ICT: The Shackled Engine of Palestine’s Development
World attention has been focusing on the Palestinian revolt against Israel’s military occupation. Meanwhile, plans were reportedly still going ahead for an Israeli release of frequencies required for long-awaited 3G and even 4G systems and services. Al-Shabaka analysts Nur Arafeh, 24584, and Sam Bahour provide an incisive account of Israeli obstacles to the Palestinian sector’s development that have led to hundreds of millions in direct losses and lost opportunities.
The Palestine State Project in Question
Mahmoud Abbas raised the Palestine flag at the UN just as a Palestinian revolt against Israel’s decades-long denial of rights spread from Jerusalem to the rest of the occupied territory and Israel itself. Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab examines the already serious limits state and civil society face in making the Palestine State project a reality.
Palestinian Refugees From Syria: Stranded on the Margins of Law
Al-Shabaka policy analysts Mai Abu Moghli, 24508, and Nell Gabiam analyze the effects of the war in Syria on Palestinian refugees through a succinct, country-by-country analysis of the legal and social obstacles they face. They examine the discriminatory legal framework that is being applied to the Palestinian refugees from Syria by Arab countries as well as by the international community, and underscore that the Israeli government’s denial of the right of return of Palestinian refugees – in violation of international law – is a major factor in the current vulnerability of the Palestinians of Syria.
Read Their Lips: Israeli Leaders’ Plans for the Palestinians
History in the Holy Land seems stuck in a loop. In 2000, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, at the time leader of the opposition, visited the al-Aqsa compound in a deliberate provocation that triggered the second Intifada. Israel launched operation “Defensive Shield” to crush the protests and eliminate the Palestinian resistance. As a result, more than 3,000 Palestinians and almost 1,000 Israelis lost their lives between 2000 and 2004, and the peace process was forever derailed.
Pope Francis, American Churches, and Palestinian Rights
Pope Francis has attracted attention for his support of causes the establishment ignores, including the rights of the Palestinian people. And yet the US Catholic Church lags behind other American churches. Al-Shabaka’s Grace Said and 24445 take advantage of the Pope’s US trip to challenge his church to go further.
US-Palestine Relations After the Iran Deal
How will US-Palestinian relations – such as they are – be affected by the nuclear agreement between leading world powers and Iran In brief:
Mouin Rabbani: Washington is likely to compensate Israel for the Iran agreement in Palestinian coin. Diana Buttu: There is a belief among many Palestinian political leaders, largely unfounded, that this agreement will lead to a resumption of some political process. Ali Abunimah: The impact it has already had is that President Obama has deepened US involvement in and support for Israeli crimes as a form of compensation to Israel and its lobby.
Corruption in Palestine: A Self-Enforcing System
81% of the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation rank the problem of corruption second only to the occupation itself. Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Tariq Dana analyzes the systems and actors involved, arguing that corruption is a structural problem with longstanding political roots that cannot be tackled through adopting codes of conduct and other technical solutions.
Unlocking the Labor Market for Palestinian Women
Palestinian women have one of the lowest rates of labor force participation in the world -despite higher primary and secondary enrolment ratios than males in the entire Middle East and North Africa. Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Samia Al-Botmeh examines the trends and proposes policies that move beyond the supply side to focus on demand for women’s labor.
BDS: A Global Movement for Freedom & Justice
The success of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement launched a decade ago owes much to the constancy of its founding principles and the flexibility of its context-specific actions, as is evident in this policy brief written half-way along the road by Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Omar Barghouti and republished today.
