In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Tahani Mustafa, Senior Palestine Analyst for the International Crisis Group, about Palestinian politics and the challenging predicament of cooperation or confrontation with Israel. The two discuss the evolution of the Palestinian Authority and its legitimacy today, including the role of Mahmoud Abbas, as well as the growth of militancy in the face of expanded Israeli military activity in the West Bank. They draw from Tahani's recent policy brief, "Israel’s West Bank Incursions Highlight the Dilemmas of Palestinian Politics."

Tahani Mustafa is the International Crisis Group’s Senior Palestine Analyst, where she works on issues including security and  socio-political and legal governance in the West bank. She has a background in development and security governance in the Middle East, and has worked in academia and policy advocacy. Based between the UK, Jordan and Israel/Palestine, she holds a Ph.D in Politics and International Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza. He is an advisory board member of the US Campaign for Palestinian rights, co-editor of After Zionism (Saqi Books) and is currently writing a book about Palestine. He also currently serves on the board of the Independence Media Foundation. His work has been published in The Guardian, The London Review of Books, The Nation, and elsewhere. He earned a BA at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPP at Harvard University.

Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.