Doha, Qatar: The Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS), in collaboration with the Hikama Journal of Public Administration and Public Policy, held a three-day workshop entitled "Towards Palestinian Frameworks for Reconstruction in the Gaza Strip."
The workshop took place in Doha and ran in parallel with the fourth Annual Palestine Forum, organised by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the Institute for Palestine Studies.
The workshop convened scholars and researchers who presented twelve peer-reviewed papers in four panel discussions, alongside Palestinian experts who actively engaged in dedicated roundtables. This event is part of CHS's enduring efforts to center Palestinian agency at the heart of the ongoing debate on post-conflict reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and to develop independent, sustainable pathways for recovery led by Palestinian actors amid the continuing genocidal war.
During the Opening Session, CHS Director Dr. Ghassan Elkahlout said that "the workshop comes at a highly significant moment, amid the escalation of international proposals being advanced under the title of 'Reconstructing Gaza,' while at their core they represent an attempt to redefine Gaza and the Palestinian cause outside the framework of rights and sovereignty."
He added that "what is being put forward today cannot be read as a purely technical reconstruction project, but rather as a trajectory that replaces politics with administration, rights with projects, and sovereignty with tutelage, while excluding Palestinians from the equation of decision-making over their land and future."
In turn, Editor-in-Chief of Hikama Journal Abdel Fattah Madi also affirmed in his remarks that the workshop is part of a special issue entitled "Reconstruction Policies in the Arab World after Wars," which examines the region's transformations in the aftermath of conflicts and analyses the political, economic, and social challenges facing reconstruction efforts.
Participants underscored that the Palestinians' right to remain on their land and their right to self-determination constitute the non-negotiable foundation of any legitimate reconstruction process.
The workshop included four discussion sessions and four roundtables, which collectively addressed the topics of the humanitarian situation and the limits of recovery, governance, the protection and security of civilians, and reconstruction policies.
