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| Volume X, Spring 2003, Number 1 |
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| EXCERPT: The Long Road to Palestinian Reform |
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| Judy Barsalou |
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Dr. Barsalou is director of the grant program at the U.S. Institute of Peace. These views are her own and not necessarily those of USIP.
Although Palestinian political
reform lately has become the
subject of intense discussion in
Washington, the subject is hardly a new one. Reform has been an interest of the Palestinians dating from "Black September" and the eviction of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from Jordan in 1970-71. Since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1994, it has also been the refrain of an increasingly vocal Palestinian opposition and the object of concern for ordinary Palestinians dismayed by PA inefficiency and corruption. By contrast, international interest in and support for Palestinian reform has been inconsistent and of shorter duration. The United States and Israel until recently turned a blind eye to Palestinian mismanagement and corruption, although they now insist on reform as a precondition to the resumption of negotiations and the establishment of a Palestinian state. The European Union, as the PA's single largest donor, placed pressure on the PA during the Oslo period to create more effective and accountable governing institutions, but it too remained primarily interested in the successful conclusion of the Oslo process.
Significant obstacles, both internal and external, must be reduced or removed before reform can take hold. Internal obstacles stem from the fact that the Palestinians have no prior experience of self-governance and live in a semi-traditional society. Complicating matters, Palestinians from across the political spectrum now view international demands for reform not only as a delaying tactic while Israel builds new settlements and consolidates its hold on the occupied territories but also as a subversion of the internal Palestinian struggle for reform. External obstacles include, most importantly, the continuing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, which has weakened the Palestinian economy and impeded the development of political institutions.
This article addresses three main questions: Who is calling for Palestinian reform and why? What kinds of reforms are contemplated, and what has been accomplished to date? And, finally, what are the major obstacles to reform?
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