Publications & Research

Omar Shaban Ismail's publication archive: articles, analyses and policy papers on Palestinian political economy, Gaza reconstruction, governance and regional policy — in Al-Shabaka, Brookings, Carnegie, Al-Monitor, Foreign Policy, ISPI and others.

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
Will the Arab League Plan to Reconstruct Gaza Work? — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2025
Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown — The Cairo Review, 2025
Rebuilding from Rubble: The Future of Gaza — The Cairo Review, 2025
A Reading of the Ceasefire Agreement Between Israel and Hamas – Dimensions and Challenges — Center for International Policy, 2025
Gazans’ Outlook on Future Governance: Divergent Views and Ambitious Aspirations — Arab Reform Initiative, 2025
Gaza’s day after: Reconstruction and governance challenges — Brookings, 2025
Civilians in Gaza Were Shocked Too — O Estado de S. Paulo (Estadão), 2024
Cutting Aid to UNRWA Is an Act Against Stability and Modernity — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2024
A Reading on the Future of Hamas — The Cairo Review, 2024
A Proposal for a Gaza Reconstruction Council — Center for International Policy, 2024
Rebuilding Gaza: Considerations for a Habitable Future — Al-Shabaka, 2024
The Israeli War on Gaza: Post-War Scenarios — Arab Reform Initiative, 2024
Interview in "The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process Thirty Years After the Oslo Accords" — Tà Politiká, 2023
Eyewitness Account From Gaza: “It Is Impossible to Live” — The New Republic, 2023
Omar Shaban: 'We Are Living a War Unlike Any We Have Ever Known' — Le Temps, 2023
Once, There Was Hope in Gaza. I'd Like to Think There Can Be Again. — The New Republic, 2023
Climate Change Repercussions in Palestine and Confrontation Policies — PalThink Library, 2023
On UNRWA — Sama News Agency, 2022
Food Insecurity in Palestine and the Russia-Ukraine War: The Worst Is Yet to Come — Arab Center Washington DC, 2022
In Search of Understanding the Determinants of Germany's Foreign Policy in the Middle East — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2022
Rebuild or Resist? Hamas's Dilemma a Year After the Gaza War — Al-Monitor, 2022
Towards a More Active Role for Germany in Palestine — ORIENT — German Orient-Institut, 2022
International Aid to the Palestinians: Between Politicization and Development — Arab Center Washington DC, 2022
Would the Holding of Local Elections in the Gaza Strip Provide a Glimmer of Hope Out of the Impasse? — PCPSR — Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 2022
Building a Seaport in Gaza: Prospects, Challenges, and Opportunities — The Cairo Review, 2022
Why the latest escalation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is unlikely to lead to a repeat of last year’s Gaza war — Middle East Institute, 2022
The causes and consequences of Israel’s latest attack against Islamic Jihad in Gaza — Middle East Institute, 2022
The PA’s Financial Crisis on the Agenda of Tomorrow’s Donor Meeting in Oslo — Sama News Agency, 2021
International Funding Between Political and Humanitarian Use — Sama News Agency, 2021
Labour Day: There Is Nothing to Celebrate — وكالة معًا, 2021
Palestinian Elections: The International Community Has an Important Role to Play — RFI — Radio France Internationale, 2021
Israel-Hamas: Beyond the Ceasefire — ISPI — Italian Institute for International Political Studies, 2021
The Swiss Paper: A Roadmap for Resolving Palestinian Division and Achieving National Unity — QudsNet, 2021
What Future for the Gaza Strip in the Next Five Years? — PCPSR — Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 2021
The Gaza Reconstruction Process Must Not be Politicized — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2021
Ten Days Left Until Brexit: A Hard or a Soft Exit! — Sama News Agency, 2020
On the Chronic Crisis of the Electricity Sector — Sama News Agency, 2020
Normalisation and the Need to Regain the Initiative and Action — Sama News Agency, 2020
Today’s Donor Meeting for the Palestinian Authority in Brussels, Where Everyone Is in Crisis — Sama News Agency, 2020
The Shock of the Oil Price Collapse Will Hasten the Move to Living with Coronavirus — Sama News Agency, 2020
The Next Conflict Will Be over Access to the Coronavirus Vaccine — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2020
Financial Retirement Is an Illegal Administrative Measure — Sawa News Agency, 2020
Poverty Indicators in Palestine Require Immediate Intervention — Sawa News Agency, 2020
Natural Gas Is Following Oil Toward a Sharp Collapse Below Zero — Sawa News Agency, 2020
Some International Organisations Put Make-Up on a Painful Reality — Felesteen Online, 2020
Gaza: The Lost Years of Development (2007–2018) — A Book Review — Siyasat Arabiya (Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies), 2020
Why the Palestinians should not dismantle the Palestinian Authority? — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2020
COVID-19 in the Gaza Strip — PalThink for Strategic Studies / NESA, 2020
The Pandemic: A View from Gaza — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2020
Fighting Poverty in the Gaza Strip Requires Developmental Interventions — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2020
Gaza's New Conflict: COVID-19 — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2020
A Critical Look at the 'Waqfat Ezz' Fund — QudsNet, 2020
The Fading Golden Age of Oil and Its Geopolitical Implications for the Middle East — QudsNet, 2020
Trump’s “Deal” for Palestinians: Repercussions and Responses — Al-Shabaka, 2020
Palestinian Division and the American-Israeli Plan to Exploit It — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2019
PeaceCast #43: Omar Shaban Sees Hope in Gaza — Americans for Peace Now — PeaceCast, 2019
The Implications of Israeli Elections on Palestinians — EuroMeSCo / IEMed, 2019
The Ultimate Threat to Peace: A View From Palestine — ISPI — Italian Institute for International Political Studies, 2019
World Bank Report on the Palestinian Economy Foresees Difficult Conditions — QudsNet, 2019
The Iranian Economy Reels Under US Sanctions — QudsNet, 2019
The G7: The VIP Club of Nations — Achievements Far Below Its Potential — QudsNet, 2019
The Repercussions of the Palestinian Division on the National Project and Its Regional Exploitation — مجلة شؤون فلسطينية (Palestinian Affairs), 2019
The Future of the Palestinian Cause in the Shadow of the "Deal of the Century" — Palestine-Israel Journal, 2018
Germany as an Influential Political Actor in the Middle East Conflict: Possibilities and Prospects — Orient — German Journal for Politics, Economics and Culture of the Middle East, 2018
The World Bank Report to Donors Meeting in Brussels Puts Gaza at the Heart of the Event — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2018
99% of March Participants Were Peaceful — Why Punish Them? — Francophone Press (via PalThink), 2018
Effects of Internal Palestinian Division on Civil Society Organizations and Proposals for Remedy — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2018
The Divisions Threatening Palestine's Future — Orient XXI, 2018
Governance and the Future of the Arab World — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2018
Gazans Are Protesting Their Economy, Not Israel's Existence — Foreign Policy, 2018
The UN Reconstruction Mechanism for Gaza Must End, Not Be Reviewed — QudsNet, 2018
Policy Brief – The Motives and the Consequences of the Gaza Great Return March — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2018
Just for a Second, Imagine Living in Gaza — Fair Observer, 2018
Three Scenarios that Could Shape the Gaza Strip's Uncertain Future — Fair Observer, 2018
Could Washington Dismantle UNRWA? — Fair Observer, 2018
Gaza on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe: Gaza humanitarian crisis exceeds numbers and percentage — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2017
Latest Developments in Saudi Arabia and Their Internal and Regional Consequences on the Palestinian Cause — Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, 2017
The Implications of Siege and the Internal Palestinian Division on the Situation in the Gaza Strip Since 2007 — Palestine-Israel Journal, 2017
Three Years After the Cairo Reconstruction Conference: Funding Promises, the UN Mechanism, and Enduring Suffering — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2017
In Reality, It Is the Poor Who Finance the Rich — QudsNet, 2017
On Transparency and Accountability in Public Financial Management — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2017
Unlocking the Gaza Strip’s Economic Potential and Fostering Political Stability — SWP Berlin, 2017
Gaza: Possible Outcomes of Egypt, Hamas, and Dahlan Talks — Arab Reform Initiative, 2017
The Authority’s Partnership with Civil Society: Municipal Elections as a Model — Sama News Agency, 2016
The Problem Is Not the Turkish Position but the Way Palestinians Think Politically — Sama News Agency, 2016
What Are the Alternatives with the Disappearance of the Two-State Solution? — IEMed, 2016
Arab Spring and the Palestinian Youth Movement: Different Challenges and Priorities — EuroMeSCo / IAI, 2016
EU Global Strategy — Expert Opinion No. 44: A Palestinian View — EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), 2016
The Palestinian Municipal Election should include Gaza as well — PNGO Portal, 2016
New Gaza War Inevitable without International Action — Middle East Institute, 2016
Egypt and Hamas—Cooperation in the Works? — Middle East Institute, 2016
Are the Palestinians Ready for Independence? — Middle East Institute, 2016
Obama’s Last Gasp on Palestine-Israel — Al-Shabaka, 2016
Commentary on Exporting the Gaza Gas to Jenin: Monopoly Is Hitting the Palestinian Economy Again and Again — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2015
From Exchange of Rockets to Exchange of Messages: Analysing Relations Between Hamas and Israel — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2015
What it means to cancel Oslo — Brookings, 2015
Back to Gaza: A New Approach to Reconstruction — Brookings Doha Center, 2015
On the Airport and the Seaport — Sama News Agency, 2014
Relief and Aid Efforts Must Be Coordinated to Strengthen the Home Front — Sama News Agency, 2014
It Is the Right Time for a Ceasefire — Sama News Agency, 2014
Brothers in Hamas and Islamic Jihad: Partnership in Sacrifice Requires Partnership in Decision-Making — Sama News Agency, 2014
Post-war Interventions Should Not Wait for the Donor Conference — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2014
A Transparent System for the Reconstruction of Gaza — Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, 2014
You Are Nothing, You Can't Do Anything! — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2014
Three Wars in 7 Years Did Not Solve — Why Not Try the Other Option Once? — Independent / PalThink, 2014
Consequences of the Israeli Blockade of Gaza — Fair Observer, 2014
Re-“Integration”? Economic Challenges Facing the Success of the Palestinian Reconciliation Agreement — Halat al-Iqlim (Cairo), 2014
The Gaza Crisis: Timing a War — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2014
A Donor Conference for Gaza Reconstruction: History Repeats Itself — Will We Learn? — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2014
Minister Al-Issa and the 55% Claim: Gaza's Share of the Palestinian Authority Budget — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2014
20 Years On, Gaza Drains Me of Hope — CNN Opinion, 2014
Global Insider: Signs of Discontent Grow in Gaza as Hamas Finances Deteriorate — World Politics Review, 2014
Hamas budget shows another tough year ahead for Gaza — Al-Monitor, 2014
Gaza war bill estimated at $5 billion — Al-Monitor, 2014
Donor pledges not enough to rehabilitate Gaza — Al-Monitor, 2014
Honor the Victims: Avoid Past Mistakes in Reconstructing Gaza — Al-Shabaka, 2014
The 2014 Gaza Donor Conference: The Case for a Collaborative Council for the Reconstruction of Gaza — Brookings, 2014
The Palestinian National Project Disintegrates with the Separation of Gaza, the Judaisation of Jerusalem and the Jordanisation of the West Bank — IEMed Mediterranean Yearbook, 2013
Hamas's Possible Options in Facing the Trauma — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2013
Palestine and Israel: A Circle of Failure — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2013
Meshaal to Lead Hamas for Third Term — Al-Monitor, 2013
Hamas Budget a Small Step Toward Transparency — Al-Monitor, 2013
New Class of Palestinians Get Rich On Gaza Tunnel Trade — Al-Monitor, 2013
Palestinian Authority Faces Crisis Over Salaries — Al-Monitor, 2013
PA Employees in Gaza Key to Reconciliation — Al-Monitor, 2013
Gazans Suffer As Foreign NGOs Refuse to Deal with Hamas — Al-Monitor, 2013
Gaza Gas Can’t Help Palestinians — Al-Monitor, 2013
No Prospects for Palestinian Currency — Al-Monitor, 2013
Egypt and Hamas Try to Resolve Differences — Al-Monitor, 2013
Palestinian Authority’s 2013 Budget Passed Despite Political Rift — Al-Monitor, 2013
What Do Peace Envoys Actually Do in the Middle East? — Al-Monitor, 2013
Gaza-Sinai Tensions Limit Egypt-Hamas Cooperation — Al-Monitor, 2013
Palestinian Investment Fund Needs Reform — Al-Monitor, 2013
Palestinian Stock Exchange Lacks Public Regulation — Al-Monitor, 2013
Kerry’s Palestinian economic plan another dead end? — Al-Monitor, 2013
Palestinians Sideline EU on peace process — Al-Monitor, 2013
Fixing Gaza’s electricity crisis — Al-Monitor, 2013
Gaza Blockade!! How Much Does It Cost! — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2012
Gaza Interview: Omar Shaban, Director of PalThink — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2012
Ceasefire Agreements Will Not Work: Activation of the Peace Process Is the Solution — EuroMeSCo / IEMed, 2012
The Arab Spring and the Future of Euro-Arab Relations: A Palestinian Perspective — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2012
PA Financial Crisis: Gaza Is Not the Problem — Full Transparency Is Needed — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2012
Freeing the Middle East from Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Palestinian Perspective — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2012
Hamas and Morsi: Not So Easy Between Brothers — Carnegie Endowment, 2012
The Work of International Organisations in the Gaza Strip: Between Politicisation and Impartiality — Sama News Agency, 2011
There Is Not a Single Reason for Mr. Salam Fayyad to Remain Prime Minister or Even Finance Minister — Sama News Agency, 2011
It Is Time for the Arabs to Stand with Egypt — Sama News Agency, 2011
A Reading of the Book “The Politics of Change in Palestine: State-Building and Non-Violent Resistance” — Sama News Agency, 2011
A New Prime Minister Other Than Dr. Salam Fayyad Must Be Chosen — Sama News Agency, 2011
The Economic Freedom in Palestine: Still Long Road to Go — Economic Freedom of the World Annual Conference, Turin, 2011
For Gaza's Children, Act Now — Common Ground News Service, 2011
Joint-Stock Companies in Palestine (3): Board Membership and Remuneration Reaching $3,000 Per Hour — Sama News Agency, 2011
On the Israeli Narrative That There Is No Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip!!! — Sama News Agency, 2010
Public Shareholding Companies in Palestine (1): What Goes Unsaid Far Exceeds What Is Disclosed — سما الإخبارية, 2010
Four Years of Gaza Blockade: Some Lessons Learned — Common Ground News Service, 2010
Where Does the PA Stand These Days? — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2010
Sustainable Development Needs a Complete Lifting of the Siege — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2010
Hamas Establishes Its First Bank in Gaza — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2010
The corporations sector in Palestine (2): The case of the Palestinian non-banking financial sector — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2010
Gazan Youth Call for Security and Stability — Humanitarian Practice Network (ODI), 2009
War on Gaza: Old Questions in Need of New Answers — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2009
Change Is in the Air of the Middle East — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2009
The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A New Perspective — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2009
Propositions to Reconstruct the Gaza Strip — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2009
Gaza Economy Grinds to a Standstill — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2009
Gaza Strip Reconstruction: Between Internal Division and External Intervention Plans — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2009
The Economic Repercussions of the Gaza-Egypt Border Breach — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2009
Reconstruction of Gaza between Political Tug-of-War and Humanitarian Needs — Al Rai Media, 2009
The Shortage of Israeli Shekels in the Gaza Strip — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2008
Conflict between Hamas and Fatah Reaches into Services Sectors — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2008
Gaza: What Lies Ahead — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2008
Gaza on Crossroads Again — PalThink for Strategic Studies, 2008
The Israeli Siege of the Gaza Governorates: Economic and Humanitarian Dimensions — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2007
The Paris Economic Protocol: Legislation for a Relationship of Dispossession and Annexation — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2007
Towards the Best Use of International Financing for Palestine's Development — Islamic University of Gaza, 2006
On the Budget, Donor Country Pledges, and Ministry of Finance Performance — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2005
On Conditional Financing, Human Development, and Political Independence — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2005
Will the Poor of the Arab World Follow the Example of Their Peers in Latin America? — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2003
Review and Evaluation of the Local Government Sector's Role in Development — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2003
Economic Foundations in the Draft Constitution: Between Beautiful Text, Painful Reality, and Hoped-for Future — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2003
The Role of the Local Government Sector in Development — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2003
Disclosing Palestinian Investments: A Step in the Right Direction — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2003
Finance Ministry Reform Steps Confirm: Better Is Possible — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2003
Civil Society Organizations and Sustainability — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 2000
Let Us Light a Candle Rather Than Continue Cursing the Darkness — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 1999
What About a Wealth Report for Palestine? — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 1999
Hong Kong, Michael Jordan, and Palestinian Development — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 1999
Tax Policy in Palestine: Problems and Recommendations — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 1998
An Interpretation of the Asian Financial Markets Crisis — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 1996
Key Mechanisms for Palestinian Development: Embracing Entrepreneurship and Supporting SMEs — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 1996
Palestine Development Strategy Conference: A Promising Start for Charting the Future — Palestinian press (newspaper not recorded), 1995