PalThink Continues the Future Foresight Project in Palestine in Its Second Session in Partnership with 15 CBOs
Amid political transformations and current challenges, the Hebron Community Center, in partnership with Bunyan Association, Al-Rozana Foundation for Palestinian Identity Preservation, Dar Al-Shabab for Culture and Development, and the Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “Shams,” organized an interactive roundtable discussion to explore two policy papers on Palestinian political reform and economic integration between Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank.
This session was held as part of the “Palestinian Civil Society contributes actively to Shaping the Palestine’s Future” project, implemented by PalThink for Strategic Studies in collaboration with a coalition of 15 Palestinian community organizations from the occupied Palestinian territories.
The session took place on Sunday, March 9, 2025, with the participation of more than 30 researchers and experts from various fields joining via Zoom. The discussions focused on two key themes: reforming the Palestinian political system and fostering economic integration among different Palestinian regions in light of political and economic shifts.
The first policy paper, titled “A Future Vision for Reforming the Palestinian Political System,” was prepared by Dr. Maher Issa and Dr. Omar Rahal. It examined the major challenges hindering the development of the Palestinian political system, emphasizing the reconstruction of political legitimacy, the activation of Palestinian institutions, and the fair distribution of economic resources. The paper recommended reviewing economic and trade regulations, fostering a more just environment that prevents monopolies, and enhancing development opportunities across various sectors, including religious tourism and the environmental economy.
The second policy paper, titled “The Economy of Shared Opportunities – Formulating a Unified Economic Future for Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank,” was prepared by Dr. Raed Helles, Taqwa Al-Balawi, and Abdul Rahman Swaifeh. It explored mechanisms to achieve Palestinian economic integration despite political challenges, stressing the importance of reassessing the Paris Economic Agreement, addressing trade and border restrictions, and investing in Palestinian natural resources such as water and Gaza’s gas fields. The paper also proposed strategies to enhance human development and leverage national expertise to support productive sectors and move towards a green, integrated economy that encourages small enterprises and contributes to sustainable development.
The roundtable discussion concluded with in-depth dialogues on achieving effective political reform that supports Palestinian economic integration. Participants emphasized the need to continue research on these topics by developing additional policy papers and organizing further discussion sessions to provide practical recommendations for Palestinian decision-makers. The session also produced a set of key recommendations: Advancing legislative and administrative reforms to ensure fair redistribution of resources and wealth, focusing on investing in Palestinian natural resources rather than relying on external markets, reviewing the Paris Economic Agreement and finding alternatives to enhance Palestinian financial independence, strengthening e-commerce and technological investments to counter movement and trade restrictions, and developing policies to support green economic development and incentivizing small and medium enterprises.
This event underscores the importance of the project in strengthening Palestinian civil society’s role in shaping policies by building a coalition of Palestinian community organizations and organizing roundtable discussions on critical political and social issues. Through these activities, research papers will be produced to provide practical solutions to Palestine’s challenges. The project will also help deliver essential policy recommendations to decision-makers, increasing the likelihood of achieving necessary reforms in various aspects of Palestinian life.
