Jerusalem is increasingly at the center of developments across colonized Palestine. Indeed, from forced expulsions to attacks on worshipers, the Israeli regime is determined to de-Palestinianize the city. In light of Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign and Palestinian Jerusalemites’ resistance to it, Al-Shabaka revisits the topic of Jerusalem with a new selection of publications from our analysts.

With COVID-19 spreading in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and neighboring refugee camps, the consequences of the US’s defunding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees are even more dire. Al-Shabaka’s Randa Farah examines these challenges and outlines ways Palestinians can reclaim UNRWA and ultimately use it as a vehicle of empowerment and self-determination.

Israel has wielded collective punishment against the families of alleged Palestinian attackers since the military occupation began in 1967, but measures such as forcible transfer, home demolitions, and economic warfare have increased over the past several years. Al-Shabaka guest contributor Nada Awad tracks this surge and suggests possibilities for countering Israel’s expanding use of such tactics, which violate international law.