Israel in 2015. Yet PLO Chair Mahmoud Abbas has described it as sacred despite the breakdown of the peace process to end Israel’s 50-year military occupation and colonization of Palestinian territory. The killing by Israeli forces of activist and youth leader Basil Al-Araj, whom the Palestinian Authority had previously imprisoned – raising accusations that his jailing was part of its so-called revolving door policy – has refocused public attention on the issue. In the selection of pieces below, Al-Shabaka policy analysts discuss the origins and pillars of Israeli-PA security coordination as well as its consequences for the Palestinian people, who experience it as an additional layer of oppression to the multiple violations of their rights under occupation, within Israel, and in exile.
Focus On: Jerusalem
David Friedman, who has voiced approval of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, is expected to be confirmed as US ambassador to Israel tomorrow. In the range of pieces selected below, Al-Shabaka analysts provide the context and analysis necessary to understand the history of Israel’s colonization of Jerusalem and its impact on Palestinians, as well as the likely fallout from a US embassy move.
Amending the Charter: What’s in It for Hamas?
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.
Do Not Let Go of the Green Line: It Is Israel’s Achilles Heel
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.
Latin America’s Turn to the Right: Implications for Palestine
The past year has seen Latin American right-wing parties sweep elections and signal support for Israel. Al-Shabaka Policy Member 24394 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.
Palestinian Democracy Denied
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.
Palestine After Abbas: Potential Scenarios and Coping Strategies
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.
