Editorial»
Palestinian society is thriving
DEC 03 - The images and statistics of the past three years of the Israeli Palestinian conflict create a terrible picture - the burning buses, destroyed homes, the separation wall, more than 4,000 dead and tens of thousands injured.
Among the Palestinians, the rate of unemployment is 46 percent; 57 percent of the population in the West Bank and 84 percent of the population in Gaza live below the poverty line of two dollars per day, and direct damage to the economy has been estimated at $11.7 billion.Yet scratch the surface just a little deeper and something quite phenomenal is taking place in Palestinian society, despite the photographs and statistics. There is a vibrant, talented, peaceful and very resolute society that is determined, in spite of suffering, to forge a peaceful, democratic and pluralistic state with institutions that are fully prepared for Palestinians to take their rightful place among the society of nations.
Since the inception of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994, governmental institutions that are second to none in the Middle East have emerged. They include a very competent Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, a diligent Palestinian Water Authority and a Ministry of Finance that, under the leadership of Salam Fayed, is competently managing very scarce financial resources.
A Central Elections Commission is staffed and prepared, should circumstances allow for an election. An indigenously initiated governmental reform process has undertaken significant improvements in the functioning of the judiciary system, including state-of-the-art courthouses.
There are modern procedures for effective local governance and a sophisticated investment promotion organization.
The list could go on.Likewise, in civil society and in the private sector Palestinians have in recent years developed or improved highly respectable organizations dealing with human rights, transparency in governance and institutions dealing with youth, public health and community participation. It is estimated that there are more than 1,000 Palestinian nongovernment organizations.
What is remarkable is that most of these institutions are run by the Palestinians themselves, and that they continue to flourish in spite of daily setbacks and tragedies. The international community, including the United Nations Development Program, has lent a nurturing hand whenever possible, but the intellectual spark and the drive for institutional excellence has come from within the Palestinian society.
Have there been mistakes? Yes. Has there been some corruption? Undeniably. Will more young Palestinians strap themselves with bombs? That is not to be excluded. Is there a long way to go? Definitely. Is it imperative that donors continue to provide support to Palestinians? Absolutely. But the accomplishments that have been achieved under conditions of conflict is an example of how viable development can progress in the face of adversity.
In a world in which there is now a search for a democratic, secular and progressive state in the Middle East, the seeds have already been sown and are ready to blossom in the occupied Palestinian territories - if only given the opportunity.
In a world seeking to eliminate what is considered the most persistent irritant leading to terrorism, here is a conflict that, above all others, yearns for a just and rational resolution. And here is where those with the power to do so should not falter, be deterred or be misled in the achievement of peace.Posted on: 2003-12-02 11:16
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