Policy Labs

The COVID-19 pandemic has reached Palestine, and in doing so has brought to the surface latent power structures that render Palestinians particularly exposed to the virus.

The topic of Palestine is already proving to be divisive within the U.S. Democratic primaries, and it will undoubtedly remain a consistent question throughout the 2020 election season. Where do leading presidential candidates stand, and what role does civil society play in influencing shifts in political discourse and policy positions? Al-Shabaka analysts Halah Ahmad and Zaha Hassan weigh in on these questions and more in our Super Tuesday policy lab, hosted by Nur Arafeh.

In our first policy lab of 2020, Zena Agha and Ahmad Barclay join host Nur Arafeh to discuss the ways in which maps and other visualization tools serve as sites to entrench power disparities as well as to empower communities to reimagine their colonized homelands.

Palestinian general elections in the near future are looking more and more likely. But are they necessary? In our final policy lab of 2019, Inès Abdel Razek joins host Marwa Fatafta to discuss the significance of elections within the current leadership crisis, foreseen challenges to the democratic process, and potential for new political players to…

Palestinians are facing mounting digital censorship from all angles - from the Israeli government to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. What are the implications of this growing trend, and what tools exist to fight back? In this policy lab, analysts Marwa Fatafta and Nadim Nashif join host Nur Arafeh to discuss the threat against Palestinian digital rights and anchor it within the wider global trend of digital repression.

For years, Palestinians have decried the devastating conditions in Gaza, only to see those conditions continue to worsen. What's prevented real change from happening on the ground, and what ramifications has this had on Palestinians in Gaza and the broader struggle for Palestinian liberation? In this policy lab, analysts Tareq Baconi and Yasmeen El-Khoudaryjoin host Nur Arafeh  to weigh in on these questions and more.

Trump's efforts to bolster the Palestinian economy in lieu of concrete political action are part of a long history of initiatives designed to forfeit Palestinian rights under the guise of "economic peace." In this policy lab, Al-Shabaka Policy Analysts Diana Buttu and Ibrahim Fraihat joins facilitator Nur Arafeh to weigh in on the threats these…

What are the main challenges that Palestinian citizens of Israel face in terms of leadership? What opportunities exist in the current political context to gain visibility and overcome geo-political fragmentation with those in the West Bank and Gaza? In our first policy lab of 2019, Al-Shabaka analysts Abir Kopty and Amjad Iraqi join Yara Hawari to weigh in on these questions and more.

Is the global Palestine solidarity movement exerting its energy in the right places? How can the movement better coordinate with developments in Palestine? Is Palestinian self-determination sufficiently reflected within the movement? On the 2018 International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Al-Shabaka's Zena Agha is joined by analysts Loubna Qutami and Randa Wahbe to explore these challenging questions and more.

Why is a collective narrative important to the Palestinian liberation struggle? What challenges do the Palestinian people face in promoting their narrative, and who has legitimacy to promulgate it? Al-Shabaka analysts Tamara Ben-Halim and Hazem Jamjoum weigh in on these questions and more in this month’s Palestine Policy Lab, facilitated by Amjad Iraqi.