Article - The Unity Intifada: Any Role for the PLO?

The visible absence of the Palestinian Liberation Organization from the ongoing Unity Intifada has led many to question the organization’s legitimacy and relevance. Do Palestinians still need the PLO? If so, why?

These questions come as Al-Shabaka publishes a critical study, “Reviving a Palestinian Power: The Diaspora and the Diplomatic Corps,” conducted by four of its analysts, Nadia Hijab, Zaha Hassan, Inès Abdel Razek, and Mona Younis. Through in-depth analysis and exclusive interviews with members of the PLO and its diplomatic corps across the world, the authors reveal significant realities about the organization and its future.

Join guests Nadia Hijab and Zaha Hassan alongside host Nadim Bawalsa as they engage these questions and more in this policy lab.

Al-Shabaka Policy Member Zaha Hassan is a human rights lawyer and visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her research focuses on Palestine-Israel...
Nadim Bawalsa is Associate Editor with the Journal of Palestine Studies. From 2020-2023, Nadim served as Al-Shabaka’s commissioning editor. He is a historian of modern...
Nadia Hijab is co-founder and honorary president of Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network. She served as Board President from 2010-2021 and as Executive Director between...
In this article

Latest Analysis

 Economics
This commentary examines the evolving ties between MENA countries and BRICS, focusing on the prospective Palestinian membership in the bloc and the group’s rationale for extending the invitation. It argues that BRICS membership can reconfigure the discussion around Palestinian sovereignty beyond the bounds of US alignment with Israeli policies. As the commentary details, BRICS membership could also greatly benefit the Palestinian economy by bolstering cooperation among members in areas driving economic development, including the energy and logistics sectors and artificial intelligence.
Ahmed Alqarout· Mar 11, 2025
 Politics
In this policy lab, Dena Qaddumi and Jehad Abusalim join host Tariq Kenney-Shawa to discuss what the ceasefire in Gaza means for Palestinians and the state of the physical and political landscape that determines what comes next.
 Politics
This policy brief revisits polling and election data to demonstrate the effect of the Democratic Party’s unflinching support for the Israeli regime on demobilizing voters in a presidential race taking place in the midst of a genocide—highlighting the need for a shift in US foreign policy. It emphasizes the importance of Palestine solidarity advocacy in countering the alarming global phenomenon of democratic backsliding, especially in the US. It calls for honest data collection and reporting at a time when critical action against authoritarian US policies is likely to face increasing repression under the current administration of US President Donald Trump—with anti-Palestinian repression serving as a template.
Al-Shabaka Halah Ahmad
Halah Ahmad· Feb 25, 2025
Skip to content