The UN Database on Business in Israeli Settlements: Pitfalls and Opportunities
Israeli settlements violate international law, but so too do business dealings with them. Al-Shabaka Analyst Valentina Azarova examines the recent UN database of such businesses, arguing that it can protect states and their nationals and be applied to other country contexts. She also discusses how the UN, states, and Palestinians can counter claims that the database is a blacklist against Israel.
To Achieve One State, Palestinians Must Also Work for Two
Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has spurred many proclamations of the end of the two-state solution. Yet is it time to move to a struggle for one state? Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab argues that Palestinians should work for either outcome, and calls for the reframing of the Palestinian narrative to advance that struggle.
Imposing Peace: Trump and the Palestinians
What does Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital mean for Palestine and the Palestinians? In a new commentary, Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Osamah Khalil traces seven decades of US policy that laid the ground for this move.
After Trump’s Jerusalem H-Bomb: Weighing Options for Palestinians
Israel is intent on legalizing its occupation of the Palestinian Territory and US president Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is key to its plans. Yet, as Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab argues, longer-term trends could undermine Israel’s designs and Palestinians must regroup and reinforce these trends so as to secure their rights.
How Can Palestinian Reconciliation Efforts Save the National Project?
The statement signed by Palestinian factions in Cairo last week was not a sign of strength and promise, but instead demonstrates the weakness of the Palestinian movement, writes Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst 24582. He analyzes the factors hindering national unity, including Israeli interests, and proposes ways Palestinians can reach consensus and protect their national project.
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.
Researching Palestinian Refugees: Who Sets the Agenda?
Research on Palestinian refugees overwhelmingly takes place in camps. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst 24370 critiques this trend, tracing the ways in which such research is based on unequal power relations, a hegemony of European knowledge, and “Westernized” universities that ensure its production. She concludes with recommendations for how researchers can begin to address this intellectual pitfall.
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.
