The World Ahead | Middle East in 2024
The aftermath of the war with Israel will shape Palestinian life
Many eyes will be on the Palestinian Authority
![A Palestinian wears a Palestinian flag while protesting Israeli occupation in the West Bank.](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20231118_TWMAP501.jpg)
By Gregg Carlstrom
For more than a decade, life in the Palestinian territories was painfully static. The occupied West Bank was ruled by the corrupt nationalists of Fatah, and blockaded Gaza was run by the corrupt Islamists of Hamas. Residents of the West Bank endured the daily abuses of occupation. Those in Gaza suffered occasional short wars, and longer periods where life was calm but miserable. There was no progress towards a two-state solution—nor any reconciliation between the two estranged Palestinian factions.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2024 under the headline “What next?”