Reflections on Palestinian Strategy
The reason Palestinians face a bleak political situation is due in large part to the absence of strategic thinking, argues Al-Shabaka Policy Member Amal Ahmad. She reflects on the need for strategies that confront Israel’s ultimate vision and directly target the weak points in its armor to avoid ineffective efforts or unwanted results.
Palestine-Israel: Europe Drowning in America’s Failures
On January 18 the European Union Foreign Affairs Council may decide additional measures against Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise. Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Sam Bahour and Guest Author 24493 urge the EU to bypass the US and take the lead in bringing about a just resolution to the conflict, saving themselves money and ending a key source of regional instability.
Palestinian Citizens in Israel: A Fast-Shrinking Civic Space
The New Year brought further attacks against the Palestinian citizens in Israel’s rights to exercise freedom of speech and association. Left-wing Israeli Jewish organizations are also under increasing pressure. Al-Shabaka policy members Nadim Nashif and 24538 analyze the impact of these attacks by both the Israeli government and right wing organizations espousing an extremist ideology.
The Palestine State Project in Question
Mahmoud Abbas raised the Palestine flag at the UN just as a Palestinian revolt against Israel’s decades-long denial of rights spread from Jerusalem to the rest of the occupied territory and Israel itself. Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab examines the already serious limits state and civil society face in making the Palestine State project a reality.
Read Their Lips: Israeli Leaders’ Plans for the Palestinians
History in the Holy Land seems stuck in a loop. In 2000, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, at the time leader of the opposition, visited the al-Aqsa compound in a deliberate provocation that triggered the second Intifada. Israel launched operation “Defensive Shield” to crush the protests and eliminate the Palestinian resistance. As a result, more than 3,000 Palestinians and almost 1,000 Israelis lost their lives between 2000 and 2004, and the peace process was forever derailed.
Pope Francis, American Churches, and Palestinian Rights
Pope Francis has attracted attention for his support of causes the establishment ignores, including the rights of the Palestinian people. And yet the US Catholic Church lags behind other American churches. Al-Shabaka’s Grace Said and 24445 take advantage of the Pope’s US trip to challenge his church to go further.
EU Alarmed by Israel, Frustrated by Palestine
European Union actions to put a cost to Israel’s occupation are modest, but they are putting the EU on an unstoppable collision course with Israel, writes Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab. But will Palestine put its house in order in a coherent strategy to fulfill Palestinian rights to freedom and justice?
Beyond the Apartheid Analogy: Time to Reframe Our Palestinian Struggle
The frequent comparisons of Israel with Apartheid South Africa may obscure more fundamental questions Palestinians should be asking. From her present base in today’s South Africa, where “whiteness” still lives on the back of “blackness”, Al-Shabaka Policy Member Irene Calis argues that the post-Apartheid moment should alert Palestinians to take stock and reframe both the form of their campaigns as well as the terms of any proposed resolution.
PLO/Palestine: Time to Stop Buying Time
The Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestine are constantly seeking new approaches to stop Israeli violations and secure Palestinian rights. But the tools already exist: They just aren’t being used to best effect, as Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab and Policy Advisor Diana Buttu point out. With Jerusalem burning, Gaza assaulted and under siege, and the West Bank remorselessly colonized, there is no more time to waste.
