Democracy and governance strategy -- the West Bank and Gaza

This report describes the environment in which Palestinian self-government institutions are being established and prescribes a strategy through which donors can facilitate that process. First, the report describes the constraints and the factors conducive to the democracy-building process. Constraints are the uncertainties of the peace process, the schism between Palestinian insiders and outsiders, influence by outside actors, territorial separation within the West Bank and between the West Bank and Gaza, and weak institutional capacity. Factors conducive to democratic government are Palestinians" strong sense of national identity, a profusion of self-help associations, a rich tradition of localism, popular support for emerging self-government institutions, and substantial assistance from the international donor community. Next, the report reviews the six key components of the democracy and governance (DG) sector in the emerging self-rule areas: the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, the Judiciary, the local government, civil society, and elections and political processes (including the role of the media in elections). Finally, the report provides a conceptual framework for a DG strategy. The strategy would aim, through short-term, noncontroversial activities that have a high probability of success, to promote the balance of power between the key political components by strengthening each and encouraging cooperative linkages between them. The greatest potential seems to lie in strengthening institutional capacity combined with discrete development-related activities that facilitate partnerships among the executive branch, local government, and NGOs. An annex contains a charts summarizing current DG donor activity in the West Bank and Gaza.