This study aims at examining the dilemma of the Palestinian political elite and determining where it stands today from the project of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state which is stalled by the accelerated settlement expansion in the West Bank in general and East Jerusalem in particular.

The study treats the issue of Palestinian division that gave birth to two antagonist authorities and led to the paralysis of inclusive institutions such as the PLO and the Palestinian National Council, and to the lack of an organized and effective popular movement that would exert pressure on both parties and put things back on track.

The author also notes the stormy developments that turned the situation in the region upside down and imposed new realities on people and elites, thus putting the Palestinian cause, at least for the time being, on the back burner.