Omar Shaban Ismail

Press Kit

Official press kit for Omar Shaban Ismail: high-resolution photos, approved biographies, curated quotes, expertise areas, awards, and affiliations for journalists and media.

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.

The archive in figures

• 33+ years working in Palestinian political economy, since 1993
• 201 published studies and articles (1995–2026), across 58 publishers
• 403 documented media appearances in the archive
• 26 events and conferences in the engagements record

Areas he can speak to

• 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

Interview languages: Arabic — Native · English — Full professional proficiency · French — Professional working proficiency

Recognition & distinctions

• Founded PalThink for Strategic Studies, an independent think tank in Gaza — 2007
• Atlas Network Middle East and North Africa Liberty Award, to PalThink — 2021
• Inaugural Leahy Fellow for Human Rights and Security, Center for International Policy — 2024
• Accepted the World Movement for Democracy's Democracy Courage Tribute to Palestinian civil society (Johannesburg) — 2024
• Published by Brookings, Carnegie, the Middle East Institute, the Arab Reform Initiative and Al-Shabaka — 2012–

Expert profiles elsewhere

• EuroMeSCo — Euro-Mediterranean Studies Network
• MAS Economic Policy Institute — Registered speaker and economic analyst

Recent publications

• The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). From the Board of Peace Summit to the Iran War: A Governance Body Under Existential Pressure — IEMed, 2026
• Who Will Finance the Reconstruction of Gaza? The Question No Plan Has Answered — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2026
• What does it mean to squeeze 2 million people into 30% of the already very small area of the Gaza Strip? — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2026
• The NCAG's Uncertain Role in Gaza — ISPI — Italian Institute for International Political Studies, 2026
• Gaza and its people may not survive this phase of ceasefire — Responsible Statecraft, 2026
• The Political Future of Palestinians, According to Palestinians — The New York Times, 2025
• Gulf States and the Palestinian Cause: Geopolitical Shifts across the Two U.S. Presidencies — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2025
• IPC Simulation Featuring Omar Shaban — Israeli-Palestinian Confederation — Israeli-Palestinian Confederation (IPC), 2025
• What Should Have Been Done? With Calm and Reason — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2025
• Omar Shaban Presents His Vision for the Future of Governance in Gaza After the War — QudsNet, 2025

Topic hubs

• Palestinian Economy — 39
• Gaza Economy — 32
• Gaza Reconstruction — 27
• Gaza Governance — 8
• Gaza Politics — 14
• Humanitarian Crisis — 10
• Ceasefire & Peace Plans — 6
• Palestinian Politics — 17
• National Reconciliation — 8
• Palestinian-Israeli Conflict — 12
• Regional & International Politics — 13
• Palestinian-European Relations — 5
• International Economy — 10

Press contact

• Email: [email protected]
• Institution: palthink.org
• Based in: غزة، فلسطين / Gaza, Palestine