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

Key Findings:

This article highlights the corruption within the Palestinian Authority, and how its flawed system has sabotaged the peace process with Israel. 

Corruption within the PA is long-standing and consists primarily of financial corruption and displacement of international funds, which directly sabotage the livelihood of the Palestinian population. Additionally, the PA focuses on diverting attention from their own failures by steering the public’s hateful perception towards Israel – thus, sabotaging a way forward for peace. The December 2022 opinion poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) reveals that 81% of Palestinians believe there to be corruption in Palestinian Authority institutions. 

The effort to end corruption within the PA has failed thus far, even with the launch of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission, which was created in 2010 under public pressure for reform. The commission itself was proven to be corrupted. 

Moreover, Hamas has successfully capitalized on the Palestinian people’s distrust in the PA,  exploited it to take over the Gaza Strip in 2007 and continues to do so to retain power. 

The author argues that the only way to curtail corruption within the Palestinian Authority is for its Western supporters to demand fiscal transparency. The demand for accountability from the outside will help stop financial corruption and redirect resources to the Palestinian people. Having these resources available in service of the public will eventually lead to a more stable, happy society, where a peace process has grounds to flourish from.