The Palestinian Authority (PA) in no way resembles the Palestinian government promised in the heady years of the Oslo Accords, a discrepancy in part attributable to political neopatrimonialism and its resultant corruption. Al-Shabaka analyst Marwa Fatafta examines PA corruption through its overreach, patronage practices, and collusion with Israel, as well as international pressures, and proposes avenues for genuine reform.

With current Palestinian governance facing a legitimacy crisis, Al-Shabaka convened an open-ended Policy Circle on Leadership and Accountability to elicit recommendations for a leadership that fully represents Palestinians, restores their unity, and respects their rights. Our experts suggest models ranging from a restructured PLO to a populist democracy represented by civil society organizations.

New technologies have enabled Israel to surveil Palestinians on an unprecedented scale. Al-Shabaka Policy Analyst Nadim Nashif examines Israel’s use of social media as a tool of surveillance, as well as other digital obstacles to Palestinian rights, and concludes with ways Palestinians can counter these practices and safeguard their digital freedoms.