Regional Development in Palestine- Roundtable (3)
Since the commencement of the political process in the wake of the Madrid Conference in 1991, the issues of regional development and building an effective administrative structure have been of interest for politicians, economists, research institutions, and international agencies. Palestinian negotiators had envisioned jurisdiction – albeit partial – over the entire Palestinian territory and its population as a strategic goal for the interim period. This aim was not achieved in the arrangements for the transitional self-government arrangements. Although the negotiators could not secure a territory free from Israeli settlements and military presence, the Palestinian leadership continued its efforts to pave the way for an independent state. Within this endeavor, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) developed “The Program for the Development of the Palestinian National Economy for the Years 1994-2000,” taking into account the various economic, social, and administrative aspects of this process. The project, which was developed by more than ninety Palestinian and Arab experts, could not be implemented and was thwarted as a result of the Oslo Accords, which imposed serious restrictions on Palestinian development. Yet, the Palestinian National Authority’s (PNA) agencies continued to hold meetings and workshops on state-building while welcoming recommendations from the World Bank and the European Commission on the institutional and administrative structure of the future Palestinian state. MAS also contributed to these efforts in 1994, with a detailed five-day workshop that examined the requirements for building a public administration and a competent civil service. The workshop concluded with a set of recommendations, the most important of which was the need for reconsidering the administrative organization of the PNA.