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Quiet in the Palestinian Arena: The Eye of the Storm

(Strategic Assessment-Institute for National Security Studies) Shlomo Brom - Attempts to foment protests in the PA using Internet social media networks have not borne fruit. Several reasons can explain this non-activism. First, despite the claims that the PA is undemocratic and uses its security apparatus as a means of oppression, the atmosphere in the West Bank is still more open than in most of the Arab world. Second, the political storm in the Arab world is partly the result of difficult socioeconomic conditions, with no sense of improvement on the horizon. By contrast, the PA has recently witnessed significant improvements in its economic situation, and these extend to wider segments of the population. Third, under the direction of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the level of corruption has decreased dramatically, there is more transparency, and there is a greater sense that the government is serving the citizens, not just the interests of the ruling elite. In addition, anarchy in the streets has given way to law and order. After many long years of the Second Intifada, in which it was impossible to live a normal life, the Palestinians have lost much of their appetite for violence, anarchy, and grinding poverty.
2011-04-22 00:00:00
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