The Palestinian Strategic Report 2009 10

The Palestinian Strategic Report 2009/2010 is the fifth in a series of comprehensive annual studies of the Palestinian issue published by the Al-Zaytouna Center for Studies and Consultations and now distributed by Pluto Press. The book covers the internal politics of Palestine, Israeli politics and policy, and Israeli–Palestinian relations. Also covered are the Arab, Muslim, and international stances toward the Palestinian issue. Along with economic and demographic indicators, the report has a special focus on Jerusalem and the holy sites. The 14 distinguished contributors not only survey the situation but also analyze events in the region, identifying trends and predicting likely future developments. The Palestinian Strategic Report 2009/2010 is an essential reference book for scholars, NGOs, and activists working on or in the Middle East.

This annual referential report, has become an essential classic in the academic realm of Palestinian Studies. It includes the latest and most recent statistical and analytic data on the various developments related to the Palestinian issue. Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations issued its Palestinian Strategic Report 2010/11 (PSR 2010/11) which addresses the developments of the Palestinian issue in 2010/11. The PSR is considered one of the most important scientific studies published annually by Al-Zaytouna Centre. The Report is rich with information, analyses, tables and charts besides strategic visions and future outlooks. It is published for the sixth year in a row and it has become one of the major sources for experts and those interested in the Palestinian issue. It provides a comprehensive coverage of the developments of the Palestinian issue that happened over a year while abiding by strict scientific and professional standards. The Report is 444 medium-sized pages. It is co-authored by 15 researchers specialized in the Palestinian issue, reviewed by four consultants and edited by Dr. Mohsen M. Saleh. The PSR 2010/11 stresses that the uprisings witnessed in the Arab world since early 2011, especially in Egypt, will have a direct impact on the Palestinian issue. The impact will most likely be positive if the uprisings achieved their goals and yielded political regimes which express the real will of the Arab peoples. However, the Report notes that the internal affairs would most probably be the primary concern during the coming period. Regarding the inter-Palestinian reconciliation, PSR 2010/11 asserts that the reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo last May still needs more serious steps to end the division and achieve real reconciliation on the ground. It needs to resolve many obstacles through cooperation between the different parties, away from external interventions and pressures. On the Israeli level, the Report mentions that 2010 has continuously witnessed the inclination of the Israeli society towards the extreme right. It further notes the absence of any breakthroughs in 2011 especially in the light of Israel’s rejection for the negotiations with President Mahmud ‘Abbas. The agreement signed with Hamas and the PA’s attempts to obtain international recognition of the Palestinian State in September 2011 hindered such negotiations. On the international level, the PSR says that the international diplomatic efforts towards the Palestinian issue have failed again in 2010. They could not achieve any significant progress regarding the peace settlement track or the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. Moreover, PSR 2010/11 includes a large number of figures and statistics on Israeli violations on different levels. During 2010, 98 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (including Jerusalem) by Israeli forces and settlers while 967 Palestinians and international solidarity activists were wounded. On the other hand, Israel’s internal security service mentioned that during 2010, 9 Israelis were killed and 28 were wounded in operations carried out by the Palestinians. Concerning settlement building, the Report shows that despite the 10-month Israeli moratorium on settlement building, Israel established 1819 buildings/apartments in 133 settlements all over the West Bank, including Jerusalem; in addition to 1433 mobile homes (caravans). PSR 2010/11 also discusses the increased Israeli attacks on the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and historic Palestine, during 2010. It further shows that the developments during that year revealed that the Judaization of Jerusalem has become the primary battle for Israel due to the obsession with the “Jewishness of the state” dominating the Israeli mind. Concerning demographic indicators, PSR 2010/11 mentions that at the end of 2010 the number of Palestinians around the world was around 11.14 million people. More than half of them, i.e., 5.75 million (51.6%) live in Diaspora, while the rest, i.e., 5.39 million (48.4%) live in historic Palestine. The latter are distributed by 1.28 million people in the territories occupied in 1948 and 4.11 million in the ’67 territories. The Report mentions that if the current growth rates of the Palestinians and the Jews persist, the number of Palestinians and Jews will become on par by 2017 where each will reach around 6.53 million. Thus, in 2020, around 49.2% of the population will be Jews as their number will reach 6.87 million compared to 7.09 million Palestinians. Regarding the economic indicators in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Report shows that events during 2010 has not affected the direct dependence of the Palestinian economy on the Israeli economy. In addition, the isolation of the Palestinian economy from the outside world continued due to the Israeli control of all international exits and Palestinian border crossings besides the Palestinian foreign trade. PSR 2010/11 also refers to the enormous difference between the Palestinian economy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on one hand and the Israeli economy on the other. Thus, it shows, for example, that in 2010 the Palestinian GDP per capita was $1500 (around $1925 in the West Bank and $877 in the Strip) compared to $28,500 in Israel. In addition, the GDP amounted to $5.73 billion for the Palestinians compared to $217.13 billion for the Israelis.

This annual referential report, has become an essential classic in the academic realm of Palestinian Studies. It includes the latest and most recent statistical and analytic data on the various developments related to the Palestinian issue. ** Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies & Consultations has just released the Palestinian Strategic Report 2011/12 (PSR 2011/12). It reviews the various developments concerning the Palestinian question in a comprehensive, objective and academic manner, covering the period up until the end of 2011/12, as well as some developments in 2012. PSR 2011/12, which is being published for the seventh consecutive year, is one of the most important studies published on an annual basis by al-Zaytouna. It has become a staple reference for specialists and those interested in Palestinian affairs, owing to its comprehensive coverage of the developments related to the Palestinian question throughout the whole year. PSR 2011/12 observes strict professional and academic standards, and offers a wealth of data, up-to-date statistics, and tables and charts. It also contains strategic assessments and offers an outlook of future events. This 415-page book was co-authored by 12 researchers specializing in Palestinian affairs, and was revised by four advisers, and edited by Associate Professor Dr. Mohsen Mohammad Saleh. This year’s PSR contains seven chapters instead of eight, with demographic and economic indicators having been merged into one chapter, and added to educational indicators in the West Bank (WB) and Gaza Strip (GS) – distinguishing this year’s report from its predecessors. PSR 2011/12 concludes that the Palestinian political arena is still experiencing the same problems and obstacles seen in previous years, most notably the failure to bring together the various factions and constituents of the Palestinian people under one umbrella (the Palestine Liberation Organization—PLO); the lack of a unified strategic vision; the failure to agree on the priorities for national action in the current stage; and the continuing conflict between the strategies of resistance and negotiated peace. This is in addition to the fact that Palestinian decision-making centers remain in disarray, coming under pressure from the Israeli occupation in the WB, and Israeli blockade in GS. As regards reconciliation, PSR 2011/12 argues that steps towards achieving it will continue to stumble, expressing little optimism regarding the legislative and presidential elections, and the elections for the Palestinian National Council (PNC). Furthermore, there remain significant hurdles before the reformation of the PLO and the security forces, where the insistence of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah on maintaining a high level of security coordination with the Israel remains the biggest obstacle to achieving real Palestinian reconciliation. As concerns Israel, the PSR states that 2011/12 did not witness any significant changes in relation to its internal political landscape, except the fact that the Israeli society has continued to lurch to the extreme right in general, in tandem with increased racist manifestations targeting the Palestinians of 1948. The PSR discounted the possibility of the negotiations making any serious breakthroughs in the remainder of 2012, especially as the causes and factors leading to the failure of the efforts to resume negotiations remain extant, chiefly as a result of Israeli ongoing settlement activities; reduced American interest in the Palestinian issue in light of the preoccupation with the presidential elections; and continuing changes unfolding in many Arab countries, most notably Egypt. At the Arab level, PSR 2011/12 indicates that the Palestinian cause was not absent from the agendas of the Arab uprisings of 2011/12, albeit it was not prominently present in them either. The emergence of democratic systems that reflect the will of the populaces, and with the rise of political factions that are faithful to the Palestinian cause and are not subservient to foreign agendas, hope remains that the Palestinian question will receive more attention from these new regimes. With respect to international affairs, the report concludes that international diplomatic efforts concerning the Palestinian question declined further in 2011/12, as a result of several factors and developments. These include the uprisings and transformations in several Arab countries; the resurging tension surrounding the Iranian nuclear program and the prospects of a military confrontation; and the repercussions of the global financial crisis which has particularly hit countries in the European Union. PSR 2011/12 points out that 2012 marks the year of the US presidential elections, during which American diplomatic efforts in the Middle East traditionally wane, while the stances of both the Democratic and Republican parties converge towards the Israeli position, with a view to win over the Jewish vote. The report also collates many statistics concerning Israeli violations at various levels, including the fact that 118 Palestinians had been killed by the Israeli forces and settlers in GS and the WB (including Jerusalem) in 2011/12, while 554 Palestinians and international solidarity activists were wounded. On the other hand, Israel Security Agency (ISA) recorded 21 Israeli deaths in the same year as a result of attacks carried out by Palestinians, while 122 Israelis were wounded. On the subject of settlement building, the PA Information Center Concerning Colonization and Annexation Wall Affairs in the Ministry of State recorded the existence of 474 settlement sites in the WB until the end of 2011, including 184 settlements, 171 unauthorized outposts, 26 other settlement sites and 93 buildings which were partially or fully appropriated by the settlers in East Jerusalem. In addition, PSR 2011/12 draws attention to the fact that the pace of attacks in Jerusalem has been surging year after year, to stress that the battle for the Judaization of the Holy City remains Israel’s first priority, in conjunction with a trend of growing obsession with the Jewishness of the state dominating public thinking in the state of Israel. The report also adds that 2011 saw a marked upsurge in attacks against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Palestine by Jewish extremists and Israel, mostly as part of the ‘price tag’ wave of attacks by settlers in the WB. As for demographic indicators, the number of Palestinians in the world stood at the end of 2011 at about 11.22 million people, with half of whom, i.e., 5.63 million (50.1%), living in the Diaspora. The other half, i.e., 5.6 million people (49.9%) live in historic Palestine, including around 1.37 million in the territories occupied in 1948, and 4.23 million people in the WB and GS. According to PSR 2011/12, if current population growth levels of both Palestinians and Jews remain the same, the populations of Palestinians and Jews in historic Palestine will equalize in 2016, when the number of both Jews and Palestinians will be approximately 6.4 million. In 2020, the Jewish population will be 6.9 million and will represent about 48.9 percent of the total population, compared to 7.2 million Palestinians. Concerning economic indicators in the WB and GS, the report states that 2011 did not see any new developments concerning the direct dependency of the Palestinian economy in the WB and GS on the Israeli economy, or the fact that this economy is isolated from the Arab world and the rest of the world owing to Israel’s control of all international ports and Palestinian border crossings. This is in addition to the fact that Palestinian foreign trade is mostly done with Israel. PSR 2011/12 also highlights the enormous disparity between the economic conditions of the Palestinians in the WB and GS on one hand, and those of the Israelis on the other. Indeed, the per capita income in 2011 was $1614 in the WB and GS (around $1981 in the WB and $1073 in GS), compared to $31,291 in Israel. The GDP in the WB and GS reached around $6.34 billion in 2011, while the Israeli GDP totaled $242.92 billion.

Al-Zaytouna Centre is pleased to present to its readers the Palestine Strategic Report (PSR) 2020–2021, the 12th PSR to be published. With an academic methodology and comprehensive objective approach, the report details the developments concerning the Palestine issue and provides the latest information and data available at the endof 2021, along with analyses and forecasts. This report is the result of collaborative work of 15 experts and researchers. In eight chapters, it addresses the internal Palestinian scene; Palestinian demographic and economic indicators; the situation in Jerusalem and the holy sites; the specifics of Israeli aggression, Palestinian resistance and the peace process; the internal situation in Israel, politically, economically and militarily; and Palestine’s Arab, Islamic, and international relations. The PSR now occupies a prominent position as an indispensable reference, integral to Palestine studies and research. Al-Zaytouna Centre hopes the PSR will continue to make valuable contributions in this field.

This annual referential report, has become an essential classic in the academic realm of Palestinian Studies. It includes the latest and most recent statistical and analytic data on the various developments related to the Palestinian issue. ** Al-Zaytouna Center for Studies and Consultations in Beirut has published the Palestinian Strategic Report 2012-2013 (PSR). The Palestinian Strategic Report (PSR) is one of al-Zaytouna’s most important academic studies, published periodically in both English and Arabic. Today, it can be surely asserted that PSR is a must reference for every researcher and academic who are interested in the contemporary developments of the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict. The PSR reviews biennially the various developments concerning the Palestinian question in a comprehensive, objective and academic manner. It offers a wealth of data, up-to-date statistics, and analyzes and offers an outlook of future events. The PSR 2012–2013 falls in 400 pages and seven chapters. Edited by Dr. Mohsen Mohammad Saleh, PSR 2012–2013 was written by 13 specialized researchers, and reviewed by three consultants. The seven chapters cover the internal Palestinian scene, the Israeli-Palestinian scene, the Palestinian issue and the Arab world, the Palestinian issue and the Muslim world, the Palestinian issue and the international situation, the land and the holy sites, and the demographic, economic and educational Indicators.

This annual referential report, has become an essential classic in the academic realm of Palestinian Studies. It includes the latest and most recent statistical and analytic data on the various developments related to the Palestinian issue. **

For four consecutive years, Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations has been keen on producing the annual Palestinian Strategic Report. This report, that is prepared by a select of distinguished experts, is considered among the finest references in the field of Palestinian studies, because of its highly academic content that includes the most recent statistical data and is supported with charts and figures. This report is the product of a massive team-work exerted by a group of affiliated researchers and specialists; editors, and consultants. It is published both in Arabic and English. The first Report covered the year 2005. As later reports were released annually, the report was well-received and highly acclaimed, especially within academics. Today, it can be surely asserted that this report is a must reference for every researcher or academic interests in the contemporary developments of the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Moreover, its English version is among the few highly academic and objective writings in this field by an Arab research centre.

This annual referential report, has become an essential classic in the academic realm of Palestinian Studies. It includes the latest and most recent statistical and analytic data on the various developments related to the Palestinian issue. *** Al-Zaytouna Center for Studies and Consultations in Beirut has published the Arabic version of the Palestinian Strategic Report 2014-2015 (PSR) The PSR is one of al-Zaytouna’s most important academic studies, published periodically in both English and Arabic. Today, it can be surely asserted that PSR is a must reference for every researcher and academic who are interested in the contemporary developments of the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict. The PSR reviews biennially the various developments concerning the Palestinian question in a comprehensive, objective and academic manner. It offers a wealth of data, up-to-date statistics, and analyzes and offers an outlook of future events. The PSR 2014–2015 falls in 392 pages and seven chapters. Edited by Dr. Mohsen Mohammad Saleh, PSR 2014–2015 was written by 12 specialized researchers, and reviewed by four consultants. The seven chapters cover the internal Palestinian scene, the Israeli-Palestinian scene, the Palestinian issue and the Arab world, the Palestinian issue and the Muslim world, the Palestinian issue and the international situation, the land and the holy sites, and the demographic, economic and educational Indicators.