Student Organizing & Change-Making on University Campuses

This commentary is based on an episode of Rethinking Palestine, Al-Shabaka’s podcast series, which aired on May 27, 2024. The discussion may be listened to in full here. In April 2024, students at Columbia University set up an encampment on campus grounds in solidarity with the Palestinian people—particularly those in Gaza facing the ongoing genocide.  […]

The Gaza Genocide in Western Media: Culprits of Complicity

This commentary is based on a presentation delivered by Al-Shabaka Co-Director Yara Hawari at the 2024 Annual Palestine Forum, hosted by the Institute for Palestine Studies and the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, Qatar, in February, 2024.  Introduction Since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza, Israeli regime bombardments and forces […]

Amal Ahmad

Amal Ahmad is a Palestinian economic researcher. Amal interned at the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute in Ramallah before completing a Master’s degree in development economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. Her work focuses on fiscal and monetary relations between Israel and Palestine; she is also interested in the political economy of development in the broader Middle East.

Palestine Solidarity Crackdown: Challenges in the US & Europe

مقال - حملة التضامن مع فلسطين: التحديات في الولايات المتحدة وأوروبا

Israel’s 2023 genocide of Palestinians in Gaza has horrified many around the world and drawn widespread public outcry, with unprecedented levels of solidarity organizing taking place. But as this unparalleled camaraderie has emerged, so too has extraordinary repression at every level. Al-Shabaka spoke with Layla Kattermann of the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) and Diala Shamas of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) for further insight on this suppression of mobilization and methods to resist such efforts to stifle Palestine solidarity.

The Dangerous Exceptionalism of Christian Zionism

In recent years, much has been written about the overwhelming support former President Donald Trump has received from white evangelical Christians, particularly Christian Zionists. Less examined is the relationship between white supremacy and Christian Zionism, namely their overlapping ideologies and political clout.

In this policy brief, analysts 24418 and 24484 examine the sinister synergy between Christian Zionism and white supremacy, unpacking the exceptionalism upon which Christian Zionist racist ideologies, discourses, and politics are based.

Sanctioning Israel: Feasibility and Ethical Considerations

Sanctions policy lab

As the Israeli regime escalates its apartheid and settler colonial practices in Palestine, calls for accountability are mounting. Among these demands are growing calls for sanctions. In this interview, Al-Shabaka speaks with Khaled Elgindy and Nada Elia for further insight on this topic. Together, they detail the varied forms that sanctions may take, their potential to affect meaningful change, and distinguish how sanctions targeting the Israeli regime would differ from those wielded by Western powers in other contexts.

Challenging Anti-Boycott Legislation in the US

Anti-boycott legislation in the US

The Israeli regime’s defenders across the US are ramping up efforts to criminalize the constitutionally protected right to boycott. Beyond violating the rights of Palestine solidarity activists, this threatens to undermine the tenets of a healthy democracy. Al-Shabaka’s US Policy Fellow, Tariq Kenney-Shawa, examines this development and suggests what lawmakers, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens should do to challenge it. 

Defending Palestine Solidarity Activism in Europe

Article - Defending Palestine Solidarity Activism in Europe

The governments of France, Spain, and Germany have ramped up efforts to repress Palestine solidarity activism. Palestinians and their allies in these countries are facing more legal measures to criminalize their rights to boycott and critique the Israeli regime than ever before. How does each context differ? What is at stake for Palestinians and their […]

Criminalizing Palestine Solidarity Activism in the UK

Criminalizing Palestine Solidarity Activism in the UK

A new wave of repressive UK government policies aims to suppress protest and political expression, posing a direct threat to Palestine solidarity work. Al-Shabaka’s senior policy analyst, 24588, locates this latest crackdown within Britain’s enduring support for Zionism, and shows how only in broad, intersectional alliances can social justice activists effectively repel state-led repression.