Pitfalls of the Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation
The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation may sound like a breakthrough, but many questions remain. If the reconciliation is done in an incomplete way, its longer-term effects may be more devastating to Palestinians than what they experience today. Al-Shabaka Analyst Khalil Shaheen explains.
China’s New Plan for Israel-Palestine
China recently proposed a new four-point plan to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Is this a major departure along a new track that challenges US hegemony and European passivity? Or is China simply pursuing its own economic interests in the guise of peacemaker? Al-Shabaka policy analyst Zaid Shuaibi weighs in.
Focus On: PLO and Palestinian Representation
Al-Shabaka presents a selection of pieces from its archives in which its policy analysts discuss issues related to the reform of PLO institutions and questions of legitimate political representation.
The Policies Kushner Should Push For
Senior Advisor to President Trump Jared Kushner’s latest attempt to restart the Israeli-Palestinian “peace process” will focus on “economic development” projects. Yet, as Al-Shabaka Analyst Zaha Hassan writes, such initiatives are not a substitute for real political change.
The “Apolitical” Approach to Palestine’s Water Crisis
Though Palestine’s water scarcity is often portrayed as natural due to the region’s climate, it is a man-made crisis engineered by Israel. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Muna Dajani examines how international donors shore up this inequality through infrastructure projects and scientific collaboration with Israel, and suggests ways Palestinians can push for just solutions to the crisis.
Gaza is Headed for a Deeper Political and Humanitarian Crisis
The Gaza Strip’s grim reality has lately worsened with the likely loss of its beleaguered ally and donor, Qatar, and a severe electricity shortage inflicted by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Gaza-based Al-Shabaka Policy Analysts Haidar Eid and Ayah Abubasheer examine the political ramifications of these developments, as well as their grave impact on Gazans’ daily life.
Abbas’s Shortsighted Gaza Policy
Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas’s recent efforts to increase Hamas’s isolation by cutting salaries and electricity from the Gaza Strip mirror the regional isolation of Qatar, a supporter of Hamas. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Tareq Baconi analyzes the impetus behind Abbas’s strategy, its pitfalls and implications, and how Palestinians can confront the PA and its policies.
Don’t Historicize the Balfour Declaration: The Past is Still the Palestinians’ Present
In the wake of the British elections, Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst 24588 examines how the newfound weakness of the Conservative Party provides Palestinians with an opportunity to use the upcoming centennial of the Balfour Declaration to address Britain’s century of ill-treatment toward the Palestinians, and offers recommendations regarding the kind of apology Palestinians should demand from the UK.
Tracking the Trends of the Palestinian Cause Since 1967
On the 50th anniversary of the 1967 War, Al-Shabaka’s Nadia Hijab and Mouin Rabbani take stock of the Palestinian cause from the eve of the war to today. They observe that the Palestinian people’s situation has almost come full circle but also note the obstacles to Israel’s attempts to snuff out Palestinian self-determination.