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How the Palestinian Authority Failed Its People

(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Ghaith al-Omari - Since its establishment in 1993, the Palestinian Authority has been losing credibility among the Palestinian people. It governed on a model of corrupt authoritarianism. Government jobs were political favors to be doled out to supporters; public funds, many of them from international aid, were mere means toward the enrichment of officials. Efficiency, responsiveness to the public, and the provision of services were all an afterthought. When in 2006, the newly elected PA President Mahmoud Abbas called elections, Hamas ran an effective campaign focusing on the PA's corruption and promising clean governance - and won. A year later, Hamas clashed with the PA old guard in Gaza and expelled the PA. Today, a staggering 87% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza believe that the PA is corrupt, 78% want Abbas to resign, and 62% believe the PA is a liability. This loss of popular legitimacy means that even before the current war in Gaza, areas of the West Bank were practically ungoverned. In Gaza, meanwhile, Hamas' initial popularity has evaporated. Today, 72% of Palestinians believe that Hamas is corrupt - but the group maintains its power through fear and brutality, not the consent of the governed. If the PA were a more effective, clean government, better trusted by its people, one might imagine it returning to Gaza when this war ends and leading the process of reconstruction and recovery. But Palestinians have no confidence that the PA has their interests at heart, and the international community does not trust it to administer funds on the scale of those that will be needed for reconstruction. The writer is a Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.
2023-11-14 00:00:00
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