Omar Shaban Ismail — Palestinian Political Economist
Official website of Omar Shaban Ismail, Palestinian political economist and founder of PalThink for Strategic Studies in Gaza. Over 30 years of expertise in political economy, Gaza reconstruction, and governance.
Policy ideas
A Collaborative Council for Gaza's Reconstruction— Omar Shaban's proposal, first set out with Sultan Barakat in 2014 and revised in 2024, for a Gaza Reconstruction Council: a representative body that manages reconstruction and a ring-fenced trust fund, consults Gaza's ow
Governing Gaza's Day After— Omar Shaban's path for governing Gaza after the war: a temporary, independent technocratic administration that works with the civil servants who already run the Strip, a retrained police force, internationally monitored
Reviving Gaza's Economy— Omar Shaban's economic agenda for Gaza: lift the blockade and reopen trade, restore water and electricity with solar power, support the private sector, use reconstruction to create local jobs, and invest in the port, gas
Gaza Seaport and Maritime Access— Omar Shaban's case for a Gaza seaport as an economic lever and an expression of Palestinian sovereignty: reactivate the Oslo and Sharm el-Sheikh agreements, use a temporary solution under UN and international auspices if
Europe's Role in Palestine: From Donor to Political Partner— Omar Shaban argues that the European Union, the largest provider of assistance to the Palestinians, should match its money with a political role: an active part in the peace process, support for Palestinian reconciliatio
Making Gaza's Administration Committee Work— Omar Shaban's assessment that the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), for all its flaws, is the most realistic option available — and what it needs to become a governing body rather than a symbolic
A Financing Architecture for Gaza's Reconstruction— Dozens of plans exist for rebuilding Gaza; none answers who will pay, who will decide, and who will guarantee that what is financed is not destroyed again. Omar Shaban proposes a single national and international financi
Early Recovery That Cannot Wait for Donor Conferences— Omar Shaban's argument, from 2014 to 2025, that the most urgent post-war interventions — shelter, water and electricity, cash, rubble clearance and jobs — must start before donor pledges materialise, and his proposal to
Political Economist — Founder & Director, PalThink for Strategic Studies
Omar Shaban is a Palestinian political economist from the Gaza Strip and the founder and director of PalThink for Strategic Studies, an independent, non-partisan think-and-do tank in Gaza. He writes and comments on Gaza's reconstruction, governance, the Palestinian political economy, and EU–Palestinian relations.
Areas of expertise
Palestinian Political Economy
Gaza Reconstruction & Post-conflict Recovery
Governance & Institution-building
Palestinian National Reconciliation
Economic & Social Development
EU–Palestinian Relations
Crisis Management Policy
Humanitarian Economics in Conflict Zones
The archive in figures
33+ years working in Palestinian political economy, since 1993