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The Palestinian Authority's Corruption and Its Impact on the Peace Process

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Khaled Abu Toameh - Nearly three decades after its establishment, the Palestinian Authority and its institutions continue unchecked in their corruption and human rights violations. Many Palestinians believe that weak compliance with the rule of law, absence of the parliament, failure to hold corrupt senior officials accountable, and weak civil society organizations have all contributed to the spread of corruption. Many Palestinians observed that the only thing the "peace process" brought about was a process of avaricious PLO leaders and their entourage diverting international aid and making huge profits out of the Oslo Accords. The conspicuous wealth of Mahmoud Abbas' sons, Tarek and Yasser, have been very controversial in Palestinian society. Western donors' failure, or refusal to hold the Palestinian Authority accountable for their outlandish abuse of funds was one of the main reasons most Palestinians lost faith in the Oslo Accords. The PA leaders' corruption was also one of the primary reasons so many Palestinians voted for Hamas' "Change and Reform Bloc" in the 2006 parliamentary election, when Hamas won 76 out of 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council. According to a December 2022 opinion poll, 81% of Palestinians think there is corruption in Palestinian Authority institutions. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority continues to engage in massive incitement against Israel to draw attention away from its own corruption, lack of public freedoms, and democracy. The incitement ensures that criticism and grievances would only be directed against Israel. The only way to combat the corruption in the Palestinian Authority leadership is for Western donors to demand transparency and accountability, and no longer give them a free pass. The writer, an award winning Arab and Palestinian Affairs journalist with the Jerusalem Post, is a fellow of the Jerusalem Center. This article is part of the Center's new "Oslo at 30" compendium.
2023-07-24 00:00:00
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