From this author

Historic Palestine has long had an abundance of natural resources, ranging from fresh and ground water, arable land and, more recently, oil and natural gas. In the seven decades since the establishment of the state of Israel, these resources have been compromised and exploited through a variety of measures. These include widespread Palestinian dispossession of land in the ongoing Nakba, exploitation of water through failed negotiations, and a finders-keepers approach to gas and oil found in or under occupied land. 
The Trump Administration’s decision to cut aid to the Palestinians and cease USAID operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) must serve as a wake-up call for Palestinian policymakers to lay the Oslo Accords aid model to rest. Neither this model nor the masses of aid funds that have poured into Palestine.
 Politics
The Israeli right is poised to annex much or all of the West Bank while continuing to isolate Gaza – either through continued siege or by pushing it on to Egypt’s plate. Donald Trump’s stance on Jerusalem offers recognition of illegal annexation that could be just the beginning. And his drive to cut back the United States contribution to UNRWA could presage a campaign to definitively close the door on the rights of Palestinian refugees 70 years after Israel’s creation and the loss of Palestine.
 Politics
All eyes are on the terrible toll of dead and injured and the extensive destruction – as well as the dire humanitarian situation of the population under siege in Gaza. But less attention is being paid to the longer-term damage caused by the current Israeli crackdown throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) that is having far-reaching and detrimental consequences for the development of Palestinian society as a whole.
 Politics
Much analysis of Israeli apartheid focuses on comparisons with South Africa. Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Samer Abdelnour argues that the specific characteristics of Israel’s unique brand of apartheid need to be better understood in order to successfully dismantle it.
Al-Shabaka Samer Abdelnour
Samer Abdelnour· Apr 4, 2013
 Economics
For Palestinians, agriculture is more than a source of income or an economic category in budgets and plans. It is tied to the people’s history, identity, and self-expression, and drives the struggle against Israel’s Separation Wall. In this brief, Lebanese activist, author, and agronomist Rami Zurayk joins Al-Shabaka Policy Advisors Samer Abdelnour and Alaa Tartir to tackle the almost spiritual significance of the land to the Palestinians and the deliberate Israeli efforts to break the link between farmers and their crops.
 Economics
In an important recent piece - Economic Hallucination - Ramallah-based Al-Shabaka policy advisor Sam Bahour exposed the charade played by both Western donors and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to cover up the occupied territory’s inexorable economic meltdown after decades of Israeli military occupation. Arguing that the combined donor-PA approach poses major obstacles to freedom and rights.
 Economics
The “Palestine Papers” reveal fully the extent to which Palestinians have neither genuine leadership nor a partner for peace. At the foreground is an unrepresentative "authority" prepared to compromise the most fundamental of Palestinian aspirations for an unrelenting colonizer and its imperious supporter. In the background lies a key mechanism enabling Palestinian deprivation: the aid industry.
Al-Shabaka Samer Abdelnour
Samer Abdelnour· Mar 2, 2011
 Economics
An emerging inclusive enterprise development framework can work in the Palestinian context. A Sustainable Local Enterprise Networks (SLENs) approach to development and reconstruction has shown promise among war-affected communities in Lebanon and is currently being explored across Sudan and for Palestinian refugees.
Al-Shabaka Samer Abdelnour
Samer Abdelnour· Jan 18, 2010

Media mention

I encourage the authors and signatories of the JDA to listen to Palestinians’ criticisms of the document—from those offered by the BDS movement to my own—as they work to bring much-needed clarity to the muddled discourse around antisemitism, so that we can together continue to fight against racism in all forms and for Palestinian equality, freedom, and return.
Al-Shabaka Samer Abdelnour
Samer Abdelnour· Apr 21, 2021
Quote
Americans will still have a long way to go before they can decide what their country represents. Once they do, Palestinians can begin to care again about what happens in Washington.

Policy Advisor Samer Abdelnour responds critically to a Toronto Star article, clarifying the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Nazareth. 

Al-Shabaka Samer Abdelnour
Samer Abdelnour· Dec 28, 2015

There are many advocates of the renewed US-sponsored peace talks between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, despite widespread scepticism. One particularly active set of advocates is the group known as The Elders. Three of the Elders - former US President Jimmy Carter, former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, and former Algerian Foreign Minister and freedom fighter Lakhdar Brahimi - recently spent time in Washington and London making the case for the peace talks. It is instructive to review their arguments, as I had the opportunity to do in July during their London visit.

Al-Shabaka Samer Abdelnour
Samer Abdelnour· Aug 13, 2013
Ben White cites the author of Al-Shabaka's recent policy brief, 'Beyond South Africa: Understanding Israeli Apartheid': "Samer Abdelnour argues that 'the specific characteristics of Israel's unique brand of apartheid need to be better understood in order to successfully dismantle it' and thus 'identifies three inter-locking dimensions of Israeli apartheid: physical, architecture, and ideological.' Writing that Israeli apartheid is 'far more sophisticated than that of South Africa,' Abdelnour warns that the serious consequences of misunderstanding the Israeli regime could include 'hinder[ing] thoughtful assessment and critique of existing strategies (such as BDS), and prevent[ing] the development of new strategies for securing Palestinian freedom and return.' Abdelnour's brief is an important one to read and digest, and highlights smartly the relationship between analysis and response."
Al-Shabaka Samer Abdelnour
Samer Abdelnour· Apr 16, 2013

A New Look for Al-Shabaka

We are pleased to announce the release of our new visual identity and website—the culmination of a seven month-long process to better align our organizational branding with our revised institutional language, released in January 2023.

Al-Shabaka newsletter

Stay Informed

Join Al-Shabaka’s mailing list and find the latest Palestinian policy analysis in your inbox:

Skip to content