A New Research Release from "MAS": An Economic Roadmap for Post-War Palestine

SadaNews - The Palestinian Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS) has today released a series of four integrated research studies addressing the strategic economic ramifications of the genocide war waged by Israel on Gaza, and its broader implications on the overall Palestinian reality, particularly the Palestinian statehood project. This series was prepared within a conceptual framework developed in the early stages of the aggression, under the general title "The Economic Path Towards Independence and Peace", and in close coordination with the Economic Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization. These original studies aim to contribute to the national preparedness to face the political and economic challenges of the post-war phase, focusing on formulating an independent Palestinian vision for future economic relations at both the internal and regional levels. The institute has succeeded in completing this task thanks to a grant provided by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, which enabled it to implement the research project according to the highest scientific standards.

This series is based on the hypothesis of the emergence of a path for building the Palestinian state from the ruins of the war on Gaza, based on what the international community promised at the outset of this historical phase and continues to reiterate today. However, the realization of this path requires the presence of a true political partner, capable and willing to engage in a political process that leads to empowering the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination within an independent sovereign state. This seems, under the current reality, further away after thirty years from the Oslo Agreement and two years of comprehensive and destructive war. Although a team of leading Palestinian economic researchers worked on preparing these studies throughout 2024, MAS decided to postpone their publication to a politically more opportune time, allowing their importance to be highlighted for decision-makers and national institutions. The authors of the studies anticipate features of a future filled with uncertainty amidst the darkest phases of genocide experienced by the Palestinian people, with their eyes set on the responsibility of planning for the post-disaster phase, in a spirit of challenge, hope, and determination to restore sovereignty and build the state.
The Prime Minister welcomes the "qualitative national effort"

In a message directed to the director general of the institute on the occasion of this release, Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa expressed his deep appreciation for the institute and its research team for this qualitative national effort, which meets the requirements of the phase and anticipates its challenges. The Prime Minister emphasized that "these studies, with their forward-looking visions and accurate scientific analyses, represent a strategic contribution to enhancing the Palestinian readiness to confront the post-war entitlements, and provide a solid ground for formulating coherent national economic policies based on the interests and rights of the Palestinian people, outlining the future economic relationship with neighboring countries and the regional and global environment from an independent and effective Palestinian perspective." He added, "Despite the immense humanitarian, political, and economic challenges facing our people, the Government of the State of Palestine, with all its national institutions, is ready to take on its full responsibilities across all Palestinian territories, especially in the Gaza Strip, where the government enjoys legal jurisdiction and international recognition. We are working with all our will and resources to enhance our institutions' capacity to respond to the requirements of the upcoming phase, including relief efforts, reconstruction, and economic revival, based on a comprehensive national vision stemming from our natural right to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state."

The Prime Minister emphasized in his message that "the realization of the Palestinian state cannot occur without the reuniting of geography, institutions, and the national economy under pure Palestinian management, confirming that Gaza is an integral part of the one, unified, sovereign State of Palestine, and that the national responsibility for its reconstruction and revival is a true test of the capacity of the Palestinian state to manage its affairs fully, in a spirit of unity and national commitment." He added, "This release from MAS, with its comprehensive vision, constitutes a qualitative contribution to the scientific and institutional preparation for unifying the governance and economic system throughout the homeland, enabling the Palestinian state to stand on solid foundations, in Gaza as well as in the West Bank and Jerusalem, within an integrated context that does not accept fragmentation, guardianship, or temporary alternatives."

Al-Khalidi: A Preconceived Economic Vision for the Features of the State of Palestine, According to Our Palestinian Vision for Our Future

At a time when this release sees the light, the brutal war raging for two years on Gaza and all of Palestine is at its peak. This war has led to the spread of mass famines and systematic killings and destruction amounting to ethnic cleansing, amidst a shameful international silence and clear laxity in enforcing accountability. In this context, MAS's Director General Raja Al-Khalidi states: "The extremist Israeli government still holds the reins of power, completely unaccountable to any international scrutiny, in the absence of deterrent responses from the international community. However, the political developments witnessed in mid-2025, led by the New York Declaration in July on the two-state solution, followed by a wave of recognitions from major countries of the state of Palestine, confirm that reading these studies has become an urgent necessity for everyone who believes in the need to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state."

The four studies are based on a logical analytical and sequential framework, founded on the fixed national goal: establishing the State of Palestine on all of the occupied Palestinian territory of 1967, without fragmentation, without any trades, and without separate paths for Gaza from the rest of the homeland, whether at the governance or economic level. The topics of the series are distributed as follows:

•    Volume One: Discusses the economic requirements for the "State Foundation" phase, which is a transitional phase (extending from two to three years) in which the foundations of the natural economic relationship with the regional environment are rebuilt in preparation for the permanent situation.

•    Volume Two: Proposes a model for a permanent economic agreement that guarantees the sovereign economic rights of the Palestinian people, establishing a balanced relationship with the Israeli side, benefiting from previous experiences and international economic initiatives from 1947 to date.

•    Volume Three: Delves into the theoretical and practical foundations and the required public policies for the reunification of the Palestinian economy that has suffered from forced fragmentation for decades.

•    Volume Four: Highlights the principles and practical mechanisms, and comparative international experiences in post-war reconstruction, in a manner appropriate to the specific Palestinian context.

Al-Khalidi added: "MAS takes pride in being entrusted with this national task at a pivotal moment in Palestine's history. In these studies, we aimed to present a preconceived economic vision for the features of the state of Palestine, according to our vision as Palestinians for our future. From here, any future negotiations regarding state establishment, the reconstruction and management of Gaza, and comprehensive national development strategies should be based on what this series offers in terms of visions and proposals, derived from the unity of the Palestinian national economy and its independence."