Khalil Shikaki
is a professor of Political Science and director of the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research (Ramallah). He has a PhD in Political Science from Columbia University and has taught at several Palestinian and American universities. Since 1993 he has conducted numerous po...
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- The future of Israel-Palestine: a one-state reality in the making
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Khalil Shikaki , 14 May 2012
- Palestinian youth and the Arab Spring
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Mona Christophersen , Jacob Høigilt , Åge A. Tiltnes , 16 March 2012
- Hamas’s leadership struggle and the prospects for Palestinian reconciliation
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Nicolas Pelham , 17 February 2012
- Religion, territory and violence: exploring emerging religious-political groups in Israel and Palestine
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Jacob Høigilt , Tilde Rosmer , Hanne Eggen Røislien , 3 November 2011
- Today's call on Palestine’s future: interim arrangements instead of comprehensive peace
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Tamar Hermann , 26 September 2011
- Comparative perspectives on state-building for a future Palestinian state
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30 August 2011
- Jerusalem: The key to Israel’s peace? or an existential liability?
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Daniel Seidemann , 23 August 2011
For lack of a better alternative, Palestinians go to the UN
Khalil Shikaki
, 29 September 2011
Having lost confidence in the peace process, Palestinians, who normally do not view the UN as an effective conflict resolution instrument, seem to fully support their leadership's decision to seek UN membership and recognition. Fully aware of the harsh consequences that might follow, the Palestinian public seems to prefer these consequences over a continuation of the status quo. But public support for the step is predicated on the assumption that the UN vote in itself is inconsequential; rather, it is viewed as creating a momentum for change, including practical steps on the ground the day after the UN vote in which Palestinians assert their sovereignty throughout the Palestinian territories. Fascinated by the Arab Spring, the public has gained respect for nonviolent resistance, viewing it as potentially effective in challenging Israeli occupation and speeding up the process of statehood. Without continued progress in Palestinian state-building, coupled with a return to viable negotiations in the immediate aftermath of the UN vote, these public perceptions could make current Israeli-Palestinian cooperation unsustainable and give rise to various scenarios of conflict and confrontation.
