Aid without Rights? The Dilemma of Humanitarian Aid to the Palestinians

Rights-based humanitarian aid is intended to make the beneficiaries resilient and help them acquire their human and political rights. In the Palestinian case, however, the concept loses its meaning, since the very cause of humanitarian suffering is the denial of rights. Current modes of aid provision to Palestine are ineffective and will allow the political situation to continue indefinitely. This brief offers recommendations for aid reform, arguing that aid should challenge the status quo – not support it.