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The Palestinian Authority: A Failed Experiment

(Jerusalem Post) Maj. (res.) Raphael Benlevi - The Palestinian Authority has failed utterly and must be replaced with something more realistic, more accountable, and ultimately more conducive to peaceful relations on the ground. For three decades, the PA has been treated as the presumptive nucleus of a future Palestinian state. In reality, however, it is a corrupt, authoritarian, and dysfunctional regime, one that governs without legitimacy, incites against Israel, and systematically fails to meet even the basic needs of the people it is meant to govern. Despite unprecedented international support and billions in aid, the PA has not built a viable political, economic, or social foundation for sovereignty. Elections have not been held in nearly 20 years, corruption abounds, critics can be jailed or worse, and the judiciary lacks independence. The economy is dependent on foreign aid and Israeli tax collection. The PA continues to reward convicted terrorists with stipends and to broadcast anti-Israel incitement in the media. It refused to explicitly condemn the Hamas massacre and its diplomats celebrated the attack. Its educational system glorifies martyrdom and demonizes Jews. Keeping the idea of a Palestinian state alive sustains Palestinian rejectionism and delays the search for real, workable alternatives. Against this backdrop, the Hebron Emirate initiative, led by local tribal leaders seeking to govern independently of Ramallah, offers a compelling departure from the PA model. The broader principle of the plan is sound: governance should be localized, pragmatic, and rooted in organic social structures, not imposed from above by failed elites. Expanding localized governance models means moving beyond a dysfunctional partner whose cooperation is shallow and unreliable, and toward a structure that better reflects reality and serves long-term stability. The Oslo delusion was built on the fantasy that a fundamentally anti-Israel movement led by former terrorists could be empowered to create a peaceful, democratic state. Instead, it created a kleptocracy dependent on foreign money, steeped in rejectionist ideology, and incapable of reform. The writer is a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.
2025-07-15 00:00:00
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