Over the past twenty years, the donor community has invested more than $23 billion into ‘peace and development’ in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). However, neither peace nor development has been achieved, is any closer to being achieved, and in … Continue reading Donor Aid in Occupied Palestine in the aftermath of the Arab Uprisings
The bottom line is clear: the trappings of sovereignty of what amount to papier-mâché governments under occupation will never liberate a nation. What they have done, and what this government will certainly contribute to further, is transforming a national liberation movement into … Continue reading Why PA’s New Prime Minister Heads a Papier-Mâché Government
هناك حاجة لحوار سياسي اقتصادي تنموي اجتماعي، يبدأ من الصفر السياسي؛ أي أنه يبحث في القضايا الأساسية كقضايا التمثيل، وحل الدولتين، والعلاقات السياسية مع إسرائيل. ومن ثم تبني قرارات اقتصادية شجاعة تتوافق مع فكر مقاوم غير مساوم أو مهادن. تحتاج … Continue reading التنمية كأداة للمقاومة والتحرر
This paper aims to address the following central questions: After more than two years of the Arab Intifadas, where are the Palestinians from these Intifadas; what happened to them; who is revolting in Palestine and against whom; how they were … Continue reading Palestine and the Arab Intifadas: Reflections, Consequences and Opportunities
In the post-Arafat era, dramatic changes took place in the Palestinian polity and system of governance. These transformations have created a new style of governance and state-building in the West Bank, Fayyadism. This home-grown even though externally sponsored style of … Continue reading Neo-Liberalism for Development and Weberian State-Building in Palestine: Fayyadism, Aid Dependency and Disarmament
In the post-Arafat era, dramatic changes took place in the Palestinian polity and systems of governance, and in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict dynamics. Alternative routes were pursued as a result of various multilevel interactions between inward and outward international, regional and … Continue reading Understanding The Fayyadism Paradigm: The ‘New’ West Bank After 2006
Why the Intifada Is Inevitable? The continuous failures of the leadership of Fatah and Hamas to reach a genuine political rapprochement; The acts of corruption and lack of legitimacy of the governments and authorities in both West Bank and Gaza; … Continue reading The Youth’s Social and Economic Condition and the Revolutions
Advancing few arguments: The occupied state of Palestine is an outcome of the neoliberal Fayyadism paradigm and another regional and international Failure; Due to the neoliberal Fayyadism and its security agenda, there is no revolution in Palestine; Aid dependency; PA … Continue reading Palestine at a Crossroads: Old Occupation, New Middle East- Fayyadism and the Palestinian Spring
This book adds a significant and distinctive contribution to the scholarly work on Palestine and indeed it is a must-read not only for all of those interested in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but also for scholars researching conflict-affected areas, processes of … Continue reading Book Review – The Politics of the Palestinian Authority: From Oslo to Al-Aqsa
Industrial zones are criticized in the Arab region and beyond. The problem is much worse in the occupied Palestinian territory because the zones help Israel “normalize” its occupation, as Al-Shabaka Programme Director Alaa Tartir sets out in this trenchant commentary. … Continue reading PA Industrial Zones: Cementing Statehood or Occupation?
تواجه المناطق الصناعية انتقادات في الوطن العربي وما وراءه. ولكن المشكلة أسوأ بكثير في الأرض الفلسطينية المحتلة لأن المناطق الصناعية تُعيِن إسرائيل على “تطبيع” وإدامة احتلالها، كما يبيِّن مدير برامج الشبكة علاء الترتير في تعليقه اللاذع. وهو يدعو الحركة الشبابية … Continue reading المناطق الصناعية للسلطة الفلسطينية: ترسيخ للدولة أم الاحتلال؟
هنا ثلاثة اقتراحات للممولين لأخذها بعين الاعتبار: تعزيز الاعتماد على الذات في سد الحاجات الأساسية كالمواد الغذائية ووقف التدهور الحاصل في القطاع الزراعي؛ ودعم التعاونيات والمبادرات الاقتصادية المحلية؛ ومساعدة قطاعات كقطاع تكنولوجيا المعلومات الذي بإمكانه اختراق الحواجز الاسرائيلية المقامة حول … Continue reading نحو أجندة تمويلية بديلة للمساعدات الدولية للفلسطينيين
Development is a cumulative, complementary, economic, social and political process that fundamentally seeks to liberate human beings from dependency and humiliation. This process emancipates human beings by freeing them from poverty, inequality, fear and oppression, empowering them to cultivate their … Continue reading Cheap Occupation, Wasted Money, Political Guilt and Wrong Policies
The agro-industrial park in Jericho and all the problems that surround it provide another opportunity for the major actors in the development process in occupied Palestine, including the donor community, the PA, the private sector and civil society to rethink … Continue reading Jericho Agro-Industrial Park: A Corridor for Peace or Perpetuation of Occupation?
Push for alternative development and aid paradigm: rights-based approach; Coalitions towards reforming the international financial institutions as the World Bank and IMF; Shift from supporting the trapped peace process, to support the steadfastness and resistance economy; and BDS can be … Continue reading The Impact of the International Aid and Policy Prescriptions on the Palestinian Steadfastness and Development
Economic Perspective with Political Flavour: Launch an economic-rights campaign for Palestinian youth; Reject the so-called economic peace, better politics will do it; Help in the sustainability of the small enterprises and the innovative youth initiatives. Paper presented at the World … Continue reading Impact of the Israeli Occupation and Apartheid on the Socio-Economic Conditions of the Palestinian Youth
An alternative aid model would focus donors on ways to counter dispossession, keep Palestinians on their land, and challenge Israel’s occupation policies and practices without forfeiting the ability to function in the OPTs. Here are three things donors can consider: … Continue reading A New Approach to Palestinian Aid
It is time to look for alternative models of aid, ones that do not simply seek new ways for the Palestinians to cope with life under occupation, but rather challenge the status quo while enabling Palestinians to survive, by, for … Continue reading World Bank Policies Persistently Fail Palestinians
“What Palestinians need under occupation is a resistance economy. They need an economy that can support them in order to face the occupation, and eventually to end the occupation.” – Alaa Tartir, on this week’s podcast Interviewed by Nora Barrows-Friedman, The … Continue reading Podcast: Alaa Tartir on Building a Sustainable Palestinian “Resistance Economy”
The recent World Bank growth report frankly concludes that the Palestinian economy is fragile and dependent on foreign aid: No surprises there. Far more surprising – not to say shocking – are the Bank’s irrelevant and sometimes harmful recommendations, as … Continue reading Persistent Failure: World Bank Policies for the Occupied Palestinian Territories
يخلُص تقرير البنك الدولي الأخير بشأن النمو، صراحةً، إلى أن الاقتصاد الفلسطيني هشٌّ ومعتمدٌ على المساعدات الدولية، ولا غرابةً في ذلك. أمّا الدهشة – إن لم نقل الصدمة – فتكمن في توصيات البنك عديمةِ الصلة والمضرةِ أحيانًا، كما يكشف مدير … Continue reading إخفاق مستمر: سياسات البنك الدولي للأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة
Alaa Tartir, Program Director of Al-Shabaka, Engaged Scholar, Global Citizen 